Filipino Olympian Eumir Marcial let his frustration from earlier Philippine boxing losses show with one powerful punch Wednesday, Dec. 17. Marcial unleashed a booming right hook that knocked out Vietnam’s Manh Cuing Nguyen, securing a spot in the gold-medal match of the men’s 80-kg division at the Chulalongkorn Sports Center in Bangkok.

With the Filipino crowd still reeling from the shock loss of Weljon Mindoro earlier, Marcial made sure his fate would not be left to the judges. He ended the bout with 35 seconds remaining in the second round, drawing cheers and relief from the home supporters.

Marcial extends dominance over Nguyen

It was the second time Nguyen fell to Marcial, who also knocked out the Vietnamese boxer in the 2019 SEA Games and outpointed him in the 2022 Asian Games. The victory put Marcial alongside Flint Jara, Jay Brian Baricuatro, and Aira Villegas in gold-medal bouts at the Games.

Marcial, the 30-year-old Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, will face Indonesian Maikhel Muskita in the finals. Muskita previously won gold and silver in the 2021 and 2023 SEA Games, making the upcoming bout highly anticipated.

Mindoro falls short despite strong start

Earlier, Weljon Mindoro struggled to maintain momentum against Vietnam’s Phuoc Tung Bui and suffered a 5-0 unanimous decision loss. Mindoro landed significant shots in the opening round but was forced to chase his opponent as Bui stayed mobile and countered effectively to outpoint the Filipino.

Despite the setback, the Philippine boxing team can take encouragement from Marcial’s decisive performance, which keeps the nation in contention for gold in the 80-kg division.