WORLD-RATED super bantamweight Carl Jammes Martin and 2020 Olympic bronze medalist Eumir Marcial will be fighting for regional titles in the “Thrilla in Manila 2” card on Oct. 29, 2025, at the Smart Araneta Coliseum in
Quezon City.
The upcoming event is organized by boxing legend Manny Pacquiao to commemorate the 50th anniversary of the iconic “Thrilla in Manila” showdown between heavyweight champions Muhammad Ali and Joe Frazier at the same venue in 1975.
Martin will lock horns with former world title challenger Aran Dipaen for the vacant World Boxing Organization (WBO) International super-bantamweight belt, while Marcial will go up against Venezuelan Eddy Colmenares for the vacant World Boxing Council (WBC) International middleweight crown -- his first shot at a regional belt.
The 26-year-old Martin is currently one of the country’s hottest prospects. He’s on the verge of a world title shot and is just waiting for his turn to get a crack at Japanese superstar Naoya Inoue, who holds all the world titles at super bantamweight.
Martin is ranked No. 1 by the WBO, No. 7 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF), and No. 28 by the WBC.
Martin has fought his last three bouts in the U.S. and Mexico. He stopped Mexicans Anthony Jimenez and Ruben Tostado in Mexico, and recently defeated Francisco Pedroza by unanimous decision in the U.S.
The 34-year-old Dipaen is no stranger to the limelight. He put on a gallant stand against Inoue in a world title fight before being stopped in the eighth round in Japan in 2021. Following his loss to Inoue, Dipaen has won nine of his next 10 fights.
Martin is 26-0 with 20 knockouts, while Dipaen is 21-4 with 18 knockouts.
On the other hand, the 29-year-old Marcial stopped Bernard Joseph in the third round two months ago in the U.S.
Colmenares is a former WBC Latino welterweight titleholder. He won the title last year with a sixth-round stoppage of Jonathan Jose Hernandez.
Colmenares fought for another regional belt but lost to unbeaten Ermal Hadribeaj by unanimous decision in Germany last year. He bounced back with two straight wins against Wilson Torres and Orlando Ysaya.
Marcial is 6-0 with four knockouts, while Colmenares is 11-2-1 with 11 knockouts.
The “Thrilla in Manila 2” anniversary event will be headlined by WBC minimumweight champion Melvin Jerusalem, who defends his title against South African challenger Siyakholwa Kuse. / EKA