Two months since he began training with Freddie Roach, Tokyo Olympics-bound Eumir Marcial is finally making his pro debut.
The Zamboanga City pride is set to face American boxer Andrew Whitfield (3-1, 2 KOs) in a four-round middleweight bout on Dec. 16 (Dec. 17, Manila time) under the event of Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) at LA Live’s Microsoft Theater.
Marcial, who signed with PBC and Manny Pacquiao's MP Promotions, is following the footsteps of the Filipino legend by training with Roach at his Hollywood-based Wild Card Boxing Club.
Wild Card is where Pacquiao trained for his greatest in-ring performances. Wild Card is serving as a one-stop shop for Marcial's preparations for his professional debut and Olympic glory.
"Turning professional is an important step in my journey to the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo. A lot of the fighters I may face in the Olympics have already turned pro so my professional training with Freddie will keep me at their level of experience when we battle in the Olympics," Marcial said.
"But my ultimate goal has always been to make my dad's dream a reality, a dream he has had since my first amateur fight, to win an Olympic gold medal. That is the prize I have in my eyes. I want to be the first to bring Olympic gold back to Philippines.
Before the pandemic shut the world down, Marcial had been on a roll. He punched his ticket for the 2021 Olympics in March by winning all four of his bouts in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying tournament in Amman, Jordan. Marcial was the top seed in his division.
Last December, he captured the gold at the 30th Southeast Asian Games as well as the silver medal in last year's World Boxing Championships. His illustrious résumé also includes being a three-time SEA games champion.