PH boxers Gabuco, Petecio make the China Open finals

MANILA, Philippines — Reigning world champion Josie Gabuco stunned hometown bet Ren Cancan as Filipino’s female boxers stayed undefeated Thursday in the China Open in Guiyang, China.

The reigning 48 kilogram world champion Gabuco defeated Cancan, a London Olympics silver medalist and tree-time world flyweight (51 kg.) champion via unanimous decision.

Nesthy Petecio likewise brought down a Chinese bet in Liu Chang, the reigning lightweight national champion there, earning a majority decision, 40-36, 39-37, 37-39.

Gabuco and Petecio will be in the finals Friday against Xu Shiqi of China and New Zealand’s Alexis Pritchard, respectively.

London Olympian Mark Anthony Barriga, meanwhile, gave the Filipino men’s side the first win after thwarting Naveen Kuman of India, 2-1.

Two judges scored in favor of Barriga, 30-26, 30-27, while another judge ruled in favor of Kuman, 29-28.

Junel Cantactio, on the other hand, got the nods of all three judges — with an identical score of 28-25 — in tripping Mauritian Colin John.

But the 20-year-old Nico Magliquian joined two other Filipino bets who fell in the first day of action on Thursday in the southern part of China.

Magliquian absorbed a 1-2 decision versus India’s Ajay Kumar.

In the men’s semifinals Thursday, Barriga fights Chinese Xu Chao while Cantancio faces another formidable Chinese boxer, Wang Bo.

“We have ex-Olympians, world champions and up-and-coming talents [in the tournament]. We’re happy to be here but even happier that some of our boxers are in the medal fights,” said ABAP executive director Ed Picson in a statement.