Boxer Eumir Marcial ‘willing to die’ for SEA Games gold

MANILA, Philippines – When the referee stepped in to rescue his Malaysian opponent from further damage, Eumir Marcial wept.

Marcial wept, not out of compassion for his battered opponent, or out of joy for his victory, which earned him passage to the middleweight final of the 2017 Southeast Asian Games.

He shed tears for his teammate Carlo Paalam, who was deprived of a decision against local fighter Muhamad Redzuan that he clearly won. 

“I wanted to do it for Carlo,” Marcial, 21, who considers the light flyweight boxer a brother. “It is revenge for a bad decision.”

Vengeful is the best way to describe Marcial’s performance on Tuesday, August 22, as he dropped Indran Ramakrishnan with a right hook a minute into the fight. Marcial followed up with more blistering combinations before the referee stopped the contest.

The referee still did much to the benefit of the local fighter in the short fight, issuing two warnings for low blows that never occurred, and calling time to wipe sweat off Ramakrishnan’s face after he was knocked down, which gave him time to recover. Nothing short of being handed a football helmet would have made a difference for Ramakrishnan.

PH boxer Marcial drops Malaysian boxer Ramakrishnan in SEA Games. Shady ref gives local boxer extra 20 seconds to recover and wipe sweat. pic.twitter.com/9RSLB8Xqj8

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) August 23, 2017

Marcial, of Zamboanga City, Philippines, has a chance to do something for himself on Thursday, August 24, when he fights Pathomsak Kuttiya of Thailand for the gold medal.

Marcial had qualified for the AIBA World Championships this month in Germany but opted instead to fight in the SEA Games, where he won the welterweight gold in 2015. Winning another gold, and the bonus that comes along with it, will help him support his family, whom he admits is poor.

Boxing can sometimes be a matter of life and death, and Marcial is willing to take it there if need be.

“I’m not thinking about the knockout win, but I’m willing to die to get the gold medal,” said Marcial.

Marcial’s two other teammates – light heavyweight John Marvin and bantamweight Mario Fernandez – will also fight in the gold medal round against Malaysia’s Adli Hafidz Mohd Pauzi and Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee, respectively. – Rappler.com