Pacquiao, Gibbons upbeat on Marcial's Paris Olympic gold chances

MANILA, Philippines – International matchmaker Sean Gibbons believes that Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial could qualify for his second straight Olympics and that this time, he will take home the gold.

Gibbons, also the MP Promotions president, said they allowed the four-time Southeast Asian Games champion to set aside his professional plans for the meantime until after the Hangzhou 20th Asian Games on September 23 to October 8 in China to focus on qualifying to the Olympics.

“We believe that Eumir Felix Marcial could qualify for the Olympics one more time and take home the gold there,” Gibbons said in giving the go signal for Marcial and the Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) headed by President Abraham Tolentino to pursue another Olympic bid.

He said that even the eight-division champion Manny Pacquiao, the founder of the MP Promotions, is also supportive to Marcial’s quest to win an Olympic gold, saying the former senator did not hesitate in supporting Marcial’s decision.

“MP Promotions, Manny Pacquiao and myself are always for pride and country, and for the development of the fighters. With one more attempt to get there, it doesn’t affect anything in his life where he’s at right now except if we don’t do it,” Gibbons explained.

Marcial, unbeaten in four pro bouts with two knockouts, will be returning to the professional ranks t by the end of the Asian Games sometime October and then fight by November — whether he qualifies for the Paris Olympics or not.

He last fought Ricardo Reuben Villalba of Argentina, scoring a second-round technical knockout win last February 11 in San Antonio, Texas.