By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
Filipino slugger Eumir Marcial proved why he is the number one ranked light heavyweight in the 2020 Asia and Oceania Olympic Boxing Qualifiers.
Cruising through the elimination rounds, Marcial fought the toughest opponent left in the championship match, Abilkhan Amankul of Kazakhstan in Marcial’s closest fight of the tournament.
The power-punching Filipino dealt most of his damage in the third and final round that left Amankul in deep trouble, escaping Marcial’s flurry before the bell rang.
In the first two rounds, both fighters were equally gauging their distances and did not trade heavy blows but instead, started to build on their jab setups.
As the rounds progressed, Amankul tried to put pressure on Marcial, moving forward and targeting his mid-section in hopes of exhausting the Filipino’s gas tank.
However, as Amankul approached Marcial, the Filipino pride connected numerous times with a straight right hand that stopped Amankul in his tracks and instead, went back-peddling for a reset.
The third round was all Marcial as he began with a couple of heavy bombs that wobbled Amankul, strong enough to keep him on the ropes.
With a minute and 20 seconds left in the clock, Marcial started to put the speed on and bullied Amankul as he unleashed a series of flurries that helped him notch the gold medal and a sure seat in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
