Eumir Marcial survived the scare of a lifetime, rising up from three knockdowns to stop the unheralded Isiah Hart in the fourth and final round Saturday night in Las Vegas.
Marcial (2-0, 1 knockout), a 2020 Olympic bronze medalist from the Philippines, was knocked down once in the first and twice in the second round before stunning Hart with a counter left hand that wobbled Hart and compelled referee Raul Caiz Jr. to stop the bout at the 47-second mark.
The stoppage appeared to be early, though Hart was buckled.
A knockout was absolutely necessary for Marcial as Hart led by scores of 29-26 on all three scorecards heading into the final stanza. Curiously, all three judges scored the first round 10-9, instead of 10-8, despite the knockdown.
Hart (6-3-1, 4 KOs) of Mays Landing, N.J. loses for the third time in four bouts.
The 26-year-old Marcial appeared eager from the opening bell to end matters early. His approach backfired when a straight right hand from Hart put him flat on his back. A similar pattern continued in the second, with Marcial stunning Hart on multiple occasions, only to hit the deck whenever his chin was touched.
The southpaw Marcial has been a highly prized prospect due to his explosive punching power and amateur experience. Among his accomplishments are a middleweight bronze medal at the Tokyo Games, plus a silver at the 2019 World Championships and a gold at the 2011 Youth World Championships.
Marcial, who is signed to Manny Pacquiao’s MP Promotions, was fighting for the first time under new trainer Jorge Capetillo. Marcial had turned professional in 2020 under Freddie Roach, and was underwhelming in a decision win over Andrew Whitfield.
A text message to MP Promotions’ President Sean Gibbons seeking comment was not responded to.
The fight was among the untelevised preliminaries to the Showtime Championship Boxing card headlined by Erickson Lubin vs. Sebastian Fundora at Virgin Hotels in Las Vegas.
