Marcial basks in Pacquiao’s presence

There was a time when Eumir Marcial imagined himself fighting on the same card as his longtime idol Manny Pacquiao.

At that time, Marcial was busy campaigning in the amateur ranks, traveling mostly to Asia to fulfill national team duties in line with his dream of becoming an Olympic champion.

He had that chance to become one in Tokyo but the Zamboanga southpaw could only return home with a bronze medal draped around his neck.

He presented it to Pacquiao but he was far from satisfied.

Though already a pro at that time, Marcial was not lucky enough to cash in on his experience in the punch-for-pay league.

Convinced that he could turn bronze into gold in Paris, Marcial qualified for an Olympic stint and was even one of the top seeds.

However, he had to move up in weight since his pet weight class-middleweight — was not among those approved for Paris.

Instead, Marcial had to bulk up and try his hand at light-heavyweight where he got stunned in his debut.

Disappointed, Marcial went home and did some thinking.

It was time to focus on the pros.

And that’s what he has been doing lately as the 29-year-old southpaw, whose hands are as hard as cement, is making a much-awaited appearance on 19 July when Pacquiao headlines a huge show at the MGM Grand.

“I could not imagine that this day would come,” Marcial said.

“Before, I was just dreaming about this opportunity. I feel so blessed that I am finally getting that chance,” he said.

Armed with a 5-0-0 win-loss-draw card, Marcial is facing Alexis Gaytan of the US in an eight-round middleweight brawl.

Gaytan has a lot more experience than Marcial but the Filipino packs more wallop.

Training at the Wild Card Boxing Club in Hollywood, the sacred sweat shop on Vine Street, Marcial can’t wait to get dressed for battle.

With the whole world watching, Marcial knows a slam-bang showing is what he needs to keep his other dream in sight.

“Now that my amateur days are over, winning a world title in the pros is my new mission,” he said.

Guiding him is Sean Gibbons, the ever-influential boxing man who represents not only a bevy of Filipino talents but other leading contenders from all over the world.

To get ready for his sixth pro bout, Marcial set up camp at the Knuckleheads Boxing facility owned by Gibbons in Las Vegas together with other Pacquiao-promoted punchers like Jerwin Ancajas, super-bantam Carl Jammes Martin and fellow middleweight Weljon Mindoro.

Super-featherweight Mark Magsayo, another Pacquiao fighter, reunited with them in Los Angeles since he lives there.

When Pacquiao began his camp in Los Angeles, Marcial, Ancajas and Martin were told to travel to Los Angeles to work out alongside Pacquiao so they could all imbibe the eight-division legend’s winning ways.

Marcial will be fighting in the pros for the first time since March 2024.

While it could play a factor, Marcial and his handlers are working on that by undergoing intense training.

Gaytan is a major roadblock but Marcial believes he is very much capable of clearing it.