Turning back on pro plan a blessing in disguise for boxer Gabuco

Instead of boxing as a professional, Josie Gabuco finds herself as a newly-crowned pinweight champion of the 25th Southeast Asian Games in Vientiane, Laos. Gabuco, 22, and a native of Puerto Princesa, Palawan, was supposed to turn pro in 2006, and had actually left the training camp of the Philippine boxing team in Baguio to try her luck in Manila.

Not soon after, a dearth in the pool of the national women’s squad forced assistant coach Roel Velasco to look for Gabuco and offer her anew a place in the RP training team. “Balak niyang mag-pro na kasi dati pa, pero sinagip namin siya," Velasco, the 1992 Barcelona Olympics bronze medalist recalled. “Sabi namin baka gusto niyang bumalik uli sa national team, bukas yung pinto para sa kanya." Her affection to fight for flag and country prevailed upon herself, and soon after, Gabuco was back with the national team. The rest as they say, was history. “Tamang-tama rin nawala na si Gretchen Abaniel sa amin, kaya si Josie na ang kumuha dun sa timbang niya," Velasco said. Gabuco was with the RP team that saw action in the 2007 SEA Games in Nakhonratchasima, Thailand, but never got the chance to advance in the medal round. But on Wednesday, she finally bagged her first SEA Games gold medal after edging out Nguyen Thi Hoa of Vietnam in the 46 kg. final, 5-4, following a closely-fought contest. On top of the P300,000 incentive to be provided by the Philippine Sports Commission (PSC) to all SEAG champions is a similar P300,000 cash reward pledged by Amateur Boxing Association of the Philippines (ABAP) chairman Manny V. Pangilinan to any of the boxers who will bring home the gold, giving Gabuco a total of P600,000 for her golden feat. Actually, she was a recipient earlier of a P20,000 cash enticement also provided by the ABAP chairman through Smart Sports, following her bronze medal finish in the last Asian Indoor Games in Hanoi, Vietnam, bringing her total bonus to P620,000. “Hindi natin masasabi kung kikitain niya ‘yung ganyan na kalaking incentive kung nag-pro siya noon," said Velasco. Also receiving the same P600,000 reward just like Gabuco are fellow gold medal winners Annie Albania and Alice Kate Aparri, who ruled the flyweight and light-flyweight classes, respectively, of the biennial meet. With four boxers in tow, the RP women’s team won three gold medals and a single bronze through Mitchel Martinez. Of the three gold medalists, it’s Albania who has earned the most since apart from the SEA Games cash bonus, the 28-year-old boxer also took home P100,000 two months ago for winning the gold medal in the Asian Indoor Games. “Small rewards they may be, but we hope these incentives will help the families of our boxers, who in turn, will now be able to focus on their training since one way or the other, ABAP has been helping them take care of their financial problems," said Smart Sports head Patrick Gregorio. - GMANews.TV