Female bets Gabuco, Petecio carry PH in China boxing tilt opener

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MANILA, Philippines — Female boxers Josie Gabuco and Nesthy Petecio triumphed over separate foes while Philippines’ two male bets faltered in the first day of the China Open in Guiyang, China.

Reigning world champion Josie Gabuco kicked off the competition with a unanimous victory over Russian Zoia Isaeva in the flyweight division.

Davao-native Nesthy Petecio also got the nod of all three judges versus the body-punching Mongolian Suvd Erden Ourngerel in the other match.

AIBA now uses the 3-judge, 10-point must system, similar to the professional scoring method.

The PLDT-ABAP team split their assignments as the only two women entries advanced while Roldan Boncales Jr. and Dennis Galvan — two of five men—lost.

Boncales, in his only second international stint, yielded to a tough hometown bet Chang Yong in their 52 kg. fight, while 2011 Southeast Asian Games medalist Galvan lost to another Chinese bet Fu Kaishen via unanimous decision.

Meanwhile, London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga debuts against Naveen Kumar of India, while Nico Magliquian also faces an Indian Ajay Kumar  in their 56 kg. bantamweight tiff.

Junel Cantancio, then, meets Mauritian Colin John in the lightweight division (60 kg.) while Gabuco and Petecio takes on China bets Ren Cancan Liu Chang, respectively.

ABAP President Ed Picson said in a statement that the tournament was a guage of progress of the boxers  in our preparations for the World Championships in October and the SEA Games in December.”