Eumir Marcial KOs Thai foe, assured of Asian Games bronze

Eumir Marcial lands a left hook against Southeast Asian Games champion Weerapon Jongjoho on Sunday, October 1, 2023, in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou China. | Asian Games pool

HANGZHOU, China—Eumir Marcial  knocked out Southeast Asian Games champion Weerapon Jongjoho on Sunday, October 1, 2023, in the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.

Marcial, who is on a major mission to earn a return trip to the Paris Olympics in 2024, downed Jongjoho with a booming right after a brief exchange on the corner that decked the Thai 14 seconds remaining in the second round.

Dazed from the heavy blow, the 22-year-old Jongjoho was waived off by the referee, sending Marcial to the semifinals opposite Syria’s Ahmad Ghousoon at the Hangzhou Gymnasium on Wednesday.

Although Marcial, forced to go up to a heavier division after the 75kg where he got a bronze in the Tokyo Olympics got scrapped, is already assured of a bronze medal, the 27-year-old from Zamboanga City wants nothing less than a finals appearance.

“I had a difficult time because he’s tall. When I saw the clock with a minute left, I gave everything I’ve got and the result that I wanted came out,” said a euphoric Marcial in Filipino.

Only the finalists in the 80kg class in the Asiad can land spots in the Olympics.

Marcial will get his hands full against crowd favorite Ghousoon, who pummeled Tajikistan’s Shabbos Negmatulloev with power shots to the head and body to prevail, 5-0, in their quarterfinal bout.

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