EUMIR FELIX MARCIAL could be having the best time of his life in 2024—he could be an Olympic gold medalist and a professional world boxing champion—if international matchmaker Sean Gibbons’s timeline on the middleweight fighter is realized.
Gibbons said before Marcial could challenge for a world title, he needs two to three solid years before he could climb further up the ladder in pro boxing.
“It’s a long process,” Gibbons told BusinessMirror Friday, referring to Marcial’s pro career that started last year and yielded three victories so far. “Most professionals need two to three solid years, even Floyd Mayweather needed two solid years before he challenged for a belt to become a world champion.”
Mayweather (50-0 with 27 knockouts) kicked off his amateur career in 1993 and made the US team to the 1996 Atlanta Olympics as a featherweight and clinched a bronze medal, the same medal Marcial bagged at last year’s Tokyo Games.
He turned pro in 1996 and did the rounds young pros normally take. He challenged for the world title in 1998 and won, beating fellow American Genaro Hernandez via an eighth-round technical knockout win to snatch the World Boxing Council super featherweight title.
Gibbons said the 26-year-old Marcial could take the same path—but it requires a lot of work and dedication.
“Eumir needs seasoning and a lot of work,” said Gibbons, whose timeline for Marcial is a shot at a world title in 2024—the Paris Olympics year.
An Olympic gold medal is on top of Marcial’s priorities and vowed to return to Paris to accomplish his mission in life. He’s turning pro in 2021 is part of his career dreams and has started to do so with flying colors—winning all his first three pro fights.
Marcial is back in training for his fourth professional which, according to Gibbons, could be another six-rounder or an eight-rounder by either January or February next year.
“I believe so in 2023 we can concentrate on eight rounders working towards 10 rounders, and then 2024 a world title shot,” Gibbons said.
Strength and conditioning coach Angelo Memo Heredia vowed to continue guiding Marcial, but cautioned the four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist to be consistent and disciplined.
“We’ll continue our work as long he remains consistent and disciplined,” Heredia said. “I have no time to waste, I am fun but discipline is very high for me.”
Marcial is coming off a unanimous decision win over American Steve Prichardo last October 8 in Carson City to improve his win-loss record to 3-0 won-lost.
He debuted with a unanimous decision victory in a four-rounder over American Andrew Whitfield in December 2020 in Los Angeles and got up from a knockdown to win by technical knockout in the last round of his four-rounder with another American, Isiah Hart, last April 9 in Las Vegas.