Nesthy Petecio moved a step closer to her Olympic Games redemption after a rousing unanimous-decision win over China’s Xu Zichun in the boxing women’s 57 kg quarterfinals on Sunday at the North Paris Arena.
Fresh from a huge escape against hometown favorite and third-ranked Amina Zidani, the Tokyo 2020 silver medalist was determined to seize this opportunity and was eventually rewarded with an assured Olympic medal.
The win propels Petecio into the semifinal set on Thursday, August 8 at 3:46 AM (Philippine time), where she will face Poland’s Julia Szeremeta at the Roland-Garros Stadium.
What promised to be a competitive bout turned out to be a showcase of Petecio’s prowess in the ring.
The third round became just a formality as the Davao-born boxer did well enough to put on the finishing touches against the Chinese opponent.
Petecio was so dominant that despite Xu’s efforts in the contest, particularly in that third round, the bout still went her way.
Xu tried to disrupt Petecio’s rhythm, but the latter’s attacks connected, earning her the judges’ nod in the first two rounds.
