Eumir Felix Marcial from the Philippines, proper, and China’s Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan compete through the males’s 71-80Kg boxing closing in opposition to Thailand’s Thitisan Panmot on the nineteenth Asian Video games in Hangzhou, China, Thursday, Oct. 5, 2023. (AP Photograph/Vincent Thian)
HANGZHOU, China—Eumir Felix Marcial dropped every part and momentarily postpone a thriving professional profession simply to be right here.
Too unhealthy he failed to finish the trek to the summit of the nineteenth Asian Video games following a stinging blow in opposition to China’s Tanglatihan Touhetaerbieke of their gold-medal brawl on Thursday.
Nonetheless, it was a journey value Marcial’s time–and to not point out, his checking account–after reaching the last word mission of touchdown a berth within the subsequent 12 months’s Paris Olympics.
Marcial was forward within the judges’ scorecards within the first spherical after delivering a proper hook that had Touhetaerbieke receiving a standing eight depend.
However the Chinese language used his longer attain and bounced again with fast mixtures that additionally put Marcial on a standing eight to stage the depend after two rounds.
Marcial tried to pierce holes in Touhetaerbieke armor, however he by no means discovered an ideal spot for a knockout.
“I really feel that I had him within the third spherical however I’ve to respect the judges’ choice,” mentioned Marcial after the match,
After incomes a middleweight bronze medal within the Tokyo Olympics, Marcial might be aiming for nothing lower than the gold in Paris albeit in a bulkier weight class.
“Possibly in Paris I might change the colour of this medal,” he mentioned.
Marcial’s runner-up end hiked the nation’s medal tally to 2 golds, two silvers and 10 bronze medal.
A silver medal is equal to a cool million pesos from the Philippine Sports activities Fee and Marcial is predicted to obtain extra bonuses from the Philippine Olympic Committee and his sponsors.
Marcial, who quickly postponed a thriving professional profession, grew to become the final man standing for Workforce Philippines in boxing after fellow Olympic medalists Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam didn’t determine within the medal rounds of their respective divisions.
Your subscription couldn’t be saved. Please attempt once more.
Your subscription has been profitable.
The four-time Southeast Asian Video games champion and former world championship silver medalist was compelled to maneuver as much as a heavier class after his outdated division acquired scratched off the Paris program.
