Nesthy Petecio opened her Tokyo Olympics campaign with a dominant victory on Saturday, July 24 in the round of 32 of the women’s featherweight event at the Kokugikan Arena.

Petecio won by unanimous decision after scoring 30-27, 30-27, 29-28, 30-27, 30-27 over Congo’s Marcelat Sakobi Matshu.

Petecio showed experience sizing up to the taller Congolese right in the opening round.

The 2019 women’s boxing world champion had the upper hand defensively and connected with a right jab to mark the start of her aggressive comeback midway through the second round.

The 29-year-old boxer from Davao del Sur took control of the third round and closed out her bout with a solid one-two combination.

Petecio will face the event’s top-seeded boxer Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yi-Tun in the round of 16 on Monday, July 26 at 12:39 pm, Philippine time.

Petecio is fresh from her training camp in Thailand and is running on the momentum of her golden conquest in the 2019 women’s boxing world championships and the Philippines’ hosting of the Southeast Asian (SEA) Games. – Rappler.com