MANILA, Philippines – Eumir Marcial punched his way to a guaranteed Asian Games medal with a bang.

Flaunting his punching power, Marcial assured himself of at least a bronze with a second-round knockout of Thailand’s Weerapon Jongjoho to advance to the men’s 80kg semifinals in Hangzhou, China, on Sunday, October 1.

Marcial trailed in all of the five judges’ scorecards after the opening round before he unleashed a well-timed right hook to floor Jongjoho with under 20 seconds left in the second frame to secure the win.

Jongjoho managed to stand up but the referee stopped the bout, allowing Marcial to secure his spot in the final four.

Marcial faces Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon on Wednesday, October 4, for a place in the championship fight.

A bronze medalist in the Tokyo Olympics, Marcial looks to improve on his finish in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia, where he bagged bronze in the men’s 75kg.

Marcial’s fellow Olympic medalist Carlo Paalam also shoots for a sure medal as he faces Uzbekistan’s Abdumalik Khalokov in their men’s 57kg quarterfinal on Tuesday, October 3. – Rappler.com