Eumir Marcial falls short vs Uzbekistan's Khabibullaev, makes early exit in Olympics

Boxer Eumir Marcial fell short against Uzbekistan's Turabek Khabibullaev in the men's 80kg division Round of 16 of the 2024 Paris Olympics at the North Paris Arena.

The 20-year old boxer from Uzbekistan won via unanimous decision, while Marcial, a Tokyo Olympics bronze medalist, made a shocking early exit from the Summer Games.

Khabibullaev had a dominant performance in the first two rounds, with only judge Bachir Abbar of Morocco favoring Marcial on the score cards in Round 2. 

The Asian Games silver medalist, however, performed better in Round 3, but had difficulty in landing a blow with the Uzbek's defense. 

Marcial got the nods of three judges in the third round, but the cards still favored Khabibullaev, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27, 29-28.

Prior to this, Marcial earned a first-round bye which allowed him to outright book a slot in the Round of 16.

Khabibullaev is a bronze medalist in the 2023 Asian Games, but the two boxers did not go against each other during the tournament.

Earlier, Tokyo silver medalist Nesthy Petecio booked a slot in the Round of 16 of the women's 57kg division.

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—JKC, GMA Integrated News