(APR 30) Philippines’ Josie
Gabuco impressed in the ASBC Asian Confederation Elite Boxing
Championships in Bangkok, Thailand where she not only claimed
the gold medal in the seven-day long event but won the Best
Woman Boxer Trophy. Philippines’ most successful woman boxer has
done a superb comeback to the international stage in Bangkok and
became the one of the heroes of the competition.
The new edition of the ASBC Asian
Confederation Elite Boxing Championships set up new records in
terms of the number of the entering female and male boxers and
also in the number of the participating countries in Bangkok.
Altogether 304 athletes including 112 women and 192 men boxers
attended from 34 nations in the ASBC Asian Confederation Boxing
Championships in the recent days.
Philippines’ Josie Gabuco was
born in the island of Palawan on March 30 in 1987 and started
her boxing career at the age of 17. She had her first
international bout in 2005 and her first major event was the
Southeast Asian Games in Korat, Thailand two years later. Gabuco
won bronze medal at the 2008 AIBA Women’s World Boxing
Championships and claimed gold at the 2009 Southeast Asian Games
as her career start.
Philippines’ pride won gold medal at the Qinhuangdao 2012 AIBA
Women’s World Boxing Championships but in the recent years she
was not able to repeat that performance. Gabuco returned in top
shape at the 2018 Indian Open International Boxing Tournament
where earned silver and lost to only the most successful female
boxer of the whole world, Chungneijang Mary Kom Hmangte in the
final.
Following her gold medal at the Strandja Memorial Tournament the
Filipino light flyweight (48kg) boxer impressed in Bangkok. She
eliminated Bhutan’s Tandin Lhamo, Kazakhstan’s Alua Balkybekova
and Mongolia’s 12-year-younger Mungunsaran Balsan during her
road to the finals. Gabuco had to meet in the final with DPR
Korea’s Kim Hyang Mi who is always dangerous for all opponents.
The North Korean boxer was taller than the Filipino veteran but
moved ahead more in the first two rounds. Josie Gabuco ruled the
middle of the ring in the third round and celebrated her Asian
title after the last gong in Bangkok.
