HANGZHOU -Eumir Marcial lost in his bid for a gold medal at the 19th Asian Games as he bowed to hometown bet Tanglatihan Touhetaerbieke in the men's 80kg final.
The Chinese won by unanimous decision, 5-0, in a bout that was tied heading into the third and final round after both received standing eight counts from the referee.
Marcial's loss relegated him to a silver-medal finish at the end of a campaign that saw the pro fighter clinch a ticket to next year's Paris Olympic Games.
The 27-year-old Olympic bronze medalist controlled the fight early, tagging his Chinese foe with a short right that prompted the referee to step in and give his opponent a standing eight count.
READ: China coach Dordevic apologizes for late meltdown vs Gilas
But Tuohetaerbieke evened things up in the second when the referee gave Marcial a standing eight count, much to the Filipino's surprise.
That set up for a fitting final round where both fighters went for broke.
All five judges gave the third round to the Chinese, a silver medalist in the last World Championship.
"Nakakahinayang kasi nakuha ko yung first round. Akala ko yung last round sa akin, e. Yun ang ramdam ko," said Marcial later.
"Pero siyempre kailangan kong i-respeto yung decision ng mga judges. Yun ang decision nila. Congratulations pa rin sa China," the Filipino pro boxer added.
The silver by Marcial, who only joined the team in training camp the last three weeks heading to the Asiad, was the lone medal won by the nine-man boxing team.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
