Amman, Jordan—Nesthy Petecio showed her prowess as a world champion as she totally dominated Krismi Lankapurayalage of Sri Lanka with a 5-0 score in the second day of competitions of the Asian-Oceanian Olympic Qualification Tournament for Boxing here.
More importantly, another win for Petecio will net her a berth in the Olympics.
The 27-year-old from Davao de Sur proved too skilled, talented and powerful for the game Sri Lankan that some judges gave 10-8 scores even if there were no knockdowns or standing 8-counts.
“Sobrang focused ako dito. Baka ito na ang last chance ko to be an Olympian. Kailangan seryosohin lahat ng laban”, said the dusky lefty (who sometimes switches to an orthodox stance).
There had been several opportunities that slipped through her hands in the past.
Her next match is on Sunday, against Japanese Sena Irie, with whom she has a 1-1 head-to-head record.
Former Olympian Reynaldo Galido, who took over the women’s head coaching responsibilities from an indisposed Nolito Velasco, is confident about the Sunday showdown.
“Maganda ang kinikilos ni Nesthy ngayon. Last time sila nagkita sa World Championships, 4-1 ang panalo ni Nesthy sa kanya. Sila ang mag-adjust ngayon pero handa kami”, said Galido.
Whoever wins in that bout will automatically book a ticket to the Tokyo Olympics in July.
Meanwhile, in Wednesday’s evening session, diminutive Riza Pasuit made it 3 of 3 for the Philippine squad with a squeaker of a win (3-2) over Saya Hamamoto of Japan in their lightweight match (60 kg.).
Pasuit doggedly stayed with the taller Japanese, exchanging punches and scoring repeatedly with clear right hooks and snappy combinations.
ABAP secretary-general Ed Picson expressed jubilation over the performance of the team so far.
“Naturally, we’re happy. But as our president Ricky Vargas reminded us over long distance, it gets tougher. Not only will the opposition be better, but everyone is looking to beat us now. But credit to our coaches, the support of PSC and MVPSF, and the prayers of our people, our boxers were given ample training to prepare for this. We’re still optimistic, but guardedly so”, he said.
On Thursday, World Championships silver medalist Eumir Felix Marcial, a No. 1 seed here like Petecio, sees action for the first time against Australia’s Kirra Ruston, a winner over Hongkong’s Tai Leong Kan.
Lightweight James Palicte goes up against Elnur Abduraimov of Uzbekistan, after drawing a bye in the first round of preliminaries.