MANILA, Philippines — Four Philippine boxing team members scored smashing victories on Wednesday and advanced to the semifinals of the 30th Southeast Asian Games at the PICC Forum on Wednesday.
Former world champion Josie Gabuco, Aira Villegas, Irish Magno, and Carlo Paalam won their respective quarterfinal matches at the start of the boxing competitions in the biennial meet.
Paalam, Villegas, and Magno won their bouts via shutouts, with only the 32-year-old Gabuco, winner of a gold medal in the 2012 AIBA World Championship, receiving stiff resistance from Thai opponent Raksat Chuthamat in the women’s light-flyweight division.
Gabuco pulled off a 4-1 victory over Chuthamat, a former bronze medal winner in the world championship.
In the women’s bantamweight class, Villegas whipped Vijayphone Vongphachan of Laos 5-0 while Magno pulled off the same score against Singaporean Leona Hui in the flyweight class.
Paalam, the lone male Filipino boxer to see action on opening day, cruised to a 5-0 victory over Khamphouvanh Khamsathone of Laos in the light-flyweight class. (LO/IAMIGO/CNS)
