Eumir Marcial celebrates after winning against Algeria's Younes Nemouchi (AFP)
Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial had an easy Olympic debut as he scored a win via Referee Stopped Contest in the first round against Younes Nemouchi of Algeria in their Round of 16 middleweight class bout in the Tokyo Olympics early Thursday, July 29 at the Kokugikan Arena in Japan.
Marcial put an end to the fight with 19 seconds left in the opening round after the referee signaled a halt for a doctor to check on a cut on Nemouchi’s right eyebrow – the third time it happened during the match.
Marcial, who booked a bye in the Round of 32 as the fourth seeded boxer, was dominant right at the opening bell as he floored Nemouchi with a straight right to the head at the 1:59 mark.
The referee first stopped the fight to check on a Nemouchi cut – apparently from a Marcial punch – with 1:10 left. It was again checked for a second time, before the doctor signaled the stoppage.
With the victory, the 25-year-old Marcial moved to the quarterfinal round where he will try to secure of at least a bronze medal. He will face Armenia’s Arman Darchinyan, who won with a unanimously 5-0 over Andrej Csemez of Slovakia.