Philippines, 12 Feb 2026
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Marcial likely to stay in L.A.


PhilBoxing.com



Marcial (R) with Roach (L) and Gibbons (C).

Tokyo Olympic middleweight boxing qualifier Eumir Marcial is expected to stay in Los Angeles until after his next pro fight in March and possibly up to April when IBF superflyweight champion Jerwin Ancajas defends his crown against Mexico’s Jonathan Rodriguez then will return home for the final stages of training in his bid to capture the country’s first gold medal in the Summer Games.

Marcial, 24, arrived in L.A. last October to train with Freddie Roach, Marvin Somodio and strength/conditioning coach Justin Fortune as arranged by MP Promotions head Sean Gibbons. Last month, he made his pro debut, scoring a shutout decision over Andrew Whitfield in L.A. A slot was set aside for Marcial to join the ABAP pool in bubble training at the Inspire Sports Academy in Calamba but it appears that he’s staying put in L.A. for the meantime. Marcial is also likely to skip a possible training camp with the ABAP team in Thailand. ABAP is preparing fighters to seek Olympic tickets in the final world qualifiers in May or June.

Gibbons will arrive in L.A. from his Las Vegas home today and meet with Marcial to finalize his training plans. “I’m looking at Eumir training the next two months in L. A. and doing one more fight then going back to Manila,” said Gibbons. “The goal is gold. I will consult Eumir and get his feeling on the best way to prepare for Tokyo. Eumir has Marvin and Freddie full-time when he trains in the afternoon and Justin in the morning. He also has Jerwin, Joven (Jimenez) and Jonas (Sultan) full-time at the house. My son Brendan or I bring him to the gym every day. He has the A-Team treatment. Let’s pray there is a Tokyo Olympics.”

ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson said ABAP sports psychologist Marcus Manalo reached out to Marcial recently for his thoughts on training preparations. Marcial reportedly intimated a preference to work with ABAP coaches in the final run-up to Tokyo.

Sparring is a critical consideration in Marcial’s training program because at his weight, there is a dearth of talent in the Philippines. In L.A., Marcial has the pick of the best sparring partners available. He stays in a home in L.A. with Ancajas, Jimenez and Sultan where they work out in a makeshift gym with a 16x16 ring in the backyard. For the holidays, they went to Las Vegas. Jimenez returned to L.A. last Dec. 30 while Gibbons’ son Brendan took Ancajas, Marcial and Sultan on a 10-day road trip to Arizona and Texas. They’re now all back in L.A. Marcial took his mandatory COVID-19 test yesterday and the result is expected today. The plan is to report back for training by Monday at the latest.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Filipino Boxers Set for Action on Valentine's Day in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Oklahoma Outplays LA Lakers, 119-110; Arrests Skid to Hold on to League Lead
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Malaya Vibrations to play gig at 5th MFPI Mindanao Summit
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Fight of the Night in Thailand: Ador Torres and Sairike Tuolewutayi Battle to a Thrilling Draw
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Young Australian Benji Birchell Claims Title Win in Thailand
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • Tickets for the Inaugural “Mike Tyson Invitational” Amateur Fight Night on Saturday, March 14, in Las Vegas Are on Sale Now
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • 2026 USA Boxing Men's Elite High Performance Team and Squad Rosters Announced
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • IIEE, SAEP shared lead, PIChE won 3rd in a row in the PTC WED NEMO Chess
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • The Ninth Annual Box Fan Expo RETURNS! Saturday May 2, 2026 at the Las Vegas Convention Center, Las Vegas, NV
    , Wed, 11 Feb 2026
  • THE PAST WEEK IN ACTION 9 FEBRUARY 2026: Figueroa Stops Ball in 12; Medina Outpoints Curiel; Asanau, Unal Win in Montreal
    By Eric Armit, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Paradero gets a rematch against Francisco
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Carcedo wins WBA Asia South super welterweight title
    By Lito delos Reyes, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Shark attack in Florida Marco “El Tiburón” Romero Making waves on Feb. 19
    , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • 19-1 Albanian heavyweight Kristian Prenga returns on February 21 to Atlantic City
    , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • 2026 USA Boxing Elite High Performance Women's Team and Squad Rosters Announced
    , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Filipino child prodigy Asher Judd Sy tops the 3rd King’s College Bangkok Chess Championship
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Tue, 10 Feb 2026
  • Chaos in Liverpool: Figueroa Silences Echo Arena with 12th-Round Fireworks
    By Dong Secuya, , Sun, 08 Feb 2026
  • Gabriel Santisima Stuns Unbeaten World Ranked and WBO Asia Pacific Champion Subaru Murata to Capture WBO Asia Pacific Title at Korakuen Hall, Tokyo
    , Sun, 08 Feb 2026
  • Lucky "Batang Quiapo" Salvador defeats Rhaky "Roj" Constantino
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Sun, 08 Feb 2026
  • Nick Ball vs Brandon Figueroa: Scrappy Styles Matchup in Liverpool
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 07 Feb 2026
  • Undefeated Middleweight Sebastian Juarez Returns to the Ring February 6 in Guadalajara
    , Fri, 06 Feb 2026
  • Esquillo, Arpilleda to compete at Lunar Horse Battle Royal 10-Ball Tournament at Pacman's Cue Club
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 06 Feb 2026
  • WEIGHTS AND RUNNING ORDER FOR MEDINA VS. CURIEL IN MEXICO, PLUS MAIN EVENT QUOTES
    , Fri, 06 Feb 2026
  • Rene Tellez Giron & Luis Torres Battle for Mexican Pride in 10-Round Main Event of ProBoxTV’s ‘The Contender Series’
    , Fri, 06 Feb 2026
  • Gomera and Ding are set to clash for the WBC Asia 126 belt
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 05 Feb 2026




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2026 philboxing.com.