Eumir battles 6-2 foe
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Sun, 10 Apr 2022
Tokyo Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial takes on a long-armed opponent who’s six inches taller in his second pro bout at the Virgin Hotels, Las Vegas, this morning (Manila time) but it’s not as if he isn’t used to fighting beanpoles. “Sa amateurs, mayroon akong nakalaban na 6-3 from India, no problem,” said Marcial. ‘Di ako magmamadali na maka-score ng knockout. Pakikita ko ang aking boxing skills.”
Marcial, 26, faces 6-2 Peruvian Isiah Hart in a six-round tussle with a weight limit of 162 pounds. In yesterday’s weigh-in, Marcial tipped the scales at 160.2 and Hart, 161.6. The Zamboanga City southpaw made his pro debut in December 2020, outpointing Andrew Whitfield in a four-rounder in Los Angeles. Hart, 30, has a 6-2-1 record, with four KOs.
After Marcial bagged a bronze in Tokyo, he took time off then arrived in the US early this year to get ready for his second pro outing. He trained with Jorge Capetillo and strength/conditioning coach Memo Heredia in Las Vegas. Capetillo, his son Brandon and Brendan Gibbons will be in Marcial’s corner for the Hart fight. A few weeks ago, Marcial’s wife Princess joined him in Las Vegas.
“Eumir looks amazing,” said MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons. “Memo put him in incredible shape. Eumir fought a ton of tall guys in the amateurs so Hart’s height isn’t a concern. Princess’ support is the best thing ever for Eumir like Mark Magsayo’s support from his wife Frances.” Marcial said Princess takes care of his diet, schedule and home requirements so he’s able to focus 100 percent on training. They stay in the master’s suite of a five-room home that Gibbons arranged for them, Heredia and boxer Jonas Sultan.
Marcial said he sparred about 50 rounds to prepare for Hart. He went up to eight rounds then tapered off to six and four to end his sparring sessions Friday last week. One of his sparmates was a US Olympian. “Handang handa na ako,” said Marcial who plans to return home on Thursday in time for a church ritual on Holy Week. Marcial said he’ll train with the ABAP team in Thailand before moving to Hanoi for the SEA Games in May. He said winning Olympic gold for the country remains a goal and that’s in his sights for Paris in 2024.
Photo Eumir Felix Marcial of the Philippines wraps his hands before his scheduled 6-round fight against Isiah Hart of Peru Saturday night in Las Vegas (Sunday morning in Manila). Photo by Jhay Otamias.
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