Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, October 5) – Filipino Olympian boxer Eumir Marcial fell short of gold and settled for a silver medal after losing a very close battle to hometown bet Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan at the 19th Asian Games in China on Thursday.
Marcial took the first round, 10-9, by landing a grazing right hook in the first round, dazing the Chinese fighter and prompting the referee to call a standing-eight count.
However, Tanglatihan got one back on the Filipino and hit him hard enough to put Marcial into a standing-eight.
At this point, judges scored the first round 10-9 in Marcial’s favor, and the second 10-9 for Tanglatihan, placing both boxers neck-and-neck coming into the third and final round.
The southpaw Marcial exploded in the third and dialed up the aggression, but the orthodox Tanglatihan’s height and reach advantage allowed him to weather the Filipino’s storm.
Judges scored the final round 10-9 for the hometown boxer.
While he will settle for silver, Marcial’s sights are now set on the 2024 Paris Olympics. He secured his ticket to the Summer Games after knocking out Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon on Wednesday.
