Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial is plunging back into professional action and he'll be fighting in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios World Boxing Council (WBC) world welterweight showdown on July 19 in Las Vegas.
At A Glance
- Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial is plunging back into professional action and he'll be fighting in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios World Boxing Council (WBC) world welterweight showdown on July 19 in Las Vegas.
MP Promotions president Sean Gibbons made the announcement on Friday, June 6, with Marcial figuring in an eight-round middleweight non-title bout against American Alexis Gaytan.
The fight serves as some sort of a tune-up match for Marcial, who is looking to get back into the groove of things after taking a break in his professional career to prepare and represent the country in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
Marcial, undefeated through five contests, is fighting in his sixth professional bout after stopping Thai Thoedsak Sinam in the fourth round in 2023.
More than resuming his professional journey, however, what excites Marcial more is the prospect of fighting in the undercard of a Pacquiao match – an opportunity he had long dreamt ever since he picked up the boxing gloves.
“My dream has come true. I represented the Philippines in the Olympics with pride, won the bronze, but my real dream was to fight alongside with the hall of famer and eight-division world champion Manny Pacquiao. And on July 19, my dream is coming to become a reality,” said Marcial who also trains with stablemates and Filipino boxers Jerwin Ancajas, Mark Magsayo and Jonas Sultan.
With a so-so 17-10 record with six knockouts, Gaytan isn't expected to topple a boxer of Marcial's caliber, though with his experience he can still pose a threat to the 29-year-old pride of Zamboanga.