Punch like a girl

What men can achieve, we, women, can also accomplish.

NESTHY Petecio (right) proves that success has no sexuality.

For a competitive boxer, one of the greatest insults is to be accused of is punching like a girl.

Petecio proved that ring craftsmanship has no sexuality after emerging victorious in the featherweight division of the AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship in Ulan-Ude, Russia over the weekend.

The 27-year-old pug from Davao outpointed hometown hero Liudmila Vorontsove via split decision to become the first Filipina gold medalist in this prestigious tournament since Josie Gabuco dominated in 2012.

With that, sideliners are buzzing with speculations that she, too, can dominate in the Tokyo Olympics next year, where the officiating and judging are expected to be fair and credible following the takeover of the International Olympic Committee recently.

If and that happens, Petecio would completely eclipse the achievement tallied by Mansueto Velasco in the Atlanta Olympics in 1996.

Velasco, the diminutive but powerful puncher from Bago City in Negros Occidental, was on his way to a gold medal until a Bulgarian boxer stopped him in a very controversial and unconvincing fashion.

And for her, the women can do what men failed to accomplish.

“There’s really a social construct that boxing is only for men. I wanted to prove that it’s not true,” said Petecio, a seasoned campaigner for the national squad.

“I just hope that more women should play boxing because it’s becoming big lately and a lot of opportunities await them.”

Slugging it out in the ring wasn’t part of Petecio’s plan.

It was her father who pushed her to take up the sport.

“I wanted to box because my father didn’t have the chance to fulfill his dream of becoming a professional boxer,” said Petecio, referring to his father, Teodoro, who wasn’t given a chance to prove himself inside the ring.

“I promised myself that I will do this for Papa. This is for him.”

But what was supposed to be a hobby turned into a career as Petecio made her way to the national boxing squad of the Alliance of Boxing Associations of the Philippines after winning the gold medal in the National Youth and Women’s Open Boxing Championship in Cagayan de Oro in 2007.

Then, she clinched the silver medal in the Southeast Asian Games in Jakarta in 2011, Naypyitaw in 2013 and Singapore in 2015 as well as in the World Championships in Jeju in South Korea in 2014 and Asian Championships in Wuluchabu in China in 2015.

But her biggest win was the world crown.

“To be honest, women really have more opportunities than men in boxing. Women do not let their hard work go down the drain so we try to be as competitive as much as possible.”

“What men can achieve, we, women, can also accomplish.”

With Petecio’s victory, being branded that one is punching like a girl is no longer an insult.

It now signifies excellence, hard work, determination and, of course, a shiny gold medal from the toughest amateur boxing tournament in the world.