OLYMPIC-BOUND boxer Felix Eumir Marcial will make his pro debut in a four-round middleweight bout on Dec. 16 (Dec. 17 in Manila) against Andrew Whitfield in the undercard of the Premier Boxing Champions event at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles.
“I am very excited to see Eumir turn professional because it is an important step in gaining valuable experience for his Olympic campaign,” MP promotions chief Sean Gibbons said in a press statement released yesterday.
“It’s essential preparation to compete at the highest level for the 2021 Summer Games in Tokyo,” Gibbons added.
“Turning professional is an important step in my journey to the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo,” said Marcial, a southpaw who qualified for Tokyo by topping the men’s light middleweight division of the Asia-Oceania Olympic boxing qualifiers in Amman, Jordan last March.
The newly-minted Pinoy fighter acknowledged the training he had from famed American ring guru Freddie Roach for over a month since touching down in Los Angeles in early October.
“A lot of the fighters I may face in the Olympics have already turned pro so my professional training with Freddie will keep me at their level of experience,” said Marcial, who also bagged a gold medal in the men’s light middleweight division of the 30th Southeast Asian Games.
