There is nothing on Eumir Marcial’s mind right now other than a shot at the world middleweight crown.

“At this time, my focus is on my professional career,” Marcial told DAILY TRIBUNE on Thursday from his Las Vegas training camp where he has been the last three weeks.

That mindset is geared at expediting his rise in the 160-pound ranks as his promoter, the American dealmaker Sean Gibbons, is determined to reward the Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist a crack at a world title next year.

That is heavily dependent on his progress as Gibbons has lined up a solid timetable culminating in a world championship fight.

Part of that bold move is a 10-round battle with fellow heavy-hitter Omar Ulises Huerta on 19 September at the Pechanga Resort Casino in Temecula, California.

It would only be Marcial’s eight pro bout even if he had already turned pro almost six years ago in Los Angeles.

His decision to dabble as a member of the Philippine team that competed in the Southeast Asian Games, Asian Games and the Olympics prevented him from fighting as frequently as possible.

During his stint with the national squad, Marcial delivered a bronze from the Tokyo Olympics as a middleweight (75 kilograms).

But when it was scrapped from the program, Marcial’s ability to strike took a bad hit.

In the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou, Marcial placed second behind a Chinese bet, their gold medal fight taking place at light-heavyweight (80 kilograms).

With the middleweight division no longer in play in the Olympics, his gold medal drive absorbed another setback when he got eliminated in his opening match in the Paris Olympics.

Marcial, 30, was included on the Philippine team bound for the Asian Games next month in Nagoya but the Zamboanga-born banger decided at the last minute to withdraw.

Still, he is not entirely closing the door on the possibility of making a return to national team duties, saying the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics is likewise on his mind.

But for that to happen, he has to make a massive drop in weight so he could campaign at the super-welterweight bracket of 70 kilograms (154.32 pounds).

“If that’s going to happen, it would entail a lot because going down to that weight class will be difficult,” said Marcial, admitting that while his best fighting weight is at middleweight, “it already takes effort for me to fight at this weight class.”

Marcial said a lengthy weight reduction program would have to be put in place in the event he attempts to fight at 70 kilograms.

In the meantime, Marcial is devoting his time and effort to his stagnant pro career.

“Right now, my concentration is on my pro career because my dream is to win the world middleweight title,” he added.

If that happens, Marcial will become only the second Filipino to achieve it after Ceferino Garcia in 1939.