Eumir Felix Marcial (left) with PH team head coach Ronald Chavez (Photo courtesy of ABAP)
PRAGUE, Czech Republic — National boxer Eumir Felix Marcial, bucking below zero degrees weather here, scored a sensational third round RSC (Referee Stopped Contest) victory over hometown boy Milos Bartl in the Europe vs. Asia Boxing Tournament at the Prague Hilton Saturday evening.
The strapping Zamboanga middleweight (75 kg) dropped his foe twice, once in the dying seconds of the first round and then again in the third with a sharp left-right combination that forced referee Tomas Smid of the host country to wave the fight off despite protest from Czech boxer.
The 23-year-old Marcial was awarded a beautiful handcrafted trophy made by the famous crystal and glass artisan of Prague.
“I'm still not in top condition coming off the Christmas break. I also hardly had any sparring sessions since there is no one else in the team in my weight division," Marcial said.
Alliance of Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) secretary-general Ed Picson, who was at ringside, revealed plans are afoot for Marcial to spend “a lot of time abroad” with other national hopefuls for training and competition in preparation for the World Championships in October and the SEA Games in December.
Marcial is the former World Junior champion (2011) and two-time gold medalist in the SEA Games and bronze winner in the Asian Games
Elite head coach Ronald Chavez, who won a gold medal in a tournament here in 1994, said Marcial proved his class in the fight but was still working on his stamina and timing.
“Konti pang conditioning at sparring, makukuha na ni Eumir yong dati niyang lakas at diskarte. Masipag at disiplinadong bata kasi yan. (With more conditioning and sparring, Eumir will regain his strength and strategy. He works hard and is very disciplined),” said Chavez, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics veteran.
The unique match organized by the Czech Boxing Federation featured 16 bouts between boxers of the two continents. The match ended even at 8-8. (PR)
