Pacquiao's Pep Talk Fires Up Marical To Second Big Win

by Ronnie Nathanielsz

Filipino welterweight Eumir Felix Marcial took to heart the advice given him by eight division world champion Manny Pacquiao during a pep talk prior to Pacquiao’s departure from Doha, Qatar where the World Boxing Championships are being staged and obviously benefited from it.

In his second fight in the tournament which is a qualifier for the Olympic Games in Brazil next year Marcial faced Spain’s Youba Ndiayw Sisokho with what AIBA described as “renewed vigor  and grew stronger as the contest went on to comfortably progress.”

In a post fight interview Marcial said “I was so excited going into the championship knowing that my idol Manny Pacquiao would be coming to Qatar.”

Marcial said Pacquiao’s advice was “to dominate the bout and be aggressive and I knew after the first round I could do that and enjoy the contest.”

Marcial had scored a spectacular 1st round stoppage when his Egyptian opponent Said Muhammad was given three standing eight-counts and referee Rehi Asanu of Belarus  called a halt at 2:59 of the very first round.

After the mania caused by Filipino boxing sensation Manny Pacquiao the possibility of a swift return to Doha for a comeback bout against Britain’s WBC Silver champion was heightened even further when Khan arrived in Doha, hours after Pacquiao had left for Manila on an early morning flight.

Khan who won a silver medal at the Athens Olympic Games in 2004 is scheduled to watch the quarter final bouts of AIBA’s showpiece event which has clearly elevated the stature of the world amateur governing body headed by its president Dr. Ching-Kuo Wu.

Khan remarked that “stage by stage the standard and entertainment keeps on improving  and the class of the boxers is really starting to show. This is where we start to see the real championship contenders emerge.”

He said “to see boxing of the skill and quality live in the heart of Doha, all within the state-of-the art facility really is a spectacle to behold. We’re thrilled that so many within the community of Qatar have turned out in force to support the event and join fans from around the world in this celebration of sport.”

The president of the Qatar Boxing Federation and executive director of the signature event in association with the Qatar Olympic Committee will leave a lasting legacy on the future generation. We couldn’t be happier on how things are going especially with stars like Manny Pacquiao attending on Thursday and now Amir Khan set to share the championship experience on Saturday.”