By Riera U. Mallari
PARIS (Via PLDT Home) – The Philippines’ Aira Villegas threw everything at Buse Naz Cakiroglu, but her famed Turkish opponent still proved to be the superior fighter, who came through with a unanimous 5-0 decision in the women’s 50kg semifinals to advance to the gold medal round of the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Roland-Garros Stadium.
The first-time Olympian Villegas was hoping to upgrade her sure bronze with a win, but it was not meant to be against the third-seeded Turkish, whose precise counter punching and wide array of tricks in her arsenal were in full display.
Not even a knockdown scored by Villegas using a right straight with a minute left in the second could sway the tide against the 28-year-old Cakiroglu, who dusted it off and went by her usual business of precise-punching and solid combinations against the game Filipina.
With the loss, the 29-year-old Villegas settled for the bronze in the Olympics, Philippine boxing’s fifth in the games, counting those of Jose Villanueva (1932 Los Angeles), Leopoldo Serrantes (1988 Seoul), Roel Velasco (1992 Barcelona) and Eumir Marcial (2021 Tokyo).
The Philippines also has four boxing silvers in the Olympics, courtesy of Anthony Villanueva (1964 Tokyo), Onyok Velasco (1992 Atlanta), Nesthy Petecio (2021 Tokyo) and Carlo Paalam (2021 Tokyo).
The 32-year-old Petecio, also assured of a bronze, will be trying to achieve what Villegas failed to accomplish when she faces Poland’s Julia Szeremeta at 3:45 a.m. early Thursday.
With the crucial guidance of her coaches Don Abnett and Elmer Pamisa, Petecio aims to advance to the gold medal round, where she hopes to improve on her silver feat in Tokyo.
