RENOWNED as a slugger, Eumir Felix Marcial aims to tweak his jab to boost his medal chances in the tough men’s light heavyweight (80kg) division of the Paris Olympic Games boxing competitions in July.
In his first pro fight in the country, Marcial unveiled a snappy right jab in the early rounds before uncorking a lethal left uppercut that stopped Thai Thoedsak Sinam in his tracks in the fourth at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium for his fifth straight win as a pro.
“Plan ko talaga more on the jab. ‘Yun ang pinag-aaralan namin ng coaches ko maski na sa training namin sa US,” the Filipino southpaw said of incorporating the punch as part of his arsenal in the Paris Olympics.
He said that the majority of his American sparring partners in the US were good jabbers, a punch that could come in handy in the Olympics where bouts will be for three rounds and connecting clearly to earn points often counts a lot.
“Sa Olympics, makikita nating ‘yung mga boksingero mula sa Cuba and Latin America, kapag lumalaban ang gagaling nila mag-jab. Kaya nilang manalo sa jab lang, kaya ‘yun ang pina-practice naming mabuti ngayon,” Marcial explained.
He used the jab extensively against Sinam, who was kept at bay by the punch until he found an opening to unleash his powerful left uppercut en route to his second knockout win.
The Zamboanga City pride said he intends to rejoin his national teammates when they begin training at the high-altitude US National Training Center in Denver, Colorado where he will continue to refine his jabbing.
“Dadamihan ko ‘yung jab ko, mas-sharp pa para mas effective kapag ginamit natin. Sa next camp, ‘yung laban namin back to three rounds lang. Kaya dapat kong bilisan ‘yung jab para mas maraming suntok,” Marcial, who punched his ticket to Paris by securing the silver medal in the 19th Hangzhou Asian Games last October, pointed out.
He intends to continue his workout in the US after the Colorado training camp before Paris while some of his teammates try for another stab at the Olympics by competing in the 2nd World Olympic Boxing Qualification Tournament set for May 26 to June 2 in Bangkok, Thailand.
