There is no stopping Eumir Marcial (left) from turning pro and chasing a nation’s Olympic dream. The country’s top amateur boxer
feels both plans are beneficial to each other. INQUIRER PHOTO/ Sherwin Vardeleon
MANILA, Philippines—Eumir Marcial’s professional career got into motion after he signed a six-year deal with Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions.
The Tokyo-bound Olympian decided to turn pro in May after a successful amateur career that racked up three gold medals in the Southeast Asian Games, the title in the 2020 Asia and Oceania Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament, and the silver in the Aiba World Championships.
Marcial was also the first Filipino to win the gold medal in the Youth World Championships.
“I chose MP Promotions because of their 100 percent support in my dreams of fighting for the Philippines in future SEA Games, Asian Games, and even in the Olympics,” said Marcial in a statement in Filipino.
“In fact, it’s stated in my six-year deal that they won’t get in the way the moment the national team needs me.”
Marcial was a freight train in the amateur ranks with dominant gold medal campaigns in the SEA Games with his most recent one a 71-second stoppage of Vietnam’s Manh Cuong Nguyen in 2019 for the middleweight gold medal.
He then followed it up with a 4-1 decision win over India’s Ashish Kumar for the gold medal in the Olympic Qualifiers.
Another reason for Marcial’s decision to sign with MP Promotions was the opportunity to receive guidance from Pacquiao, boxing’s only eight-division World champion and is considered as one of the greatest boxers in history.
World champions Pedro Taduran (IBF minimumweight), John Riel Casimero (WBO bantamweight), and Jerwin Ancajas (IBF super flyweight) are all under MP Promotions.
“It’s an honor to be a student of Sen. Manny Pacquiao, who with the help of MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons, has been an instrument in the victories of current World champions Pedro Taduran, Johnriel Casimero, and Jerwin Ancajas,” said Marcial.
Marcial’s decision to turn pro, however, took a long time of thinking.
The 24-year-old said that he had received offers as early as 2016 but he first wanted to achieve his goal of qualifying for the Olympics.
“I said before that I should be an Olympian first and I think I’m ready now so this is the time to turn pro,” said Marcial. “There were a lot of people telling me to turn pro when I’m still young, when I’m still strong, but I needed experience first so this is the right time to turn pro.”