Connect with us

Hi, what are you looking for?

Tiebreaker Times

2020 Tokyo Olympics

Eumir Marcial bows out of Olympic boxing, settles for bronze


In a rematch two years in the making, Eumir Marcial figured in his biggest test in the 2020 Olympic men’s middleweight tournament in Oleksandr Khyzhniak. But he could not get the nod of the judges, losing via split decision,  Thursday at the Ryōgoku Kokugikan.

The judges scored the bout, 29-28×3, 30-27, 28-29 in favor of Khyzhniak with Cuban judge Wilfredeo Vazquez Calero scoring all rounds for the Ukrainian.

“Malakas siya na fighter, deserve niyang manalo,” said Marcial of Khyzhniak, who won gold medals at the world (2017) and European (2017 and 2019) championships and looked prime to win gold in these pandemic Olympics.

Khyzhniak previously defeated Marcial back in 2019 during the Strandja International. This time though Marcial brought the heat to Khyzniak.

After Khyzniak connected a clean shot on Marcial, the Filipino was woken up, connecting on a 1-2-3 combination that was capped by his trademark hook. Marcial would then target the body but an accidental clash of heads bloodied him up.

In the second round, Khyzniak got the upper hand early but Marcial went on the offensive, connecting on a four-punch combination. A right hook by Marcial opened up Khyzniak, who was cut at the bridge of his nose.

Still, the Ukrainian kept on his charge.

“May kulang pa, kinapos ako sa hangin,” he said.

In a wild finish, Khyzniak, a punching machine, just charged through everything Marcial threw at him. A mano-y-mano exchange closed out the Olympic epic.

“I gave my all to win, but that’s the decision,” Marcial told an American journalist.

“I know God has plans for me… for me, this bronze is gold.”

Still, it was a great run for Marcial.

#ReadMore  Eumir Marcial guarantees 3rd medal for Boxing team

In his first two bouts against Younes Nemouchi and Arman Darchinyan, the proud son of Zamboanga City only spent a total ring time of four minutes and 52 seconds. He stopped both competitors in the first round.

Khyzhniak, on the other hand, had to go through the full nine minutes against Yuito Moriwaki and Euri Cedeño.

The 25-year-old Zamboangueno will go home with bronze — the Philippines’ third medal of the games and 13th overall. Philippine boxing also took its seventh Olympic medal and its fourth bronze.

Written By


You May Also Like

Boxing

A homecoming fight awaits Olympian boxer Eumir Marcial in Manila. Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions has officially confirmed that the 28-year-old Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist...

Boxing

Retired eight-division world boxing champion Manny Pacquiao personally congratulated Paris Olympic-bound fighter Eumir Felix Marcial for winning a silver medal in the 19th Asian...

Basketball

Zamboanga Valientes are bringing the stars out for the return of the VisMin Super Cup. JR Quinahan, Summer Olympics bronze medalist Eumir Marcial, and...

19th Asian Games

Team Pilipinas finished in 17th place in the 2022 Asian Games. Although they brought home fewer medals compared to the 2018 continental meet (4...

19th Asian Games

A strong start wasn’t enough for Eumir Marcial to secure the gold in the 19th Asian Games. The 27-year-old Marcial lost 5-0 to Tanglatihan...

19th Asian Games

Eumir Marcial achieved two significant feats during the 19th Asian Games on Wednesday. The Filipino southpaw secured a spot in the gold medal round...

19th Asian Games

At the Hangzhou Gymnasium on Sunday evening, Eumir Marcial, the reigning Olympic bronze medalist, had one clear mission: to secure his ticket to the...

19th Asian Games

It was a tale of two fates: Eumir Marcial delivered a dominant performance in his light-heavyweight debut, while Irish Magno’s journey came to an...

Advertisement