Team Philippines’ boxers got off to a rousing start in Paris courtesy of Olympic debutante Aira Villegas’ unanimous decision win.
The Philippine boxing team’s Paris 2024 Olympics campaign got off to a good start after light flyweight Aira Villegas beat Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki via unanimous decision to advance to the Round of 16 in the women’s 50kg division of the boxing competition.
All five judges scored the bout for Villegas, with one giving her a clean 30-27 sweep and the four others scoring it 29-28.
Making her Olympics debut, Villegas went through some nervous moments in the second round before seeing off Mouttaki, a bronze medalist in last year’s African Games and World Championships.
Fighting off a southpaw stance, Villegas got off to a hot start right in the first round, peppering her foe with two-punch combinations and a lead right hand that kept finding the mark as she swept all five judges’ scorecards with identical 10-9 marks.
Mouttaki, though, found her bearings in the second round with a more aggressive attack to earn the nod of three of the five judges and putting the bout up for grabs heading into the final round.
But Villegas, who turns 29 on Thursday, played it smart in the third round and went back to circling the ring rather than engaging Mouttaki in a close-range brawl. She connected on solid rights near the end of the bout to get the votes of four of the five judges.
Aira Villegas next takes on Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam in the Olympics Round of 16 early Friday morning (Manila time).
The four other Philippine boxers get going in the next couple of days, with Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Nesthy Petecio launching her 57kg campaign against India’s Jasmine Lamboria late Tuesday evening, and fellow Tokyo silver medalist Carlo Paalam, Tokyo bronze medalist Eumir Marcial and debuting Hergie Bacyadan all fighting on Wednesday.
Banner image from AFP.
Related Stories:
Filipina Gymnastics Trio Makes Olympic History in Paris 2024
Carlos Yulo Advances To Olympic Finals In Multiple Events
The Philippines at the Paris 2024 Olympics: Schedules, Results, and News