Thirty-two seconds were all it took for top-rated bantamweight Reymart Gaballo to send Phai Pharob on the way back to Thailand nursing a broken heart and a battered and bruised ego.
The fight held Tuesday night at the Midas Hotel and Casino was so short that the Thai national anthem was longer than the actual bout as the heavy-handed Filipino got the job done by sending Pharob down with a three punch combination grimacing in pain.
Referee Danrex Tapdasan reached the count of ten just 32 seconds into the opening round with Pharob — his facial features contorting — clutching the right part of his ribcage.
As it turned out, it was Gaballo’s left hook to the liver that did the trick although he had landed a vicious right straight and left hook to the Thai’s head just before that well-placed body shot connected.
Gaballo, for a second, wondered about his fallen foe and walked towards him to check on his condition but the ringside doctor was there to attend to him.
The smashing win only cemented Gaballo’s shot at Jason Moloney’s World Boxing Organization crown and Sean Gibbons, who represents the puncher, told DAILY TRIBUNE that the title crack should happen within 90 days.
Gaballo, who hails from Polomolok in South Cotabato and is trained by Nonito Donaire Sr., thus raised his record to 27-1 with 22 knockouts.
The defeat dropped Pharob’s mark to 34-5 with 27 knockouts.
Staging the slugfest was JC Mananquil of Sanman Promotions with MP Promotions, Viva Promotions and Knuckleheads Boxing providing a helping hand in the event that was well attended.
Also in attendance was former action star and now Senator Robin Padilla, who was mobbed for selfies by fight fans.
