Gabuco, Petecio stop Uzbek ring foes

WULANCHABU, China—Seasoned campaigners Josie Gabuco and Nesthy Petecio stopped their respective Uzbekistan rivals on the second day of the ASBC Asian Women’s Boxing Championships Saturday at the Wulanchabu Sports Gymnasium here.

The comely Gabuco, a single mother of a 7-year old boy and 2012 AIBA world champion, took three rounds to dispose of Atakulova Gulasal while  Petecio needed just two rounds to eliminate Aziza Yakubova.

Gabuco, who won a fourth SEA Games gold medal last June in Singapore, peppered her rival with hooks and right straights to the head with the referee giving Gulasal a standing eight-count in the second round.

With Gabuco connecting almost at will, the referee stopped the one-sided bout in the third after issuing two  more standing 8-counts on Gulasal.

Yakubova  tried to rush the Filipina in an effort to dictate the pace of the fight but Petecio was ready with right hook counters that jolted the Uzbek, who was given two standing counts in the first round.

Petecio again punished her rival in the first 30 seconds of the second round and the referee halted the bout.

Irish Magno earlier won a decision over AIBA World Youth champion Lin Yu Ting of Chinese-Taipei Friday.

Bantamweight Riza Pasuit steps into the ring  for the first time in the tournament against hometown girl Meiling Gao Sunday while Gabuco and Magno seek a second straight victory.

Gabuco will fight  another Chinese boxer E. Naiyan while Magno mixes it up with DPR Korea’s Ri Hyang Mi.

Petecio takes the day off and returns against DPR Korea’s Ri Hyang Mi on Monday.

The tournament, with 96 boxers from 16 countries participating, ends on Thursday, August 13.