Florina
Petcu of Renzo Gracie Academy, NY, came to Thai Boxing
rather haphazardly. From her background in dance and
acting, she wanted to try something new, motivating,
and challenging. On a whim, she Googled “martial arts
in New York” and discovered Muay Thai. She had no idea
what it was, but it looked fun, “and I didn’t have to
buy a gi—but then I spent a hundred dollars on
equipment,” chuckles Petcu, recalling how quickly she
was hooked on the sport. As for competitive fighting,
it was something she never thought she would do;
however, she loved Thai Boxing, was getting better at
it, and she liked sparring. Always one to challenge
herself and push further, Florina wanted to see if she
could apply what she’d learned in the gym in the ring.
Initially, she really only planned on having one fight
“to see how it went,” but the moment she got out of
the ring, she wanted more. Petcu makes an interesting
parallel as to why she took that first fight:
“Sparring and training are like rehearsing for a play.
After all the rehearsal, there’s the actual show, and
you have to see if all the rehearsing has gotten you
somewhere.”
Florina trains six days a week and gets her game plan
from her trainer, Joe Sampieri, with whom she has been
working years. She has a great team and likes her
teammates because “they’re a bunch of big guys who
don’t go easy on me because I’m a small girl.” This
helps her in the ring, not only physically and in
terms of technique, but mentally as well. “Whatever I
take in the ring from somebody my own size, I’ve had
the same from my teammates who are all a lot bigger
than I am.” Her confidence comes from preparation.
Before she goes into the ring, Florina knows that she
has done everything humanly possible to train for the
fight. In addition, she knows that her trainer and
teammates have done everything they possibly could
have done to get her ready. Thus, she advises other
fighters to be team players. “It’s a give-and-take
sport. Between your own fights, step up to the plate
and help your teammates prepare. You grew by them
helping you; give back and help them grow too.” To new
fighters, she says there must be a balance. “Be
realistic—believe that you can, and don’t let anyone
tell you that you can’t. But at the same time, don’t
believe that you deserve—you have to put in the time,
make the sacrifice.”
Respect
is important to Petcu. She says she respects anyone
who has the guts to get into the ring, no matter how
good or bad they are. Not only does it take guts to
step into the ring, but it also takes many sacrifices
and endless hours of training. A trip to Thailand
inspired her awe—she saw a six-year-old girl training
Muay Thai who was so composed and technical that she
immediately won Florina’s respect. “She wasn’t a
kid—she was a fighter.
Florina will fight on Justin
Blair’s upcoming Friday Night Fights card. She is
taking her fights step by step at the moment, as it is
difficult to find opponents in her weight class (-110
pounds/-50 kilograms), but she would like a rematch
with one of the only two fighters to beat her during
her thirteen-fight career. And although Muay Thai is
her true love, Petcu has tried some Brazilian
Jiu-Jitsu at Renzo Gracie Academy and is considering
doing a tournament. Though she has little free time
outside of work and training (when asked what she does
for fun outside the gym, she replies “martial arts is
my fun!), she would like to go back to school and
finish her studies in acting, which she began in her
native Romania. She is considering a master’s in dance
and drama therapy. As of December 4th, Florina is the
WKA Amateur U.S. Women’s Thai Boxing Bantamweight
Champion at -50 kilograms—a title which, perhaps,
Florina will have the opportunity to defend in the
upcoming year.
