Gabuco leads Phl rebound; Petecio falls

NAY PYI TAW – The boxing team came away with three gold medals in seven hardly-fought finals against Thailand and host Myanmar in a tumultuous championship that saw two golds slip away on hometown decisions at the close of the boxing competitions last night at the boxing hall of the Wunnum Theikdi Sports Complex here.

Josie Gabuco showed the power of her straights and the sting of her hooks as she crushed Indonesian Beatrix Suguro to win the lightflyweight gold, the country’s first in the title matches of the 27th Southeast Asian Games boxing competitions.

She won 40-36, 40-36, 38-38.

Mark Anthony Barriga, competing in what he considered his peak form since the start of the SEA Games, unleashed the full might of his left and right combinations to score a runaway 30-27, 30-27, 30-27 win over Kornelis Kwangu Langu of Indonesia in the light flyweight (46-48 kg) category.

Mario Fernandez, a Philippine National Games champion, hacked out a 29-28, 29-28, 29-28 decision over Thai Donchai Thathi.

The victories came before losses by Nesthy Petecio to hometown entry New Mi Oo, 38-38, 39-37, 39-37, in the  57 kg class, Junel Cantancio to Saiyon Ardee of Thailand, 28-29, 29-28, 28-29, in the lightweight (68 kg) class and Dennis Galvan to Thai Wutichai Masu, 30-27, 30-26, 30-27.

The last setback which the coaching staff bitterly protested was the loss of Wilfredo Lopez to Myanmar’s Waicin Aung, who was awarded a win upon doctor’s examination of a cut on the Filipino’s forehead in the second round of their middleweight bout.

Gabuco fought tentatively in the first round, but once she got into the grove in the second round, the 2011 SEA Games champion connected with solid straights and left hooks that rattled her Indonesian opponent. She won, 40-36, 40-36, 38-38.

“Para sa family ko at sa bayan (This is for my family and the country),” said the 26-year-old Puerto Princesa lass who won the pinweight (48 kg) division in 2011 before her division became a 46-48 kg category.