Eumir Marcial to skip Asian Games, ABAP confirms

Eumir Marcial is not anymore competing in the 20th Asian Games.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Marcus Manalo confirmed the development on the same Sunday Marcial scored a third-round knockout against Omar Ulises Huerta in San Diego, California in his eighth consecutive professional fight.

In a statement, Manalo said he and Marcial both agreed to skip the Asiad due to health and safety concerns.

“It would be very hard for him to immediately transition from a professional fight in the US, into long-distance travel to Nagoya with 16-hr time difference, and then into another high-level boxing competition with such a short recovery period,” Manalo said.

“Boxing is a physically demanding and inherently risky sport, and adequate time to rest and recover is extremely important, and we do not want to compromise Eumir’s health and safety because of the tight timeline.”

Manalo admitted that it was a “difficult decision” but said that representing the Philippines is also “about making responsible decisions that protect our athletes and allow them to have long, healthy careers.”

Marcial, who took home a silver medal in the men’s 80kg division in the 2023 Asian Games, is now looking ahead to representing the country in the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games (AIMAG) in December.