Eumir Marcial’s campaign in the Tokyo Olympics came to an end after a 3-2 loss to Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak in the semifinal bout of the middleweight category Thursday, Aug. 5 at the Kokugikan Arena.
It was a close fight as Marcial took the first two rounds, both of which he got 10 points each from the three judges and nine from two, while his opponent were awarded nine points thrice and 10 points twice.
After the third round, however, all five judges gave the 26-year-old Khyzhniak – world amateur champion back in 2017 – 10 points while Marcial, 23, received nine points.
It was a heartbreaking defeat for Marcial, who earned a bye in the Round of 32 and had two easy bouts to reach the medal round.
Marcial won via a Referee Stopped Contest in the first round against Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi last July 29 in the Round of 16, and scored a knockout victory in the opening round over Arman Darchinyan of Armenia in the quarterfinal stage last August 1.
Marcial suffered a cut in the first round on the left side of his forehead from what appeared a collision of heads. But his punch to the face bloodied Khyzhniak with a cut on the nose.