WHILE focused on his pro career, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial has made a commitment to Philippine Olympic Committee president and Tagaytay Mayor Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino to compete in the Hangzhou Asian Games, the qualifying meet for the Paris Olympic Games for Asia, in September.
“Nag-commit sa akin si Eumir that although he will skip the Cambodia SEA Games he will compete in the Hangzhou Asian Games, which is an Olympic qualifying event,” Tolentino said during the PSA Awards Night last Monday where he was cited as Executive of the Year for the second straight time.
Tolentino expressed confidence that the added experience and seasoning of Marcial, 27, a bronze medalist in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, would give the boxer an edge for one of the two tickets available in the middleweight division that will be at stake in the 19th Asiad set Sept. 23 to Oct. 8 in Hangzhou, China.
Based on the revised qualification process of the International Olympic Committee, only the boxing finalists in each Olympic weight division in the Hangzhou Asian Games will qualify for the Paris Summer Games in 2024.
After the Asiad, there will be two more world Olympic qualifying competitions in early 2024 where boxers can punch their tickets to the 33rd edition of the quadrennial sports showcase in the French capital.
Qualifying for Paris has taken on greater significance for Olympic boxing hopefuls from all over the world since the IOC has scrapped the sport in the 2028 edition in Los Angeles due to scandals that have rocked the discipline in previous Olympics.
The world Olympic body has taken over the qualifying process from the International Boxing Association, forming its own group led by Japanese International Gymnastics Federation president Morinari Watanabe, who supervised the qualifiers for the Tokyo Games.
Fresh from his impressive second-round knockout win over Argentine Ricardo Ruben Villalba at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas last month, Marcial was present during the grand and festive occasion and received a trophy for capturing his fourth straight gold medal in the Vietnam Southeast Asian Games last year.
The Zamboanga City pride chalked up his fourth consecutive pro win in the middleweight division since signing up a lucrative four-year deal in 2020 with MP Promotions, owned by ring icon Manny Pacquiao, and his personally handled by MP Promotions chief Sean Gibbons.
Had he signified his intention to compete in the Cambodia SEA Games, Marcial would have fought in the 80kg or light heavyweight division since the middleweight category was dropped from the roster of events by the Cambodian hosts.
“Of course, it would be easier for Eumir to add weight but competition doesn’t get easier in a heavier weight class,” said boxing secretary general Marcus Manalo.
