Shrine Auditorium and Expo Hall in Los Angeles – Philippine Olympian Eumir Marcial (1-0) had a successful pro debut by scoring a four-round unanimous decision over Andrew Whitfield (3-2, 2 KOs) in their middleweight showdown. (photos by Sean Michael Ham)
Marcial, a native of Lunzuran, Zamboanga City, won every round against Whitfield, of Lewiston, Idaho, although each man landed their share of power shots.
The fight started quickly with the powerful Marcial standing his ground throwing left and right handed bombs while Whitfield answered in kind with a number of strong uppercuts of his own. Marcial started attacking to the body as well as the head in the second, slowing Whitfield’s momentum and nearly closing his right eye by the end of the round.
By electing to go toe-to-toe, Marcial, who qualified for the 2020 Olympics before it was postponed and won the silver medal at the 2019 AIBA World Boxing Championships, made for an exciting action fight. The scores were 40-36 according to all three judges. Marcial threw 310 punches and landed 120. Whitfield threw 273 and landed 46.