Marcial loses to Ukrainian, settles for Olympic boxing bronze

MANILA, Philippines – It’s the end of the road for Eumir Marcial in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

Marcial’s valiant efforts came short Thursday as the fancied Filipino lost a split decision to Oleksandr Khyzhniak of Ukraine after three rounds of pure boxing action to settle for a bronze medal in the men’s featherweight competition.

Both fighters figured in a slugfest throughout the bout, with Marcial uncorking flurries and Khyzhniak responding with haymakers. 

Marcial suffered a cut in the head after an accidental clash of heads in the first round, but it didn’t slow him down as he continued to engage his foe for the next two rounds.

In the end, Khyzhniak, who displayed a remarkable chin and pressed on like a war tank, got the nod of three of the five judges.

The close setback capped a respectable Olympic bid for Marcial, who had been destructive in his past two bouts. He stopped Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi and Armenia’s Arman Darchinyan, both in the first round.