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| Eumir Marcial is still in the Philippine boxing team's "entry by name" for the Asian Games. |
MANILA—Eumir Marcial remains part of the Philippine boxing team for the Asian Games, according to the entry-by-name list submitted by the Philippine Olympic Committee.
As it stands, Marcial is still scheduled to compete in the middleweight division of the Asian Games boxing event, even though concerns remain about whether he will actually make it to Nishio, Japan.
The boxing competition will begin on Sept. 21 at the Nishio Gymnasium, but Marcial's division will just start on Sept. 23.
However, Marcial is scheduled to defend his WBC international middleweight title against Omar Huerta on Sept. 20 (Philippine Time) at the Pechanga Arena in Temecula, California.
Aware of the situation, the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines initially added Weljon Mindoro to its national team pool.
However, Mindoro suffered a shock ninth-round knockout loss to veteran Carlos Ocampo on Aug. 30 (Philippine Time) at the Galen Center inside the University of Southern California campus in Los Angeles.
The erstwhile undefeated KO artist is now serving a "medical suspension" following the defeat, which lasts at least 30 days, meaning he will not be cleared in time.
Reynaldo Galido, Marcial's coach, said that his prized ward will try to score an early knockout against Huerta so they can still make the flight from the Metro San Diego district to the Aichi Prefecture.
If the 10-round bout goes a bit longer, Marcial's camp may be prompted to let go of the Asian Games bid.
This means the Philippine boxing team is facing the possibility of not fielding a pug in the 80-kilogram category.
Marcus Manalo, ABAP's president, is expected to address Marcial's situation during Tuesday's Philippine Sportswriters Association Forum at the PSC Media Hall of the Rizal Memorial Sports Complex.
Meanwhile, Olympic medalists Carlo Paalam, Nesthy Petecio, and Aira Villegas headline the Philippine boxing team's entry by name, along with Paul Bascon, Marjon Piañar, and Riza Pasuit.
