EUMIR Marcial may have given up the opportunity of flying flag and country again at the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan.
But in return, the pro fighter gets to show the boxing world the stuff he’s made of.
Marcial scored a solid third-round knockout of Omar Ulises Huerta in their eight-round middleweight bout at the Pechanga Arena in San Diego, California that served as one of the undercards in the WBC interim light-welterweight title fight between Isaac ‘Pitbull’ Cruz and Nestor Bravo.
READ Marcial not heading to Asiad after impressive KO in pro fight
The fight card was broadcast live over DAZN and marked the first time the 30-year-old Filipino southpaw saw action in a televised US promotion.
And some of them were quick to take notice, among them former light-middleweight champion Sergio Mora.
“Marcial is going to be a scary problem at 160,” said Mora on X while accompanying the post with a boxing glove and the Philippine flag.
Sports Illustrated senior sports writer Chris Mannix had a similar view.
“A rising contender at 160,” he posted on X.
And along with the recognition, came the financial reward.
As per the California State Athletic Commission, Marcial, a bronze medal winner in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, signed a fight contract worth $30,000 or roughly P1.86 million (at $1-P62).
The amount is almost the same as winning a gold in the Asiad which is worth P2 million as per RA 10699 otherwise known as the National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act.
When Marcial won the silver medal in the 2022 Hangzhou Asiad, he received a P1 million financial bonus from the Philippine Sports Commission.
The Filipino middleweight was looking to join the Philippine boxing team in Nagoya after making quick work of the 30-year-old Huerta, but time constraints didn’t allow him to proceed with the original plan laid out by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines.
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