Gold hopeful Eumir Marcial withdraws from Asian Games citing time constraint

MANILA – Good news: Eumir Marcial got the quick finish he needed to hopefully make the flight to the Japan Asian Games.

Bad news: He will not take the flight.

The Olympic bronze medalist scored a third-round knockout against Mexican-American Omar Ulises Huerta in a middleweight bout in San Diego, California on Sunday.

"I spoke to Eumir right after winning his professional fight earlier. After carefully considering the situation, Eumir and I agreed that it would be better to skip the Asian Games," Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Marcus Manalo said in a text message to the media hours after Marcial’s professional return bout at Pechanga Arena, citing the long-haul flight to Nagoya and the short preparation time.

The end came at the 1:54 mark of Round 3 when Huerta dropped for the first time in his career.

Still wobbly from Marcial's right hook, Huerta failed to make the 10-count, prompting the referee to call it a bout.

"I've been waiting for that punch to counter it because in the second round, he got me with a couple of shots, so I said, I need to watch this punch and then counter. So that's what I did, and then that's the outcome," Marcial said in an interview with FightHype.

The knockout served as a glimmer of hope for Filipinos that Marcial would still join the Asian Games.

However, ABAP deemed that three days is too short of a transition period from his pro bout to the more daunting Olympic-style boxing at the Asian Games.

With no direct flight from San Diego to Nagoya, Marcial would need to take a 15-hour connecting flight, which would significantly reduce his training time.

"It would be very hard for him to immediately transition from a professional fight in the US into long-distance travel to Nagoya with a 16-hour time difference, and then into another high-level boxing competition with such a short recovery period. Boxing is a physically demanding and inherently risky sport, and adequate time to rest and recover is extremely important, and we do not want to compromise Eumir’s health and safety because of the tight timeline," Manalo said.

In a separate interview with United States-based sports photographer Jhay Otamias, the 30-year-old Marcial said he was still ready to catch the flight.

"Ready pa ako. Three rounds lang 'yun, so parang lumaban lang ako sa amateur. I think ready pa naman ‘yung katawan ko (I'm still ready. It was just three rounds, so it's just like I fought in the amateurs. I think my body is still ready)," Marcial said.

Manalo confirmed Marcial's readiness, saying he was “very much looking forward to the opportunity to represent the flag once again.”

“This is therefore a difficult decision for everyone involved. However, representing the Philippines is not only about stepping into the ring. It is also about making responsible decisions that protect our athletes and allow them to have long, healthy careers," Manalo said.

With Southeast Asian Games bronze medalist Weljon Mindoro, the supposed alternate, also not cleared after suffering a knockout loss to Mexican Carlos Ocampo in California on Aug. 30, the Philippines is left without a boxer in the men's 80-kilogram division.

The Philippine Olympic Committee is facing sanctions from the Olympic Council of Asia for the last-minute withdrawal ahead of the draw on Sunday.

Meanwhile, Manalo assured that Marcial will fight in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games in in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Dec. 11 to 21. (PNA)