More than a week after seeing Thrilla in Manila 2.0, I could not help but marvel at the incredible display of courage and staying power of two extraordinary fighters in Eumir Marcial and Venezuelan Eddy Colmenares.

Admittedly, I received quite a number of inquiries following Marcial’s 10-round majority decision win on that dramatic early Thursday morning bloodbath at the Smart Araneta Coliseum.

And majority of the sentiments didn’t favor Marcial.

“How could he win if he got knocked down twice?” asked a friend from down south.

“Was that a hometown decision?” asked another.

The first guy didn’t sound like a fan of Marcial.

But he wasn’t a hater, either.

“It’s just that those were two knockdowns. Two 10-8 rounds in favor of the Venezuelan.”

The second fellow, a boxing diehard just like the first, was also not as enthusiastic.

Again, he wasn’t a basher, either.

I know where my pals are coming from.

Seeing Marcial get knocked down two times was not a sight to behold.

But seeing him rise every time he got decked was a prime example of first-rate bravery.

For picking himself up from the two visits to the floor, Marcial deserves a Medal of Valor.

You see, Colmenares was a more experienced fighter than the heavy-handed Filipino hitman.

Remember that Marcial has had only six fights since turning professional in December 2020.

Ranged against Colmenares, much taller than him and more seasoned, Marcial found himself in a battle for survival.

He got knocked down in the third and battled back to put Colmenares on the verge of going down times.

In the tenth and final round, Marcial drove Colmenares to the ropes with a barrage and appeared a punch or two away from putting him away when the South American produced a last-ditch rally.

As Marcial was unleashing what he thought would pull the plug on his opponent’s bid, Colmenares delivered a one-two that sent Marcial crashing to the canvas again going into the last 10 seconds.

Marcial wisely danced away in the final seconds en route to the controversial decision.

But given that it was a close fight, and that it was staged on home soil, giving credit to Marcial seems the natural thing to do.

It was not as if Marcial didn’t do anything to merit the verdict.

A quick look at Colmenares’ face and even Marcial’s should convince everyone that they both deserve to win.

As for my score, I had it a draw.

But considering what Marcial had to go through, I will be forced to pick him if somebody puts a gun to my head and asks that I make a choice.

Before facing Colmenares, Marcial had never gone six rounds.

Marcial summed it all up in one sentence.

“In boxing, it’s not always the guy who scores knockdowns who wins but the guy who gets up and fights hard every time he gets down.”