PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee (POC) president Rep. Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino welcomed the decision of boxing champion Eumir Marcial to concentrate on winning the Olympic gold medal.

Tolentino said Marcial is expected to return home as soon as possible and join the national boxing team in their training camp in Canberra, Australia.

“Eumir will be coming home from the US as soon as possible and to join the national boxing team and work on his Australian visa,” said Tolentino, referring to Marcial joining the national team training camp starting on Sept. 1 in Canberra.

The decision to return to the country and focus on the Olympics came after the cancellation of Marcial’s fifth professional fight scheduled later this month.

Marcial’s fight this August was already cancelled and moved to September, which runs conflict with the Asian Games in Hangzhou scheduled Sept. 23-Oct. 8.

Tolentino brokered Marcial’s availability for the Asian Games — a Paris Olympics qualifier– with his promotion MP Promotions, whose president, Sean Gibbons, agreed to write off the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist’s training expenses for his supposed fifth pro fight in the US.

Professional boxers are charged training expenses which are almost always deducted from their guaranteed fight purse.

“Sean (Gibbons) readily agreed that Marcial focuses on Hangzhou and go after his Olympic dream,” Tolentino said.

Marcial, however, faces a tough task in in Hangzhou.

First, he’ll be fighting at 81 kgs (light heavyweight) because the 71-kg class (middleweight) where he clinched bronze in Tokyo was scratched from the Hangzhou program.

And second, he needs to reach the final after it was decreed that only the boxing finalists in Hangzhou will qualify for Paris, no longer the traditional semifinals cut off.

But Marcial is aware of the challenge and vowed to go all out for his Olympic dream.

“It’s now or never,” said the 27-year-old boxer from Zamboanga City.