The Rise of Eumir Marcial: From Having Almost Nothing to an Olympic-Bound Boxer

From being a boxer who started at the age of six in Lunzuran in Zamboanga City to becoming the first Filipino boxer to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics next year, Eumir Marcial's rise is an inspiration to Filipinos and not just boxers. And for someone who didn't have anything to begin his boxing training at a young age, that makes Marcial more inspiring for aspiring boxers. 

Eumir Marcial, now 24, shared how his boxing career began as there he was, a six-year-old kid whose only dream is to be able to lift his family from the depths of poverty. At that time, he used to compete in an inter-barangay competition which they called "Golpe Golpe de Barangay" where a boxer could win 300 Pesos while the losing side takes home 200 Pesos. Marcial even shared that during his early years in boxing, he used to train in the road as their barangay had no boxing ring boxers could use to train in. It also didn't help that Marcial didn't have the right tools in training such as punching bag and gloves but that didn't stop then young Marcial to go for it as his father, Eulalio, was able to devise training equipment such as a punching bag out of a canvas.  

He then made it to the Zamboanga City Boxing Team that saw potentials in Marcial and even though the team's gym was far from their barangay, he would ride a jeepney and walk for three kilometers just to train. Despite the poverty he and his father endured during that time, his father would always remind Eumir to train harder and consciously discipline himself so that he would make it to the national team. And that eventually happened.

Then, he competed in the World Junior Championship in 2011 as a member of the Philippine team and yes, that was where he won his first gold medal. In 2013, he also won a gold medal in the Asian Youth Boxing Championships that was held here in the country which led him to be named "Best Asian Youth Boxer of 2013" in Thailand. He also joined the Philippine Air Force in which he is now on his seventh year of service. And while he didn't compete for a year due to a recurring hand injury, Eumir Marcial was able to overcome that challenge as his success continued with three gold medals in the Southeast (SEA) Games plus a bronze medal in the Asian Games. Last year, he came home with a silver medal from the International Boxing Association (AIBA) World Championships in Russia. And then came along, the Asia-Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualification in Amman, Jordan, he finally booked a ticket for the Tokyo Olympics next year. Ironically, Marcial lost a Olympic boxing qualifying bout in China back in 2016 which made his victory in Jordan as a redemption. 

Speaking about his current preparations for the Tokyo Olympics, "I'm preparing not just for myself and for my family but, for my beloved country and my fellow Filipinos" Those are Marcial's words in Filipino. Words of someone who started at the near bottom of our society who found himself about to compete in the Olympics. Words of a Filipino boxer who hails from Zamboanga City. 

Photo is from MVPSF