Nesthy Petecio, the pride of Davao del Sur, will be bringing home a bronze medal from the 2025 Southeast Asian Games after a surprising semifinal setback against Indonesia’s Hasanah Huswatun in the women’s 63kg division on Saturday afternoon.
For much of the bout at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center in Bangkok, Petecio looked every bit in command — slipping past Huswatun’s advances and connecting with the sharper, cleaner punches. But when the scorecards were revealed, three judges saw the fight in favor of the Indonesian, handing Petecio an unexpected exit.
The Olympian, already decorated with silver and bronze medals on the world stage, was debuting in the 63kg light welterweight class after previously competing at 54kg, 57kg, and 60kg.
“First time ko sa timbang na ’to, 63. Mabigat nga siya pero andoon pa rin ’yung lakas ko, andoon pa rin ’yung speed ko,” she told POC Media, acknowledging the challenge of the new weight while standing firm in her performance.
She accepted the verdict with grace. “Nire-respeto ko ’yung decision ng judges. Pero kita naman sa laro… Kahit ako, alam kong lamang ako doon. Pero ayun nga, nire-respeto ko ’yung sa judges.”
At 33, Petecio had gone straight into the semifinals and was eyeing what could have been her seventh SEA Games gold. Instead, Huswatun moves on to face Thailand’s Somnuek Thananya for the championship.
Petecio now shifts her focus to a bigger stage — the Asian Games in Japan next year.
In brighter news for Philippine boxing, Flint Jara secured at least a bronze medal after edging Indonesia’s Daud Flanuari Yerikho via split decision in the men’s 54kg quarterfinals.
