Talks are underway for Eumir Marcial to fight at home for the first time as a pro before representing his proud nation for a second time in the Olympics.
BoxingScene.com has confirmed that the unbeaten middleweight has become the focal point for a planned show in the first quarter of the new year in Manila, Philippines. MP Promotions—founded by former eight-division titlist Manny Pacquiao—presented the news to Marcial shortly after his latest amateur feat in October when he earned a Silver medal in the 19th annual Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
Marcial—a Bronze medalist for the Philippines in the delayed 2020 Tokyo Olympics—earned his second Olympic qualification with his success during the tournament.
“The Asiad silver medalist, Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist just met with Viva Manny Pacquiao,” MP Promotions’ Sean Gibbons told Boxing Scene. “He presented The Senator with the silver medal.
“The big news in return was that the senator wants to do a fight here in Manila, maybe in February to be sponsored by MP Promotions.”
Marcial is 4-0 with two knockouts as a pro middleweight. All four bouts have taken place in the U.S., beginning with his December 2020 pro debut in Los Angeles. The 28-year-old southpaw from Zamboanga City, Philippines went all of 2021 without a pro bout due to his Olympic commitment. He lodged two fights in 2022 and one more this past February in San Antonio, Texas.
The rest of 2023 has been spent preparing for a second Olympic run, which has come with the fully support of Pacquiao (62-8-2, 39KOs) and his entire team.
“[Marcial] was congratulated by the Senator personally after bagging a silver medal in the Asian Games and making it to the Olympics for the second time,” Gibbons said. “The living legend Pacquiao was so excited to see him, he also gave Eumir some boxing tips.”
He is now also prepared to provide Marcial with a long overdue homecoming. His last bout of any kind in the Philippines was in 2019 when he claimed a Gold medal during the 30th annual Southeast Asian Games in Pasay City.
“It definitely excites me to hear it from Senator himself that he wanted to arrange a fight here for me under his promotions,” Marcial told Boxing Scene in a provided statement. “There are many Filipinos who like to see me fight here. I’m begging for the support of my fellow Filipinos. My training stays in the United States for sure because that’s only the ideal place to train not only for my pro bouts but also for my Olympic campaign. I will just return to Manila two weeks before the fight if it’s officially announced.”
Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox