Born to a farmer and a housewife, Petecio and her siblings had to help their parents make ends meet. One way she did so was to sell manure as fertiliser. 

Eventually, she and her siblings discovered boxing. Her father was her trainer and coach during inter-barangay boxing competitions. Whether she won or lost, she received money that helped her feed her family. 

At a boxing match in Rizal Park, Davao City, Petecio was pitted against a male opponent who was much bigger and more experienced than her. Nonetheless, she won the match and caught the attention of the Philippine women’s team coach, Roel Velasco.  

Before she discovered boxing, Petecio loved playing basketball. She always had spare basketball clothes in her school bag. After school, she’d play a few rounds of basketball with her friends before joining her older brother in boxing sessions under their father’s guidance.

Over the years, Petecio has represented the women’s national team in different competitions. In 2014, she received a silver medal at the AIBA Women’s World Championships and a gold medal at the 2015 Indonesia President’s Cup. 

Petecio’s career had ups and downs, but she made a strong comeback in 2019. She won three gold medals: in the Thailand Open International Boxing Championship, the 2019 AIBA Women’s World Boxing Championship, and the Southeast Asian Games. 

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In preparation for the 2024 Olympics, Petecio competed in the Road to Paris 1st World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy. She proved that she was more than capable of representing the Philippines, beating Esra Yildiz Kahraman of Turkey. 

After winning the match, Petecio said, “I am so blessed. This is very important for me because maybe this is my last Olympics… I will not stop until I get the Olympic gold medal.” 

Petecio openly identifies as a lesbian. She is wholeheartedly supported by her family, which has strengthened their relationship.

During the 2020 Olympics, she proudly carried around the LGBTQIA+ flag. When she won a silver medal, she dedicated her win to the LGBTQIA+ community in the Philippines. “I am proud to be part of the LGBTQIA+ community,” she said in her speech. “Whatever your gender is, as long as you have a dream, keep fighting.”

When asked about the world-famous boxer Manny Pacquiao, Petecio shared that he was her idol. “I compare my life to his,” she said. “We both came from hardships, we both started from nothing… I see myself in him.” 

Petecio saw boxing as a way to alleviate her family’s poverty, much like Pacquiao did. 

Her father was a boxing coach who once wanted to compete in the Olympics. But he wasn’t able to, so Petecio decided to take the challenge on for herself to make him proud. Her goal is to stay level-headed and determined, not settling for each win but taking each moment as an opportunity to grow more as an athlete. 

In 2020, an episode of the anthology series Maalala Mo Kaya was dedicated to Petecio’s life, with actress Jane De Leon playing Petecio. This hour-long episode walked viewers through the struggles and triumphs that Petecio experienced, from finding ways to feed her family to establishing her boxing career. Although her career had its ups and downs, she never lost sight of her goal to make her family and country proud. 

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