Cover Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial seeks to build on his bronze medal finish following his previous Olympic stint. This year, he will demonstrate his skills at the men’s light heavyweight (80kg) after deciding to leave his 75-kg middleweight class. Read on to know more about the athlete and his preparations for the game (Photo: Luis Robayo / Getty Images)
Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial seeks to build on his bronze medal finish following his previous Olympic stint. This year, he will demonstrate his skills at the men’s light heavyweight (80kg) after deciding to leave his 75-kg middleweight class. Read on to know more about the athlete and his preparations for the game (Photo: Luis Robayo / Getty Images)
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Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial seeks to build on his bronze medal finish following his previous Olympic stint. This year, he will demonstrate his skills at the men’s light heavyweight (80kg) after deciding to leave his 75-kg middleweight class. Read on to know more about the athlete and his preparations for the game
Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial will open the Philippines’ 100th Olympics participation in Paris together with gymnast Carlo Yulo and debuting rower Joanie Delgaco on July 27, 2024.
The 28-year-old athlete, who is known for his quick jabs, straights, and hooks, seeks to bag a gold medal from his games this year. “If you have the heart, with your family by your side, and the all-out support of the Filipinos. I believe we can get that gold in the Olympics,” he said in an official Olympics article.
In this article, Tatler tells you more about this Zamboanga-born pro boxer.
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1. Started boxing at seven
At the age of seven, Marcial knew what he wanted to do: boxing. Growing up, he was inspired by the boxers in his family—his father, Eulalio, who served as his first boxing coach, and his cousin, Anthony Marcial, who inspired him to stay in the ring.
“I was inspired when I saw my cousin [Anthony] fight in the ring. I always see him and my father travel different places [so] I said to myself, ‘I want to be a boxer too’,” he said in a podcast interview.
2. Fought to honour of his late elder brother
One of the most tragic experiences Marcial had to go through was the passing of his older brother, Eliver Marcial, who bereaved their family at the age of 39, one day after Eumir was officially given the green light by the Philippine Sports Commission to fight for gold at Tokyo 2020.
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3. First Filipino to bag gold: International Boxing Association Junior World Championships (2011)
When he was 15, Marcial became the first Filipino to take home gold in the International Boxing Association Junior World Championships. He beat Turkiye’s Cengiz Onat in the ring with a powerful right hook, winning the light bantamweight division.
The succeeding years proved to be in favour of Marcial. In 2015, the athlete attended the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Singapore, where he knocked down the host country’s Jia Wei Tay in the men’s welterweight (69kg) finals match. From this game, the Filipino boxer bagged his first SEA Games gold.
In the 2017 SEA Games in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, Marcial defeated Thailand’s Pathomsak Kuttiya in the middleweight division. In 2018, he won a bronze medal for competing in the men’s middleweight semifinal bout.
4. Inspired by Manny Pacquiao
Above Eumir Marcial together with Manny Pacquiao (Photo: Eumir Marcial/Instagram)
Eumir Marcial together with Manny Pacquiao (Photo: Eumir Marcial/Instagram)
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One of Marcial’s many inspirations is the only eight-division world boxing champion in history: Manny Pacquiao. It was reported that the latter signed Marcial to his first professional contract, MP Promotions.
Under this management, Marcial has been allowed to put his professional boxing career on hold to pursue Olympic Gold. Just recently, Marcial chose not to participate in his supposed fifth professional fight and instead joined the team at the Asian Games.
“I want to thank sir Manny Pacquiao because he gave me more motivation,” Marcial said. “He said to me–‘the higher you get, the humbler you should be’. As well as, ‘All that you have achieved as of now, like your world junior championship, you should not be content. If you can do more than that, [then] do more. Nothing is impossible if you push yourself’.”
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5. Bagged the Best Asia Youth Boxer of the Year recognition
In 2014, the Asian Boxing Confederation granted Marcial the Best Asian Youth Boxer of the Year recognition for winning the gold medal in the 64kg light-welterweight during the Asian Youth Championships.
Marcial fought with three other Filipino boxers Jade Bornea (light-flyweight), Ian Clark Bautista (flyweight) and James Palicte (lightweight).
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Jove holds a degree in Journalism and is currently pursuing graduate studies in Philosophy at the University of the Philippines–Diliman. She has flair for in-depth, interview-driven stories that explore politics and culture, shaped by her background in national broadsheets.
When she’s not on assignment, Jove spends her days painting, sipping lemonade, and walking her dog, Jupiter. She can often be seen in Escolta with a film camera in hand, browsing novelty shops in search of rare memorabilia. For leads, reach her at Jove@tatlerphilippines.com.
