Olympics: breaking down Petecio’s dominant win and Marcial’s tough loss

Photos courtesy of: neshpetecio & eumirmarcial / IG

Petecio Puts on Masterclass in Paris

The last time Nesthy Petecio was in an Olympic ring, she was beaming with pride despite going down in defeat to a longtime rival.

Three years later, Petecio made her Olympic comeback in Paris. This time, she had a much better reason to smile.

That’s because Petecio thoroughly outclassed India’s Jaismine Lamboria in a 5-0 decision early Wednesday morning (Manila time) to earn a spot in the Round of 16 of the women’s featherweight tournament.

While Lamboria, a bronze medalist at the 2022 Commonwealth Games, had the edge in height and wing span, Petecio had a sizable advantage in technique every step of the way.

At the sound of the bell, the Davao del Sur native closed quarters to negate Jaismine’s reach advantage. Despite drawing close to her opponent, she bobbed in and out to stay out of harm’s way, even connecting on body shots and a right cross.

Petecio’s tactical brilliance continued in Round 2, when she switched stances at least four times to throw Jaismine off her game. Petecio moved her neck and shoulders superbly and landed left counters while Jaismine mostly punched in vain.

A sequence late in the third round summed up the story of the fight: Jaismine trying desperately to find her mark while Petecio effortlessly dodged every haymaker thrown. In that same sequence, Petecio threw a few measured punches and caught Jaismine with a right.

The scorecards said it all: Three judges gave Petecio a perfect score every round, while the other two docked just one point apiece. Even before the referee raised her hand, Petecio already had a confident grin.

That smile will have to be short-lived, as Petecio will step back into the ring on Saturday against Amina Zidani, who won the featherweight championship at the 2023 European Games. In all likelihood, Petecio will put her game face on when she faces the French stalwart in Paris.

Eumir Marcial Bows Out of Light Heavyweight Tournament

Eumir Marcial has made a career of ending bouts early. Unfortunately, he’s found himself on the receiving end of a quick tournament exit.

Marcial bowed out of medal contention in Paris after dropping a unanimous decision to Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev early Wednesday morning (Manila time).

The knockout power that won Marcial glory at the SEA Games and 2020 Olympics was nowhere to be seen in this light heavyweight bout, largely because of Khabibullaev’s impeccable defense.

Khabibullaev, who boasted a 7-1-0 amateur record heading into the fight, established the defensive tone with incessant right jabs at the start of Round 1. This strategy all but eliminated the prospect of another quick Marcial victory. Marcial tried to go for the body, but his Uzbek foe was clearly the more aggressive fighter with a higher volume of punches thrown.

Not much changed in the last two rounds of the fight, as the taller, longer Khabibullaev warded off the vast majority of Marcial’s offense. Despite Marcial’s corner pleading with him to secure the final round, the Zamboanga City native struggled to find many openings to inflict significant damage.

In the last three minutes of the bout, Marcial showed glimpses of life by stringing together some combinations. By that point, however, Khabibullaev was essentially backpedaling as he waited for the final bell to sound.

After his early exit in Paris, Marcial is expected to focus on his up-and-coming pro career, where he remains unblemished with a 5-0 record. Though the Freddie Roach-trained slugger might have had his last crack at an Olympic medal, it’s only a matter of time before Pinoy boxing fans get to celebrate another quick Marcial win via knockout.