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Philippine Olympic athlete Eumir Felix Marcial showed on Wednesday (Thursday in Manila) why he is the country’s brightest hope for his first Olympic gold medal by scoring a unanimous decision victory over American Andrew Whitfield at the Shrine Exposition Center in Los Angeles, California.
All four judges saw the fight in Marcial’s favor 40-36 over his American counterpart in four rounds in the Philippine middleweight’s professional debut, which he is also using as a boost in his preparation for the next XXXII Games. year. the Olympiad.
Marcial dominated as soon as the opening bell rang, showing off his vaunted prowess with heavy hitting in the first three rounds before advancing into the final rounds, dropping the equally promising Whitfield to his second loss in five starts, highlighted by a pair. of stoppage wins. since turning pro four years ago.
Right after his impressive triumph, Marcial said he is dedicating his conquest of Lewiston pride in Idaho to the memory of his older brother Eliver, who died just days after his arrival in the United States to train with the Hall of the Fame member. Fame Freddie Roach, his promoter and idol Manny Pacquiao, and his compatriots.
“As I said on the eve of my debut, I dedicate this fight to my idol Sir Manny, who turns 42 today, to Kuya Eliver who I did not even see when he passed away and to our compatriots,” the 25-year-old Zamboanga native declared.
Marcial also showed his willingness to fight the brave but outplayed Whitfield hand to hand and although he was unable to stop his rival, whose right eye swelled after the second round and was completely closed in the third.
They both came out fighting Whitfield trying to show who the real boss is, saluting Marcial with a hard right hand in the first round.
Marcial, not to be left behind, counterattacked by repeatedly shaking Whitfield’s head, making him an easy target in exchanges, causing a welt under the American’s right eye, ending the round.
The youngest Filipino, who made it to the 2021 Summer Games by winning the gold medal at the Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualifier last March in Amman, Jordan, kept his hands busy, hitting 120 of the 310 shots he fired. throughout the fight. “Whitfield connected with 46 of the 273 punches he threw.”
Sean Gibbons, president of Manny Pacquiao Promotions to which Marcial recently signed, sees his mentee fight at least one more time to set him up to give the Philippines their first Olympic gold in 96 years.
The four-round match of Marcial and Whitfield is the co-main event of the Eimantas Stanionis vs. Janer Gonzalez showdown in Premier Boxing Champions on FS1.
Stanionis won via a stoppage in the ninth round to maintain his impeccable record at 12-0 with 9 KOs.
Gonzalez’s record fell to 19-4-1, with 15 KOs after absorbing his fourth straight loss.
WITH REPORT FROM STAN OCAMPO
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