MANILA -- The Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) commended Eumir Felix Marcial for his impressive campaign in the ongoing AIBA World Elite Men’s Boxing Championships in Ekaterinburg, Russia.
“This is a happy development for our preparations for the SEA Games and the Olympics. We wish Eumir well and hope for a favorable outcome,” ABAP president Ricky Vargas said in a statement.
Marcial, a 23-year-old southpaw from Zamboanga, barged into the finals of the AIBA World Elite Men's boxing tourney on Friday with a scintillating win over third-seeded Tursynbay Kulakhmet of Kazakhstan.
He punctuated his 5-0 victory with a spectacular knockdown behind a cracking right-left combination that found its mark midway in the first round.
The 23-year-old Philippine Air Force man then picked his shots and coasted to victory over an opponent who, like him, won a gold medal in the 2013 Asian Junior Championships in Subic.
Kulakhmet won in the middleweight division then, while Marcial was champion in the light welterweight (64 kg) class.
Marcial, who won AIBA World Junior Championships in the 52 kg class in Astana, Kazakhstan in 2011, faces hometown boy Gleb Bakshi of Russia in Saturday's 75 kg (middleweight) finals.
“I congratulate the coaching staff for their outstanding work and I would like to make special mention of the support of the Philippine Sports Commission for making our participation in this World Championships possible,” Vargas said. (PR)
