It was a painful end of July for the Filipino boxing community as homegrown bet Eumir Marcial went for an early exit after bowing down to hefty Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev via unanimous decision in the men’s 80kg division Round of 16 at the North Paris Arena on Wednesday, July 30 (Manila time).
With dominating scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, the Uzbek Olympian put an end to Marcial’s back-to-back Olympic podium dreams, which he has been preparing for years.
In an interview with OneSports, the 28-year-old boxer said it was hard to explain his defeat knowing he and his team did everything they could during the training.
“Nakakalungkot. Kumbaga, yung pangarap ko biglang gumuho,” he said.
The Tokyo 2020 bronze medalist also added that he finds it difficult to tell his Filipino fans that he won’t be able to bring home an olympic medal like what he has promised.
“Humihingi po ako ng pasensiya sa lahat ng mga pilipinong sumusuporta sa’kin, at sana po ganon pa rin ang suporta nila sakin ngayon pa na siguro ay magdesisyon ako na mag-focus sa professional career ko,” Marcial said.
According to the Filipino boxer, he is still unsure if whether he should pursue a professional career in boxing, or prepare for the upcoming Los Angeles Olympics in 2028.IMT Sports
REPORTING by Vincent Dave Molavin, West Visayas State University College of Communication intern; EDITING by Elyrose Naorbe
Photo by John Locher/AP
