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| After filtering his true friends from those who are adding to his distractions, Eumir Marcial got a huge birthday gift in the form of winning his first pro title. SportsPlus |
MANILA--Although his time to fight came minutes after the clock struck 12 on Oct. 30, it was still a birthday to remember for Eumir Marcial.
Marcial, who turned 30 on Wednesday, was scheduled to face Venezuelan opponent Eddy Colmenares for the vacant WBC international middleweight title, which meant right on his birthday, the 2021 Olympic bronze medalist was on the biggest fight of his professional boxing career.
However, it was also an opportunity for Marcial to end 2025--assuming he passes up on a chance to join the Philippine team to the Southeast Asian Games this December in Bangkok--with a bang after getting involved in personal issues earlier in the year.
Although Colmenares lived up to what Marcial claimed he said during weigh-in Tuesday that their bout would be "war" and got a huge chance to score a road win after scoring two knockdowns including one late into Round 10, Marcial escaped with a majority decision win and became the new holder of the WBC's secondary title in the 160-pound level.
It was not just a fitting birthday gift--although technically a belated one now--for Marcial, but also, his decision to cut ties with people who added to his distractions worked.
"Ang masasabi ko lang talaga, always lang kay God. Doon ako naghihingi ng guide, and binibigay Niya ako sa mga tao na nakakatulong sa akin. In-eliminate ko na rin yung mga tao na hindi makakatulong sa akin," Marcial said, adding that those who have supported him in his recent debacle were in attendance at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in Quezon City during his bout, the co-main event of Thrilla in Manila 50th Anniversary.
By winning the international title, Marcial, now 6-0 in his pro career, moved a significant step closer to a shot at the WBC world title currently held by Carlos Adames.
Marcial is currently outside the top 15 contenders for the world title pending an upcoming update with the international title now taken into consideration.
Regardless, though, the Zamboanga City-based pug could be primed to face the likes of Chris Eubanks and Kieron Conway before he possibly gets his chance at Adames.
This is why Marcial vowed that he will use the last two months of the year to further hone his skills, especially with the lessons he got from the Colmenares bout.
"Hindi pa tapos ang taon. Gagawin ko yung best ko para mapunta na tayo sa world title picture," Marcial said.
However, the idea being floated around currently is an immediate rematch between Marcial and Colmenares.
The final scores of the bout, which saw two judges giving Marcial a 96-94 win and the other scoring the fight 95-all for the majority decision victory, drew mixed reactions from international and even local boxing fans, with those not agreeing with the decision believing that Colmenares had done enough thanks to his two knockdowns.
A second meeting between the two boxers could put the doubts into rest.
