Eumir Marcial —REUTERS PHOTO
Plans are afoot for Eumir Felix Marcial to engage in a couple of professional fights as part of his itinerary all the way to the 2024 Paris Olympics, starting off with a projected gig in Metro Manila.
Retired eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao will help lay the groundwork for Marcial to display his skills in front of Filipino fight fans in an undetermined venue in the nation’s metropolis with a still unidentified foe.
“It definitely excites me to hear from Sen. Manny himself that he wanted to arrange a fight here for me under his promotion,’’ said Marcial.
Showcasing the stuff that made him an Olympic bronze medalist at home can be a confidence push the famed slugger from Zamboanga City will bring in his final golden bid in the Paris Summer Games.
“There are many Filipinos who like to see me fight here. I’m begging for their support,’’ said Marcial.
International matchmaker Sean Gibbons will work out the Manila light heavyweight bout likely to be held early next year.
The last time Marcial wowed the home crowd was when he won the gold medal back in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games that was held here.
As a pro, Marcial has won all his four fights, including a pair of knockouts, all of them in the United States.
Marcial snared a second straight Olympic trip after bagging a silver medal in the Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, two months ago.
“He met with Viva Manny Pacquiao recently and presented his silver medal from the Asian Games,’’ said Gibbons.
“And the big news was the senator wants to do a fight here in Manila, maybe in February, to be sponsored by MP promotions,’’ added Gibbons.