Eumir Marcial focuses on pro career after Paris Olympics heartbreak

MANILA, Philippines – While not turning away completely from Olympic boxing, Eumir Marcial said on Wednesday, August 21, that he will be pouring his efforts toward his blossoming professional career.

Marcial — who remains unbeaten in five bouts in the pro ranks (5-0-0, 5 KOs) — last fought professionally earlier this year, a fourth-round knockout of Thai boxer Thoedsak Sinam at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium on March 23.

“I am not closing my doors in wanting to achieve my ultimate dream, which is to win an Olympic gold medal,” Marcial, the Tokyo Games bronze medalist, posted on social media. 

“But I think I’m making the right decision to pour my focus into my professional career, and in continuing to bring honor to our country.”

Marcial fell short of his Olympic gold medal bid in Paris after a shock exit in the round of 16 of the men’s 80kg.  

Enduring a troublesome rib injury, the 28-year-old absorbed a unanimous decision loss to Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev and was a picture of heartbreak right after the bout. 

Admitting he was “devastated,” Marcial was still unsure then of his next career plans.

“I guess I’ll see you guys back in the ring in December,” he said in his pro boxing return announcement. 

Marcial, one of the national team’s bemedaled boxers, has represented the Philippines for more than a decade, winning an Olympic bronze in 2021 on top of several world, Asian, and Southeast Asian medals.  

In October 2023, the pride of Zamboanga fueled his repeat Olympic medal bid after qualifying for Paris.

Marcial turned pro under MP Promotions of Manny Pacquiao in July 2020.

The Olympics first allowed pro boxers to compete in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games.

As Philippine boxing continues to eye the elusive Olympic gold, the sport is currently not listed in the sporting events for the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

The Philippine Olympic Committee, however, remains confident of boxing’s inclusion in the LA Games following mismanagement issues that led to the stripping of the International Boxing Association as the sport’s governing body.

World Boxing, which is positioning itself to become the new international federation, needs 50 members by 2025 to be able to organize the Olympic events.

The International Olympic Committee managed the boxing competitions in the Tokyo and Paris editions. – Rappler.com