HEAVY HITTERS
Marcial faces acid test vs knockout artist
Eumir Marcial undergoes strength and conditioning exercises under the watchful eyes of chief trainer Kay Koroma in Las Vegas.
Photograph courtesy of Reynaldo Galido
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Marcial faces acid test vs knockout artist
Eumir Marcial undergoes strength and conditioning exercises under the watchful eyes of chief trainer Kay Koroma in Las Vegas.
Photograph courtesy of Reynaldo Galido
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Whether Eumir Marcial made the right decision to leave behind his amateur career for the pros will be known next month when he battles a fellow knockout artist in Temecula, California.
“This is going to be the most important fight in his eighth professional career bout as he was never seen in USA television before. Everybody will be watching him closely so he must look absolutely good. It is going to be a big moment,” Sean Gibbons, Marcial’s well-connected promoter said.
On the opposite corner on 19 September is Omar Ulises Huerta, who packs a 15-1-1 win-loss-draw record with 13 knockouts.
Huerta will have the crowd at the Pechanga Resort Casino on his side as he hails from San Diego, just a short drive from Temecula.
The Marcial-Huerta clash will serve as an appetizer to the headlining showdown starring Mexican mauler Isaac “Pitbull” Cruz.
Marcial, 30, last fought during the golden anniversary celebrations of the Thrilla in Manila in October 2025 at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.
In that brawl, Marcial picked himself up from the floor to beat Venezuelan Eddy Colmenares on a ten-round majority decision.
“I am going for 8-0 on September 19, and I will make everyone knows who I am inside the ring. This is the fight that I am longing for, a fight that will head me toward the promise land by next year,” said the Zamboanga-born southpaw.
“This fight is going to be a war as both fighters are known for their high knockout prowess. I believe Eumir will treat this fight seriously as we are planning to give him another fight by December once he wins this one before heading for a world title next year,” Gibbons said.
Marcial was included on the Philippine team that will see action in the 20th Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya next month but he opted to withdraw on the advice of Gibbons, who signed him up as a talent almost six years ago.
Because of his commitment with the national team, Marcial’s pro career didn’t take off since he was recalled to represent the country in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and even in the Olympics.
In Tokyo in 2021, Marcial took the bronze but it was in the middleweight class.
In the Hangzhou Asian Games in 2023, Marcial settles for silver in the light-heavyweight category when the middleweight was scrapped from competitions.
Even during the Paris Olympics, Marcial was forced to compete at light-heavyweight and since the jump in weight was too much, he got eliminated early.
Interestingly, in next month’s Asian Games, the middleweight division won’t be contested anymore.
Even in the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics, competitions in that weight division will no longer be held and this the reason why Gibbons was able to convince Marcial to revive his pro career.
