TOKYO Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Felix Marcial could be flying to the US in October and bound to welcome him back to the pros is a former discus thrower-turned strength and conditioning coach whose reputation includes training two Manny Pacquiao beaters.
MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons told BusinessMirror that he tapped Mexican Angel “Memo” Heredia to handle Marcial’s buding pro career that kicked off with a unanimous decision victory last December.
“If Eumir will be booked for a fight in December, then he’ll be expected here in the US by October,” said Gibbons, adding the 25-year-old Marcial will be joining World Boxing Organization bantamweight champion Johnriel Casimero and bantamweight Jonas Sultan at training camp in Los Angeles.
Casimero and Sultan both won two weeks ago at the Dignity Health Park in Carson City, California.
So who’s Heredia?
The 45-year-old was once Mexico’s top youth discus thrower but never hit it big as a seniors athlete. He turned to chemistry, following his father’s footsteps, and dealt with performance enhancing drugs that got him into some trouble.
But’s that’s past, according to the Mexican, and now, Heredia owns a reputation of having trained Juan Manuel Marquez when he knocked Pacquiao out cold in December 2012 at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas.
Fast forward to August 21 of the current year, Heredia was also responsible for training Cuban Yordenis Ugás, who retained his World Boxing Association welterweight belt at the expense, again, of Pacquiao at the T-Mobile Arena also in Las Vegas.
Heredia also worked on Casimero and Sultan and the results were obvious.
On Marcial, Heredia admitted he has yet to get the feel of the pride of Zamboanga City, who was one of four Filipinos—Hidilyn Diaz (gold), Nesthy Petecio (silver) and Carlo Paalam (silver)—who clinched medals at the Tokyo Olympics.
“I have never met him [Marcial], but I’ll be working with him soon. Sean Gibbons told me that I will be taking over as his strength and conditioning training,” Heredia said. “I like him, in my opinion, he is a strong guy with decent punching power and with a good chin.”
Heredia didn’t touch on Marcial’s semifinal-round loss to Ukrainian Oleksandr Khyzhniak in Tokyo, but was quick to suggest that Marcial needs conditioning for him to last a grueling 12-round fight as a professional.
“Great conditioning will be a factor because he will be quicker and stronger and he will be more confident inside the ring, it’s going to be a game changer,” he said. “We have to improve his recovery, too. He’s going to do well if he works hard.”
Marcial turned pro in July last year but fought just once, beating American Andrew Whitfield via unanimous decision in a four-round non-title bout in Los Angeles last December 16.