After a blazing start to the PLDT-ABAP female boxers campaign in the Asian Women's Boxing Championships, three boxers unexpectedly fell leaving only veteran Nesthy Petecio standing after a grim Sunday in Wulanchabu, China. the Inner Mongolian capital some 360 kilometers north of Beijing.
While the Filipinas started off big by winning their first three matches including two TKO victories, fortunes changed on the third day as three of of the four team members were beaten with two of the defeats coming at the hands of host China's boxers.
2012 world champion and four-time Southeast Asian Games gold medalist Josie Gabuco lost to lanky E Naiyan, who towered at least three inches over her and had a huge, animated crowd on hand at the Wulanchabu Sports Gymnasium to cheer the local bets.
AIBA reported that China?s E Naiyan only received the right to box in the ASBC Asian Confederation Women?s Continental Championships at the last minute, but she has now earned a guaranteed medal from this prestigious event after her second victory on home soil.
Naiyan was a big underdog against Philippines? AIBA Women?s World Champion Josie Gabuco, yet defeated her decorated opponent to achieve the biggest surprise of Day 3.
While Naiyan tried to keep the Palawan lass Gabuco at bay with long-range jabs and straights, Gabuco was able to time and again sneak in with her right straights and hooks but the judges were apparently unimpressed and gave the decision to the hometown girl.
A dejected Gabuco said in a post-fight interview "I thought I delivered the more effective blows, the only time she hurt me was in the 3rd round when she caught me with a wayward hook. But otherwise, I thought I had the edge. Obviously, the judges thought differently."
Irish Magno figured in a slam-bang affair with Ri Hyang Mi of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea and also lost out after four rounds by a unanimous decision in a highly successful day for the North Koreans who won four fights.
The former AIBA Women?s World Boxing Championships silver medallist Ri Hyang Mi won what AIBA decsribed as "her important quarter-final contest over the Philippines? Irish Magno to advance through to the Flyweight semi-final.
Relative newcomer Riza Pasuit of Bacolod also gamely traded bombs with her Chinese foe Meiling Gao, but was edged via a split decision.
This leaves only the silver medalist in both the World Championships and recent SEA games Nesthy Petecio in the hunt for a medal her
e. She faces
Japanese Sana Kawano in the quarterfinals Monday.
Kawano who won a gold medal at the Japanese Women's National Championships in Nigata in December drew a bye in the opening round while
Petecio scored a rousing 2nd round TKO over Uzbekistan's Yakubova Aziza.
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