OLYMPIC bronze medalist Eumir Marcial looks to continue his ascent in the middleweight division as he takes on Argentinean veteran Ricardo Ruben Villalba in an eight-rounder on Sunday, Feb. 12, 2023, at the Alamodome in San Antonio, Texas.
Marcial weighed-in at 164.4 pounds, while Villalba tipped the scales at 162 pounds.
The 27-year-old Marcial is one of the most promising prospects from the Philippines who is fighting at a heavier division that’s rare for Filipinos.
Marcial last fought on Oct. 8 in Carson, California and beat Steven Prichardo via a one-sided unanimous decision. Marcial was in the toughest fight of his career last against Isiah Hart. He was knocked down three times by Hart but showed a lot of heart with a come-from-behind fourth-round stoppage.
Villalba should be a good gauge on where Marcial is at in his career. He’s a 13-year veteran who is a former World Boxing Association Asia and World Boxing Organization Latino super welterweight champion.
The 33-year-old Villalba’s biggest win of his career was a disqualification victory over Hector David Saldivia, who once fought Kell Brook in a world title eliminator.
Villalba lost his last three fights to Edgar Ghukasyan, Flavius Biea and Micky Scala.
Marcial is 3-0 with a knockout, while Villalba is 20-7-1 with eight knockouts.
The main event features a title defense of undefeated World Boxing Council featherweight king Rey Vargas (36-0, 22 KOs) against O’Shaquie Foster (19-2, 11 KOs). (EKA)