ABAP calls out individuals ‘distracting’ Marcial from Olympic preparation

DECEMBER 9, 2019: Philippines’ Eumir Felix Marcial celebrates after knocking out Vietnam’s Nguyen Manh Cuong to claim the gold medal during the 30th South East Asian Games 2019 Men’s Middleweight (75 kg). INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon

MANILA, Philippines—Ricky Vargas, the president of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines, appealed to individuals who’ve been hounding Olympic-bound boxer Eumir Marcial during his preparation for the Summer Games.

Vargas said in a statement that he and ABAP won’t interfere with Marcial’s financial prospects after the Olympics but he pleaded to those individuals to leave the boxer be before the Games.

“It has come to my attention that certain individuals and entities have been approaching ABAP boxer Eumir Marcial, who recently qualified for the Tokyo Olympics, dangling vast financial offers to sign up with them before the Olympics,” said Vargas.

“Understandably with the Olympiad over a year away, many are scrambling to land a big fish like Marcial, who is widely acknowledged to be one of the most exciting boxers in the sport at this time.”

Marcial won the gold medal in the 2020 Asia and Oceania Olympic boxing qualifying tournament in March, cementing his reputation as one of the best middleweights in the continent.

He also won the silver in the AIBA World Championships and has three gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games.

Marcial made a promise to his father that he would compete in the Olympics and this was a vow that both of them shared since the boxer was a child.

Vargas, thus, pleaded to these individuals to allow Marcial to continue on with his training.

“The numbers being thrown around are just too staggering, they run into the tens of millions of pesos even before he throws a punch,” said Vargas. “That would give anyone pause.”

“Eumir Marcial is one athlete who presents a viable opportunity for a podium finish in the Olympics, but in a highly-demanding sport such as boxing, he needs to focus 100% on his preparation and training.”

Vargas added that he’s not essentially barring these individuals from doing business with Marcial, though they can make those dealings after the Olympics.

“When the Olympics comes to a close, we assure everyone that ABAP will not stand in the way of whatever path Eumir may wish to take in his boxing career,” said Vargas.

“Eumir is a national treasure in the making. Please allow him to take the path towards being one with no distractions, including media hype, which threatens to occupy his mind if these incredible offers persist. He just cannot afford it neither can the country. Thank you for your understanding.”