By CARLO ANOLIN
Nesthy Petecio started her title-bid retention in devastating fashion, mauling Kay Thew of Myanmar to advance to the semifinal of the women’s featherweight boxing in the 31st Southeast Asian Games at the Bac Ninh Gymnasium Wednesday.
The 30-year-old Petecio displayed the form that won for herself the silver medal in the Tokyo Olympics, coming through with powerful body shots on the way to a 5-0 win.
The first round dictated the pace for the reigning featherweight champion as she utilized her jabs and body shots to counter the jabs thrown by Kay.
Petecio, who finally found her groove in the second frame, stayed on track and continued to connect some solid body shots to haul as many points as possible.
The 2019 World Champion settled down in the third and shifted to her counter-punching stance to negate the strikes coming from Kay.
The last round also saw a short pause from action as the two boxers exchange some pleasantries and smiled at each other before brawling it out in the waning seconds.
Victorious, Petecio pumped her fist in the air and exited the ring with a huge smile on her face as she is now assured of a bronze medal in the regional biennial meet.
