Eumir Marcial loses Olympic qualifier box-off to Mongolian foe

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino welterweight boxer Eumir Marcial fell short in his bid to qualify for the 2016 Olympics after losing a unanimous decision to Mongolia’s Tuvshinbat Byamba in the bronze medal box-off at the Asia-Oceania Olympic qualification tournament at Tangshan Sports Centre in Qian’an, China on Friday, April 1.

Marcial, who entered the match a swollen left hand after suffering an injury in his semifinal loss on Thursday, fought like a man with two healthy hands, using his superior foot speed to dart out of danger after firing his punches early in round one. Byamba remained resolute and barged through, swinging wildly at the southpaw.

PH welterweight boxer Eumir Marcial will try to win his Olympic qualifying bout tonight with this swollen left hand pic.twitter.com/IZnBMcYVmJ

— Ryan Songalia (@ryansongalia) April 1, 2016

Despite controlling the tempo through the first two rounds, all 3 judges had it 20-18 for Byamba. Whether he knew that or didn’t, Marcial fought like a man who knew his only chance of qualifying for the Rio Games was on a knockout. Marcial stuck his nose in and brawled, landing big punches but taking many in return.

Only two Filipino boxers have qualified for the 2016 Olympics so far, with light flyweight Rogen Ladon and lightweight Charly Suarez both qualifying on Thursday. Bantamweight Mario Fernandez fell short with a unanimous decision loss earlier on Friday. – Rappler.com