SUMMARY
This is AI generated summarization, which may have errors. For context, always refer to the full article.
MANILA, Philippines – When he debuted as a pro in 2020, Eumir Marcial looked down on his opponent.
When he fights again on Saturday, April 9 (Sunday, April 10, Philippine time), in Las Vegas, Marcial will be looking up to Peru-born American Isiah Hart.
Although a late growth spurt has raised Marcial’s height to 5-foot-11, the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist will still give up 3 inches in height and at least 2 inches in reach to the 6-foot-2 Hart.
The six-round middleweight fight is set at The Theatre at Virgin Hotels with Marcial a slight pick owing to his sterling amateur credentials.
During the official weigh-in on Friday, Marcial posted 160.2 pounds with his trunks on while Hart tallied 162.2 after going naked. Hart registered 162.6 on his first try at the scales.
The 26-year-old Marcial, the pride of Barangay Lunzuran in Zamboanga City who is being supported by sportsman Junnie Navarro, will be trying to follow up on his unanimous decision victory over the 5-foot-8 Andrew Whitfield in Los Angeles on December 16, 2020.
Hart holds a 6-2-1 slate with 4 knockouts.
Marcial trained in Las Vegas under Jorge Capetillo and strength and conditioning guru Memo Heredia.
According to Marcial, the bout with Hart will serve as part of his preparations for the 31st Southeast Asian Games in Hanoi, Vietnam in May.
Satisfied with Marcial’s current form, MP (Manny Pacquiao) Promotions president Sean Gibbons predicted a knockout victory by the 2019 world boxing silver medalist and three-time SEA Games titlist, in either the third or fourth round.
Marcial is also inspired by the presence of his wife, Princess, who arrived in Las Vegas on March 25.
Big expectations
Often put under microscope for his lack of stamina that is crucial for his shift from amateur to professional ranks, the newly-wed Marcial is guaranteed to be in tip-top shape against Hart.
“He’s been training hard non-stop after his wedding to my daughter (Princess). He’s really determined to turn things around as a pro,” Marcial’s father-in-law Reynaldo Galarpe told Rappler from his Long Beach, California home.
“Eumir’s team on training did succeed to work on improving his stamina. Expectation is big for him in the gym that he’s under pressure to deliver,” added 1990 Asian Games gold medalist Roberto Jalnaiz, whose wife Mary Joy is the older sister of Marcial’s better half.
The Marcial-Hart tussle is an undercard feature attraction of the TGB Promotion headlined by the Erickson Lubin versus Sebastian Fundora WBC super welterweight interim title fight.
“I am so excited to return to my professional career, and to be fighting in Viva Las Vegas, where I now live and train, is a great way to get things going again,” Marcial said in a press release.
In his colorful amateur boxing career, the Zamboangeño won a gold at the 2019 Southeast Asian Games and a silver medal at the 2019 World Boxing Championships.
His narrow loss to the top-seeded Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine in the semifinals was one of the most exciting bouts in the Tokyo Olympics, which saw the Filipino taking the initiative early but lost steam in the third and final round. – Rappler.com
Start your boxing career right! Shop the latest boxing accessories using this Shopee voucher.
Add a comment
How does this make you feel?
There are no comments yet. Add your comment to start the conversation.