Petecio overwhelms Thai, takes crack at boxing gold

NAY PYI TAW – Ranged against a familiar rival, Nesthy Petecio got back at Thailand’s Tassamalee Tsongjan, scoring a 40-36 victory in their women’s featherweight semifinal match in boxing competitions of the 27th Southeast Asian Games at the Wanna Theikdi Stadium here Monday.

Petecio, who dropped a close decision to Tsongjan in the 2010 Asian Indoor Games in Vietnam, took charge early and went on to essay the victory that sent her to the gold medal match against Nwe Ni Oo of Myanmar on Thursday.

It was a big victory for the national boxing team, which earlier saw seven of its 10 bets moving all the way to the semis either after drawing a bye or due to lack of competitors in their respective weight classes.

Flyweight Rey Saludar, bantamweight Mario Fernandez and welterweight Wilfredo Lopez drew byes in the men’s division while bantamweight Iris Magno and flyweight Maricris Igam advanced in the women’s category that put them on track of matching their finish of four gold medals in the 2011 SEA Games in Palembang, Indonesia.

Like light flyweight Josie Gabuco, the 22-year-old Petecio found herself in the semis after a couple of participants made last-minute withdrawals.

“I was so excited when I found out that I will be playing against her in the semis,” she said shortly after becoming the first Filipino boxer to qualify in the finals.

“I have no footage of her previous fights, but I know in my mind that I am ready to face her. I remember her tactics and the way she had beaten me in Vietnam three years ago. I was young then. But now, I am ready to win over her,” she said.

True enough, Petecio came out slugging right from the opening bell, unleashing a flurry of uppercuts and combinations that threw the Thai fighter off her comfort zone.

“Inunahan ko na sya (I dominated her early),” she said. “Sana tuloy-tuloy na hanggang makuha ko ang ginto (I just hope to go all the way to the gold).”