Eumir Marcial will miss the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya after the Association of Boxing Alliances of the Philippines (ABAP) decided against putting the Filipino boxer through a demanding turnaround following his latest professional fight.
ABAP president Marcus Manalo confirmed Marcial's withdrawal just hours after the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist knocked out Omar Ulises Huerta in the third round of their bout at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California, on Sunday, Sept. 20 (Philippine time).
Manalo said he spoke with Marcial immediately after the victory, with the two agreeing that competing in Nagoya under the circumstances would not be ideal.
"I spoke to Eumir right after winning his professional fight earlier. After carefully considering the situation, Eumir and I agreed that it would be better to skip the Asian Games," Manalo said in a statement released by the Philippine Olympic Committee media.
The decision comes with the Asian Games already underway, leaving Marcial with a narrow window to recover from his professional bout, travel from the United States to Japan, and adjust to the 16-hour time difference before another high-level competition.
"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 said.
Nonetheless, the late withdrawal could come at a cost given Manalo had previously confirmed that pulling out at the last minute is technically not allowed, and could see ABAP and POC sanctioned by the Olympic Council of Asia. OCA sanctions could range from a warning or other administrative measure to more serious penalties under its regulations.
Marcial was looking to represent the Philippines once again after collecting medals in his previous two Asian Games appearances. He won silver in the light heavyweight division in Hangzhou in 2023 and bronze as a middleweight in Jakarta-Palembang in 2018.
According to Manalo, Marcial's desire to compete was never an issue.
"Eumir himself was very much looking forward to the opportunity to represent the flag once again. This is therefore a difficult decision for everyone involved," he said.
Manalo added that competing for the Philippines also involves protecting an athlete's long-term career.
"His commitment to Philippine boxing and to representing the country has never been in question," he said.
Marcial is expected to have another opportunity to compete internationally when the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games take place in December.