FILIPINO boxers fell by the wayside one after the other Friday night in the semifinals of the ASBC Elite Mens and Womens Boxing Championships in Dubai.
And Eumir Marcial was the biggest casualty out of the three who failed to advance to the gold medal play.
The 25-year-old pro bound for the Tokyo Olympics suffered a stunning 5-0 shutout against Jafarov Saidjamshid of Uzbekistan in the semis of the 75 kg division at the grand ballroom of the Le Meridiean Hotel.
Seeded as the top middleweight fighter in the pre-Olympic tournament, Marcial settled for the bronze after losing his first and only fight in the meet.
The Philippines' semis campaign started off on the wrong foot earlier as Mark Lester Durens and Junmilardo Ogayre both lost their respective matches in the light-flyweight and bantamweight categories, respectively.
Durens went down against Daniyal Sabit of Kazakhstan by the same 5-0 score, while Ogayre was booted out by top seed Mirazizbek Mirzahalilov of Uzbekistan, also via a 5-0 shutout.
The team, coached by Barcelona Olympics bronze medalist Roel Velasco, Joegin Ladon, and Asian Women's Boxing Championships gold winner Mitchel Martinez, will be going home with a total four bronze medal, the other courtesy of former world champion Josie Gabuco.
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