Marcial adds Syrian foe to KO victims, advances to Asiad gold medal bout
2023-Oct-05 11:37
MARCIAL'S ROAR. Eumir Marcial yelled with his hearts out after knocking out Syria's Ahmad Ghousoon in the men's 80 kg semifinals of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou, China. PHOTO: PSC-POC Media Pool
Filipino pug Eumir Marcial added Syria's Ahmad Ghousoon to his victim's list after scoring another impressive knockout victory in their men's 80-kilogram clash semifinals at the Hangzhou Gymnasium on Wednesday, October 4.
Marcial delivered a lethal right hook to the head of Ghousoon with less than two minutes to go in the second round, finishing him off for a spot in the gold medal round.
He will vie for the division title against China's Tuohetaerbieke Tanglatihan on Thursday, October 5, with the hope of ending the Philippines' gold drought in Asiad boxing in over a decade.
Rey Saludar was the last boxer from the Southeast Asian country to win gold in the Asian Games after ruling the men's flyweight class in the 2010 edition.
As finalists, Marcial and Tanglatihan both secured a spot in the 2024 Paris Olympics.
It was a return trip to the Olympic stage for Marcial, a professional boxer, as he reached the Tokyo meet two years ago in the pandemic-delayed Olympiad and won a bronze for his nation.
The Zamboanga City native became the fourth Filipino athlete to punch a ticket in next year's festivities in the French capital after pole vaulter EJ Obiena, who bagged the country's first gold in the Asiad, and gymnasts Carlos Yulo and Aleah Finnegan.
He made things happen by gunning down an aggressive Ghousoon – his second KO victim in a row after Thailand's Weerapon Jongjoho, whom Marcial stunned in the quarterfinals.
The KO came after Marcial narrowly clinched the opening round with three judges favoring him, and the other two favored the Syrian pugilist, who was the aggressor in his previous bouts.
Changing his tactic in Round 2, Ghousoon exchanged punches with Marcial, but that proved to be a mouse entering the lion's den.
With Ghousoon missing his left hook, Marcial found the opening to connect a vicious right hook to send the latter to the floor.
Seeing it all, the referee halted the fight as Ghousoon, upon standing, was proven shaken by that Marcial finishing hit.