JOHN Paul Gabunilas lost for the third time in a row, continuing his woes.
Gabunilas was stopped in the fifth round by Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) light flyweight champion Thanongsak Simsri on Sunday, Aug. 4, 2024, at the Edion Arena in Osaka, Japan.
The 23-year-old Gabunilas made a crucial mistake by fighting with his hands low and paid for it.
Simsri connected with a right straight and followed it up with a right hook that snapped Gabunilas’ head back. He then quickly swarmed Gabunilas with some vicious combinations that prompted Japanese referee Masahiro Muroya to intervene and stop the fight in the 2:52 mark of the fifth round.
Gabunilas suffered his third straight loss, his second in Japan, and fell to 10-4 with seven knockouts.
This is the fourth straight defeat of an ARQ boxer in Japan this year.
Simsri moved up to 35-1 with 32 knockouts and is now in a great position to fight for a world title.
Over in Fuji, Japan, Rhonvex Capuloy also lost his fight following a fourth-round stoppage in the hands of Shunpei Ohata at the Fujisan Messe.
Ohata stopped Capuloy in the 2:48 mark.
Capuloy, who fights out of the the Big Yellow Boxing Gym in Cebu, dropped to 11-3-3 with eight knockouts, while Ohata improved to 3-1 with two knockouts. / EKA