PH boxing chief on Petecio's gold medal fight: 'Parang wrestling eh'

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Ricky Vargas  was a little frustrated immediately after the gold medal match of Nesthy Petecio in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics women's featherweight finals on Tuesday.

In a brief television appearance following the bout, he said that the fight didn't look all that much like a boxing match.

"Parang wrestling eh," Vargas said in an interview on One Sports.

Japanese boxer Irie Sena utilized the clinch effectively, grabbing and holding Petecio arms to neutralize the Filipina's attack. That allowed her to control the fight in the first round, as she took it, 10-9, on all of the judges' scorecards.

Petecio, the Davaoena, battled back in the second round to win over four out of the five judges, but couldn't get the nod in the third round as Irie continued to take the advantage with her clinch.

In the end, Irie was hailed as the gold medalist, winning by unanimous decision, 5-0.

Vargas was quick to acknowledge that the judging in these Olympics has been fair, calling it way better than previous governance.

But he believes the final scorecards do not accurately reflect how hard Petecio fought in this one, or how close she got.

"Ang hindi ko lang matanggap unanimous eh. How can it be unanimous."

In a separate interview with GMA News Online, the ABAP chief said it was painful, but ultimately something that the country has to accept.

"We have to accept it because that's what's sports is all about. It is what it is. We stand proudly behind Nesthy and her achievement and for me, she is our gold [medalist]," he said.

And though he said Petecio has already done her country proud, he believes the boxer will still return from this experience even stronger.

"She has done a lot for the country and I think that's enough," Vargas said. "But I know that Nesthy will come back stronger in the coming months and years and I am truly confident that she'll get that gold someday."

—JMB, GMA News