SEA Games: Josie Gabuco barges her way into light flyweight final

Ph’s Josie Gabuco throws a punch against Trinh Thi Diem Kieu of Vietnam in their boxing semifinals match in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in PICC Forum, Pasay. Tristan Tamayo/IINQUIRER.net

MANILA, Philippines—Josie Gabuco steamrolled past Diem Kieu Thi of Vietnam for a unanimous decision win en route to the finals of the boxing women’s light flyweight division in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games Friday at PICC Forum.

A four-time SEA Games gold medalist, Gabuco landed shots at will forcing Thi to cower behind the clinch in the second round.

Thi continued to clinch Gabuco in the third but the Filipino champion would have none of it pushing away the Vietnamese away to create distance and continue her offensive onslaught.

Gabuco said she is hyped up to be competing once again the SEA Games stage after Malaysia took away the women’s boxing competition in 2017.

“We really prepared for this competition because we didn’t have an event in the 2017 SEA Games and coach [Nolito Velasco] told us that he wants us to produce gold medals this year,” said Gabuco in Filipino.

A World champion in 2012, Gabuco is leaving it all on the line in the gold medal match on Dec. 9.

“I’m going to fight until the end, kill or be killed because this is the last fight,” said Gabuco. “I’ll leave it all on the ring because we’ve been training so long for this,” said Gabuco, whose team also trained with the Laotian and Australian nationals heading into the SEA Games.