Eumir Marcial To Receive At Least P8 Million In Cash Rewards; Promises To Be A Better Fighter

Eumir Marcial is still determined to improve himself and go for the Olympic gold medal that he had always dreamed of.

“Siguro may plano pa po ‘yung Panginoon sa akin. Kumbaga, itong pagkatalo ko...ito lang ‘yung dahilan para lalo akong lumakas, lalo akong mag-improve (Maybe God has other plans for me. It’s as if this loss serves as my determination to go stronger, to improve myself),” the 25-year-old slugger said in an interview with the media moments after his bout with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak on Thursday, Aug. 5.

“Sobrang sakit kasi pinangarap ko ito eh. Simula bata pa lang, gusto ko nang makatuntong dito sa Olympics at makuha ‘yung gold pero bigo ako, ‘di ko makuha ‘yung gold (It’s very painful because I’ve always dreamed of this. Since I was a kid, I’ve always wanted to set foot in the Olympics and get the gold, but I failed, I didn’t win the gold),” Marcial confessed.

But like inside the ring where he fights hard, Marcial vowed not to give up. There’s still the 2024 Paris Olympics.

“Kung bibigyan ako ng pagkakataon ulit na makapag-represent sa Olympics, iga-grab ko ‘yung opportunity kasi hanggang ngayon, pangarap ko pa rin na makuha ‘yung gold (If I’m given another opportunity to represent [the country] in the Olympics, I will grab it because until now, it is still my dream to win the gold),” he said.

Despite the loss, Marcial expressed how proud he was of his performance in the Olympics. “Ginawa ko ‘yung best ko para makuha dito sa Olympics kaya hindi ko pinagsisihan kung ano mga nagawa ko, siguro may pagkukulang, pero gagawin ko lahat para magbigay pa ulit ng karangalan (I did my best to get here in the Olympics, that’s why I don’t regret whatever I did, maybe I had my shortcomings, but I will do my best to give pride and glory again),” he vowed.

Marcial settled for bronze after he was defeated by Khyzhniak in the middleweight semifinals.

Read more: BRONZE FOR EUMIR!

Marcial, called the “Demolition Man,” impressively bagged a medal in his Olympics debut in Tokyo. He is the fourth slugger to bring home a bronze medal in boxing after Jose Villanueva (1932), Leopoldo Serantes (1988) and Roel Velasco (1992).

With the medal win, rewards and incentives will await Marcial once he returns to Manila after his stint at the quadrennial games.

The following are the rewards and incentives Marcial is set to get after his Olympics feat:

• P2 million under Republic Act No. 10699 or “The National Athletes and Coaches Benefits and Incentives Act”
• P2 million from Manny V. Pangilinan through the MVP Sports Foundation
• P2 million from Ramon Ang through the San Miguel Foundation
• P1 million from House Deputy Speaker and 1-Pacman Rep. Mikee Romero
• P1 million from Phoenix Petroleum through its Siklab Alab Pilipinas Sports Foundation
• 40,000 miles per year, for life flights from Philippine Airlines
• Two years of unlimited flights from AirAsia Philippines 

‘The higher you get, the more humble you should be’

Marcial, who hails from Zamboanga City and is the youngest of five children, credits his father for getting him into boxing.

“Nagsimula ako mag-boxing nung seven years old pa lang. ‘Yung tatay ko, siya talaga ‘yung trainer ng Zamboanga City boxing team (I started boxing since I was seven years old. My father was the trainer for the Zamboanga City boxing team),” Marcial said of his father, Eulalio, in a video posted by the official YouTube channel of the Tokyo Olympics on March 4, 2020.

“Siya talaga ‘yung nag-push sa akin na mag-boxing, so nagpapasalamat ako sa kanya (He was the one who pushed me so I’m very thankful for him),” he added.

According to his BoxRec profile, Marcial has been in 91 bouts (including his recent match with Khyzhniak). Of the total, he has 71 wins and 19 losses. His achievements include being a three-time gold medalist in the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games, a gold medalist in the 2011 AIBA Junior World Championship, 2018 Asian Games bronze medalist, and a silver medalist in the 2019 AIBA World Championship.  AIBA stands for Amateur International Boxing Association.

Marcial is also currently signed with Sen. Manny Pacquiao’s MP Productions, and has trained under the boxing legend’s coach, Freddie Roach.

In October 2020, just days after he set foot in the US to train in preparation for the Olympics under the guidance of Roach, his eldest brother Eliver suddenly died after collapsing. Eliver was 39.

But instead of going back home, Marcial decided to stay, saying that his brother knew how important it was for him to win an Olympic gold medal.

“Dito na lang muna ako kasi wala na din naman magagawa sa nangyari. Mas lalo ko naging inspirasyon kuya ko. Ito din naman ang gusto niya, maging ready ako sa Olympics (I’d rather stay here because I can’t do anything about what happened. My brother will all the more become my inspiration. This is what he wanted for me too, to be ready for the Olympics.)

Marcial told ABS-CBN News in an interview.

Aside from his family that he wants to lift out of poverty and the hardships he experienced, Marcial also credits Pacquiao for fueling his motivation and his love for the sport.

“Sabi niya sa akin, ‘The more kang umaangat, the more na ibaba mo ‘yung sarili mo’” (He told me, ‘The higher you get, the more humble you should be’),” Marcial said in the Olympics inteview, recalling the words of wisdom Pacquiao imparted to him.

“Kung ano man ‘yung nakuha mo ngayon, tulad ng [World Junior Championship], huwag kang maging kuntento. Higitan mo ‘yan, higitan mo kung kaya mo higitan. Walang imposible kung ipu-push mo ‘yung sarili mo (Whatever you have achieved, like the [World Junior Championship], do not be content. Do more, do more if you can. Nothing’s impossible if you’ll push yourself),” Marcial quoted as Pacquiao telling him.