Filipino boxing semifinalist Eumir Marcial fell short after getting a 3-2 split decision defeat against Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak in the men’s middleweight division Thursday (Aug. 5).
The first two rounds were a close fight and favored Marcial, but the five judges gave Khyzhniak the third and last bouts at the Kokugikan Arena.
The Zamboanga native’s bronze is the country’s second medal in boxing following Nesthy Petecio’s silver finish at this year’s Olympics.
The 25 year-old boxer secured a podium finish after scoring a first-round knockout win against Armenia’s Arman Darchinyan last Sunday (Aug. 1).
Meanwhile, Carlo Paalam is in contention for gold after dominating Japan’s Ryomei Tanaka in the flyweight semifinal. – Report from Paolo Salamatin/PTV Sports, AG-rir
