Nesthy Petecio narrated how she became a boxer at the age of 11 to support her family.
In an interview with the International Boxing Association (IBA), Nesthy said that she knew boxing was for her after she stepped into the ring for the first time.
“The first time I stepped into the ring, it felt amazing! I enjoyed it a lot, and I was so happy that finally I could show my talent,” she said.
She even shared that she competed with a man in the boxing ring due to the unavailability of female opponents at that time. But despite their gender differences, Nesthy still won the said match.
According to her, she accepted the match due to her need to support her family at that time.
“I come from a poor family, and I wanted to help my father to provide for our family. I have been supporting them alone since I was 15 years old. My parents are unemployed, so I need to earn a lot of money to take care of them,” she stated.
It can be recalled that Nesthy gave most of the rewards she received during her participation at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics to her family.
She also revealed that the properties she received from different property developers were distributed to her siblings.
Nesthy explained that she didn’t seek a luxurious life and only desired to live simply at a farm on her retirement.