The stunned French crowd could have gotten the victory if Amina Zidani fought a different boxer.
She held her own.
That said, Nesthy Petecio can't be denied.
I felt sorry for her when Nesthy Petecio went nuclear on her headpiece in the second round. It's not that Zidani didn't try to win but rather Petecio did her best not to lose. Nesthy had a slow start in the first round, but even with the handicap, she only had a 2-3 bind. When the second round came, she went nuts on the French fighter. She started as the aggressor, and there were at least two instances where Zidani could have fallen because of the power she unleashed. Suddenly, it felt like Zidani's face became a target for Nesthy.
The third round showcased a couple of wrestling holds and Nesthy had a couple of arm holds in the process. She even went for a backward punch during the clinch.
I'm surprised they didn't get mad at each other.
Zidani went silent when Nesthy won though. For some reason, other than the Filipino contingent, Nesthy's growl was felt in the arena. Again, I am not taking anything away from the French fighter but, Petecio was the busier fighter, the fighter that landed the most devastating punches, and more importantly, the fighter that the judges saw. Zidani is already 30 and she could be thinking of retiring.
Anyway, the Filipino ace is one win away from a podium finish and has set her sights on China's Xu Zichun. The Philippines versus China matches have been awesome for us, especially when we spin it with what is happening in the country. Whether it's POGO, a mayor with questionable citizenship, and bullying in contested waters, our feelings spill over in sports, like the two instances in 2023 in which we defeated China in basketball.
The winner of the Nesthy Petecio versus Xu Zichun quarterfinal match will face the winner of the battle between Puerto Rico's Ashleyann Lozada and Poland's Julia Szeremeta. Lozada stunned everyone when she defeated Kazakhstan's Karina Ibragimova. The Kazakh fighter won the silver medal in the 2023 IBA championship and the 2022 Hangzhou Asian Games. Meanwhile, Julia Szeremeta defeated Australia's Tina Rahimi via mindfuckery. I don't know the beef between these two, but I guess since they are in the same boxing circuit, these two might be rivals inside and outside the ring.
Hmmm. The Puerto Rican is like a jumping bean filled with excitement while the Polish fighter is like an older and feistier version of a cross between Transporter 3's Natalya Rudakova and a Von Trapp family singer.
Anyway...
GO FOR GOLD, NESTHY PETECIO!!!