OLYMPIAN Eumir Marcial got the Philippines its first medal in boxing in the 19th Asian Games after settling for a silver medal in the light heavyweight division last Thurday, Oct. 5, 2023, at the HZ Gymnasium in Hangzhou, China.
Marcial lost to hometown bet Tanglatihan Touhetaerbieke by points in the light heavyweight finals.
Marcial was off to a hot start and dominated the opening round, swarming Touhetaerbieke with some heavy blows that forced the referee to give him a standing eight-count.
Touhetaerbieke bounced back in the second round and landed some solid shots that had the referee give Marcial a standing eight-count.
With both fighters earning a round each, Marcial and Touhetaerbieke traded blows in the final and deciding round.
It seemed that Marcial landed the more telling blows but all the judges thought differently and gave the final round to Touhetaerbieke for a 5-0 victory.
Despite the loss, Marcial still earned a spot at the 2024 Olympics in Paris.
On the other hand, Sakura Alforte won a bronze medal for the Philippines in the Women’s Individual Kata event in Karate. Alforte had a score of 41.90, while Chinese-Taipei’s Hui Hsuan Chien scored 41.30 in the bronze medal contest. (EKA)