MANILA, Philippines — ABAP president Ricky Vargas said yesterday he spoke with New York boxing manager Shelly Finkel in a one-hour video conference call to lay down the conditions of a possible engagement in handling Olympic middleweight qualifier Eumir Marcial’s career.
“It came out very well,” said Vargas. “Shelly agreed to everything we want for Eumir and assured us he’s there to help. He’s willing to discuss terms of a possible engagement further. I told him we’d like Eumir to stay amateur going to the Olympics and he’s open to that. I also mentioned that whoever is chosen to manage Eumir will join us in the journey to the Olympics.”
Vargas said there was no discussion of a signing bonus. “Personally, I want money matters out of the way so Eumir can focus on his training,” he said. “Right now, Eumir needs financial help. I think he’ll be more settled once he’s assured that money isn’t a problem. I heard a signing bonus of anywhere between $100,000 to $200,000 has been mentioned to Eumir but this wasn’t taken up with Shelly who came across as very professional.”
Vargas said Finkel spoke about his history of producing Olympic medalists and making them world champions in the pro ranks. “He values loyalty and trust,” said Vargas. “I think he’s built quite a reputation in his long years in boxing.” Vargas said Finkel expressed enthusiasm in managing a prospect like Marcial. “Shelly thinks Eumir can be big in the Philippines and big in the US,” the ABAP president continued. “He’d love to handle someone like Eumir. He knows how Filipinos love their fighters and how US fans support great talent. Because Eumir can’t get enough sparring in the Philippines because of his weight class, Shelly can arrange for the best sparring in the US and mentioned training at the Wild Card Gym with Freddie Roach.”
ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson, who participated in the call, said training in Kazakhstan or Uzbekistan is an option to boost Marcial’s confidence heading to the Olympics. Finkel agreed that ABAP coaches will accompany Marcial while training in the US or elsewhere.
Vargas said a timeframe will be discussed to determine how long Marcial is to stay amateur, considering the Olympics may not even take place. “The wait for the Olympics shouldn’t be more than a year,” he said. “We don’t want to take away Eumir’s opportunity to turn pro if the Olympics are cancelled. Shelly understands that and I believe he’s ready to invest in Eumir staying amateur until the Olympics.”
Vargas said after talking to Finkel, he will speak with MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons who is also interested in managing Marcial’s career in Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s behalf. “I will explore the possibility of MP Promotions taking care of Eumir,” he said. “I want to be transparent with all parties concerned and I’ve told Shelly I would speak with Sean. I’ll lay down the options to Eumir and I want to involve his father and girlfriend in choosing the best offer. Our conditions are Eumir will go to the Olympics as an amateur and whoever is his manager will join us in this journey to make his Olympic dream come true.”