TWO months to the day he began training with World-Famous Freddie Roach, amateur middleweight standout and 2021 Philippines Olympic team member Eumir Felix Marcial will make his pro debut.
Marcial, from Zamboanga City, will rumble with power-punching Andrew Whitfield (3-1, 2 KOs), in a four-round middleweight bout.
The fight, part of a Premier Boxing Champions (PBC) event, is set on Dec. 16 and will be televised live from LA Live's Microsoft Theater on FS1.
Marcial, who is signed with PBC and Manny "Pacman" Pacquiao's MP Promotions, is following Pacman's footsteps by training with Roach at his Hollywood-based Wild Card Boxing Club.
Wild Card is where eight-division world champion Pacquiao trained for his greatest in-ring performances. Since Rio 2016, professional fighters have been allowed to compete in the Olympics, and Wild Card serves as a "one-stop shop" for Marcial's preparations for professional 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.
"When I enter the ring for my pro debut I will not be alone. I am grateful for the support from a lot of people, including MP Promotions President Sean Gibbons and Senator Manny Pacquiao for having their faith in my ability and signing me, and allowing me to follow in the footsteps of Manny, an idol of mine for as long as I can remember. Like Manny, I have been blessed to travel to Hollywood and train under the guidance of a great teacher in Freddie Roach. I know what Manny and Freddie have accomplished together. I think of that every day and wake up inspired to do better than the day before. It is hard work but is has been good work.
Before lockdown due to the pandemic, Marcial had been on a roll. He punched his ticket to the 2021 Olympics in March by winning all four of his bouts in the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifying tournament in Amman, Jordan. Marcial bagged the silver medal in last year's World Boxing Championships and captured the gold in the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
"I still remember how excited I was to begin my journey with Freddie and I know they will make a remarkable team,” Manny Pacquiao said.
“This isn't just a debut for a professional boxing career, it is the beginning of a historic quest. God bless Eumir Marcial."
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