Marcial Makes Pro Boxing Return In Manny Pacquiao’s Undercard

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Eumir Marcial is back.

After more than a year of hiatus in the professional boxing scene, the former Olympic bronze medalist is set for a highly-anticipated return and will fight in the undercard of the Manny Pacquiao-Mario Barrios clash on July 19, 2025, at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, Nevada.

“It’s been a grueling journey rife with challenges; stepping away from professional boxing for over a year, confronting reality from my Olympic quest, and battling my personal demons with depression that almost held me back from ever stepping foot in the ring again,” wrote Marcial on his official Facebook account.

The staple star of the PHL men’s national boxing team will be squaring off against the more experienced Mexican-American Alexis Gaytan, who, the same as Marcial, also stepped away from the ring for more than a year.

However, the veteran pug boasts more pro fights than Marcial, already stepping inside the ring 27 times with a win-loss record of 17 wins and 10 losses.

Marcial, who only has five recorded fights since entering pro five years ago, is yet to take a single loss, an edge he clearly got ahead of his showdown against Gaytan.

The Filipino star’s last pro fight was on March 23, 2024, when he pulled off an emphatic knockout victory over Thoedsak Sinam of Thailand in the fourth round.

The match was held at the Ninoy Aquino Stadium in Malate, Manila, and his kababayans couldn’t be any prouder when he displayed a boxing clinic for the ages.

After fighting his previous fights in Texas and California, Marcial was finally in familiar territory and received a warm ovation soon as the bell rang in the first round.

At the 1:33 mark of the fourth frame, Marcial landed a well-calculated left uppercut punch that sent Sinam down to the canvas.

Marcial snuck in the match-clinching punch after a back-and-forth sequence. Seconds after he noticed that Sinam let his guard down following an exhausting exchange, the Filipino boxer unleashed the vicious uppercut to seal the deal.

“Yet, here I am ready to fight, all thanks to those of you who never left my corner. I owe my revival and this chance to fight undercard with the legendary Manny Pacquiao, the man I used to dream of watching fight,” added Marcial.

Can Marcial still perform despite the long break from pro boxing?