MEDAL ALERT – Sean Mari Secures World Military Bronze at the very least
Sean Mari claimed his first International boxing medal with victory over an Olympian in Moscow today.
Mari went to battle in 58th World Military Games quarter-final and came away with a unanimous 5-0 victory and the spoils.
The Monkstown fighter secured himself a BRONZE medal at the very least by outpointing 2012 London Olympian Juliano Fernando Gento Maquina in the opening bout of today’s afternoon session.
The 2020 National Elite Champion impressed on his International debut in the European Under-22’s over the summer but ultimately left Italy without a medal.
The same can not be said of his Moscow adventure as he claimed a first medal in an Irish singlet thanks to an impressive performance this afternoon.
The Dubliner will now look to improve the colour of the medal when he fights in the semi finals.
What a last round,,
— MONKSTOWN.BC.DUBLIN (@MONKSTOWNBC) September 22, 2021
What a performance 💙❤️❤️🇮🇪🇮🇪
It’s a guaranteed bronze for Sean after a fantastic performance against former Olympian juliano fernando gento maquina @Irishboxingcom @defenceforces @RTEsport @IABABOXING https://t.co/xd8ArRE6oc
Maquina had a punch in bunches approach from the off, he looked to move and let combos go once the Dubliner got in range.
It made for a fast paced start but Mari did manage to get up to speed. The red corner fighter was catching and countering and produced enough to catch the eye in volume versus quality round.
Both fighters took a similar approach into the second but Mari looked the more effective. He was able to make the Olympian miss and pay with big shots, getting in under Maquina and ripping to the body effectively. With his opponent tiring and becoming that bit wilder, as a result, Mari was able to finish the round strong.
Still Crumlin BC’s head coach and former Olympian Phil Sutcliffe called for him to empty the tank in the last.
Mari showed his back foot capabilities in the final stanza and looked to outbox his busy foe. Despite a change in approach the nature of the fight didn’t alter with the Mozambique fighter throwing more but Mari landing the cleaner and more damaging punches.
Ultimately it was the work of Mari the judges liked as he was scored the fight across the board and picks up a prestigious medal as a result.
The victory should boost the Olympic hopeful’s confidence going into a fresh yet shorter Olympic cycle, it will also make up for missing out on the chance to defend his National crown in the 2021 National Elite Championships.
