Eumir Marcial recovers from three knockdowns for TKO win

Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, April 10) – Eumir Marcial had a night to remember in his second professional fight and his debut in the world boxing capital Las Vegas, Nevada.

Marcial recovered from three knockdowns to force a fourth-round technical knockout victory against American Isaiah Hart on Sunday (Philippine time) at The Theater of the Virgin Hotels.

The Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist first went down in the first round from a solid straight from Hart.

Hart continued his onslaught in the second round as he caught Marcial with another devastating right that knocked down the Filipino again.

Marcial was able to beat the referee’s count, but Hart continued his attack using his powerful right hand and unleashing his left for a crushing body shot for a third knockdown.

But the Zamboanga native stood up and held his ground until the pivotal fourth round, where the rhythm shifted in his favor.

Marcial began to connect with powerful combinations against his American opponent. With less than a minute in the round, he landed a heavy punch with his left, which made Hart’s legs wobble.

The referee decided to stop the match with 47 seconds remaining in the fourth round of the six-rounder middleweight fight.

The Filipino boxer notched his first professional boxing knockout win and improved his slate to 2-0 as his American for dropped to 6-3-1 win-loss-draw record.