PETECIO

HANOI – Nesthy Petecio, the country’s newest female boxing discovery, is only 17. She wants to become an Asian Games and Olympic champion.

“She can do it. She has all the potentials. All she needs is proper training and guidance,” said coach Glicerio Catolico.

“Malakas sumuntok, matapang, aggressive at walang kaba. Matibay ang dibdib at walang takot,” added Catolico.

Petecio collected ten straight wins in her young boxing career that began in her hometown in Toril, Davao.

“Nang mag-umpisa ako sa boxing, ang dream ko ay maging champion sa Asian Games at Olympics. Kaya puspusan at hindi ako nagpapabaya. Tuloy-tuloy ang ensayo maski walang tournament dahil gusto kong matupad yung dream ko,” said Petecio sitting in a chair at the hotel lobby of five-storey Phoenix Hotel where the five-women boxing team is staying.

“Nandito na ako, pag-iigihan ko na. Boxing is a way of life. Kailangan dedicated ka sa sport na pinasok mo para matupad ang goal. You cannot achieve your  ultimate goal by sheer luck or persistence but through talent and boxing ability,” stressed Petecio after a round of practice the at the Bach Ninh Stadium, a two-hour drive from Hanoi.

Petecio is the youngest of the five-woman boxing team competing in the 3rd Asian Indoor Games  The 5-foot-3 Davaoeña is aiming to duplicate her golden medallion in her first international appearance in Guam recently.

Her teammates are Annie, Alice Kate Aparri, Mitchell Martinez and Josie Gabuco. She’s competing in the featherweight division.

Petecio is undefeated in 10 fights since 2007. She won her 10th victory in Cagayan de Oro last year.

Petecio bared she went into boxing through the prodding of her father, a boxer during his high school days.

“He encouraged me to box. First, I was reluctant to venture in boxing because my inclination is basketball,” said Petecio. “But I’ve learned to love the sport.”

Petecio almost did not make it to Vietnam because the immigration official prevented her from leaving the country, adding she’s young and only 17 years old.

Through the insistence of Catolico, she was allowed to join her teammates to the Asian Indoor Games which Vietnam is hosting for the first time.

“Ayaw payagan dahil bata pa raw. I told the immigration official she competed in the 2008 Guam-Philippine dual meet, and the Asian Indoor Games is her second international appearance,” Catolico told Tempo/Bulletin.

Petecio said she idolizes Roel Velasco, bronze medalist in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics, and pound-for-pound king Manny Pacquiao. Velasco serves as an assistant coach in the RP team.

“They are my inspiration. I want to follow in their footsteps,” said Petecio, who wants to become a policewoman after her boxing career.

Petecio, who finished high school at Carlos P. Garcia High School, will take up criminology at the Philippine College of Criminology next year.

She temporarily stopped her studies to concentrate to boxing. (Tempo News)