Dion Mikhail Fetalvero

Nesthy Petecio punched her way to another Olympic medal – this time in Paris.

Petecio guaranteed herself of at least a bronze medal finish, defeating Chinese boxer Xu Zichun via unanimous decision in the women’s 57kg division of the Paris Olympics, August 4.

Photo Courtesy of Peter Cziborra/Reuters.

This will be the Filipina flagbearer’s second Olympic medal after bagging a silver in Tokyo – the first-ever Filipina boxer to do so.

The Olympic silver medalist used her experience to her advantage, launching an array of blows at the Chinese weakside to put the Olympic debutant Xu at bay in the opener.

Rising up to the occasion, the former featherweight world champion amplified her offensive arsenal to seal the second round with a 20-18 in all of the judges’ scorecards.

The Davao-native, who is now the third Filipino to secure a medal in the Paris Olympics after Carlos Yulo and Aira Villegas, delivered a masterful performance in the end, capping off the match with a symphonic left then an uppercut.

World Military Games champion Xu, tried to utilize her reach to her advantage but failed to defend against the more composed Filipino.

The Filipina pride will see action at the semifinals bout on August 8 against Julia Szeremeta of Poland where a win will book her to the gold medal bout, matching her Tokyo Olympic achievement.