Olympic-bound boxer Eumir Felix Marcial is not about to rejoin his teammates in the planned training bubble.
The 25-year-old middleweight prospect made no mention of plans to leave his current new base in Los Angeles where, along with Team Pacquiao, he is going the pro route in preparation for the Games.
Marcial has recently won his first professional fight and has two more bouts lined up before the Tokyo Olympics.
The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (Abap) recently said it was rolling out a bubble training and even a foreign trip “at nearest available opportunity.”
But sources inside Marcial camp said the Zamboanga City native wants to maximize the few months he has until July to train with Freddie Roach at Wild Card gym.
“We’re happy for Eumir and we send our congratulations to him. We hope he can now consider rejoining the national team and focus on training for Olympic-style boxing,” said Ed Picson, Abap secretary general, in a statement.
Picson, however, didn’t say if they would compel the boxer to come home and resume training here since he is still a “property” of the national team.
Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) chair Butch Ramirez had earlier asked Marcial to get in touch with the Abap. After all, he’s still in the PSC payroll as national athlete.
“They (MP Promotions) asked me if I want a week off,” Marcial said after beating Andrew Whitfield on Thursday. “But I said I want to train as soon as possible because I need to get experience.”
He scored a unanimous decision victory over the American to touch off a pro career that Marcial felt would better help him achieve his Olympic dream.
Marcial has reportedly signed a contract with MP Promotions “in perpetuity.” The deal affords him the assurance that he will have a promotional outfit solidly behind him even after he is done representing the country.
Marcial will also gain full access to the team that handles Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s career.