Gabuco inviting Pinays to take up boxing
By Eddie Alinea
PhilBoxing.com
Wed, 23 Dec 2009
For boxing gold medalist Josie Gabuco, she hopes that her victory in the recently-ended Laos 25th Southeast Asian Games could inspire other Filipinas and their counterparts in other countries to take up the sport.
The 22-year-old 46-kilogram Puerto Princesa fighter ruled the women?s pinweight division by outpointing Vietnamese Nguyen Thi Hoa via closest margin of one point, 6-5, in the finals held at the Olympasia Gymnasium inside the Laos National Stadium in Vientiane.
"Boxing is for everyone and I hope that through my victory, it will inspire other Filipino girls as well as those from other countries to take up the sport," Gabuco said yesterday.
?Me mga safeguard naman ang boksing, tulad ng ibang contact sports, para hindi maging masyadong delikado lalo na sa babae,? she reasoned out.
"The boxing competition in Laos, especially the finals were of very high standard. The championship match with the Vietnamese was a very hard. Buti na lang maganda ang preparasyon namin, she related.?
?I prepared hard the whole year round and I think I deserve this victory," she said.
Gabuco, whose first international exposure was the 2008 World Championship in China where she won a bronze medal, said she will start training soon in the hope of it again to the national team to next year?s Asian Games in Guangzhou, China.
Gabuco said her victory as well as those of her women?s team mates in Laos brought some measure of satisfaction to the country, especially it came following a solitary win the 2007 team got two years ago during the 24th edition of the biennial meet in Thailand.
Gabuco?s team mates in the women?s side of competition ? light-flyweight Alice Kate Appari and flyweight Annie Albania ? likewise, won their respective divisions as the squad, coached by Boy Catolico and Barcelona Olympic Games bronze medallist Roel Velasco took a perfect four-for-four medal winning,.
The other member of the team, lightweight turned-featherweight Mitchel Martinez, a former Asian champion and 2007 World Championship silver medallist, brought home the bronze in her category.
The national boxing team, that included a six-man men?s competition hopefuls, actually had a high 90 percent performance as all except one came home with a medal each.
Bill Vicera emerged the pin weight champion, a feat matched by Charly Suarez in the featherweight class. Battle-scarred Harry Tanamor salvaged a silver medal while flyweight Rey Saludar and Joegin Ladon duplicated Martinez?s bronze medal show.
Luck did not smile though on 2006 Asian Games gold medallist Joan Tipon who was ousted right in the first round of hostilities.
The 22-year-old said that boxing has a strong tradition in the Philippines and parents should not feel that it is a violent sport and prevent their children from picking it up.
"There are safeguards and precautions at this level and it is the same with other contact sports," she quipped.
After her win today, Josie will be training even harder to prepare herself for the Asian Games which will be held next year in China. "At the very least, boxing will allow athletes to travel and it is a great way to see the world."
Click here to view a list of other articles written by Eddie Alinea.
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