Marcial wins middleweight boxing gold at 2017 SEA Games, Fernandez settles for silver

MANILA, Philippines – Philippine middleweight Eumir Marcial delivered his second straight gold medal at the Southeast Asian Games, defeating Pathomsak Kuttiya of Thailand by decision on Thursday, August 24 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Marcial, 21, had won the gold at the 2015 SEA Games as well in the welterweight division, which was abolished this year by the organizers.

Marcial dominated the first round, boxing from range to dial in jabs and left crosses and backing off to counter with his right hooks. But Kuttiya was determined, absorbing significant punishment to continue firing back. Marcial appeared to be tiring as he stood and traded with the shorter, slower Thai, who was able to connect up the middle with uppercuts.

Marcial of Zamboanga City, Philippines found his second wind in the third round, bouncing on his toes to draw Kuttiya into counterpunches, and scoring a standing 8 count in the third with a blistering flurry.

Marcial’s teammate Mario Fernandez was not so lucky in his attempt at a third straight bantamweight gold as he yielded to Thailand’s Chatchai Butdee by decision. Fernandez was a step slower in the first round as Butdee, up on his toes, dashed in and out with his straight shots before Fernandez could get off with his counter.

Fernandez stepped up his pace in the second round and began having success with his left hooks, but as the fight got closer the action turned sloppy as holding and wrestling became the pattern. Fernandez’s fate was sealed in the third round when he was deducted a point by Kazakh referee Bazarbaev Dulat, despite Fernandez’s head being pulled down. 

Fernandez was derailed by Butdee last year in the Olympic qualifiers, with Butdee earning the ticket to Rio de Janeiro instead.

The Philippines later won a second gold medal as John Marvin obliterated Malaysia’s Adli Hafidz Mohd Pauz in less than 30 seconds for the light heavyweight gold. – Rappler.com