AIRA Villegas’ bid for Olympic glory came to an end Wednesday morning (Manila time).
The Filipina fell prey to an experienced and superior opponent in Buse Naz Cakiroglu as the Turkish fighter pulled off an impressive unanimous decision in their semifinal encounter in the women’s 50 kg class of the Paris Olympics at the famed Roland Garros stadium.
The 28-year-old Cakiroglu, a silver medal winner in the Tokyo Olympics four years ago, was the precise and accurate puncher between the two, scoring a standing eight count in the opening round to set the tone of the lopsided victory that earned her a spot in the gold medal round.
“Talo tayo, 5-0. Inaabutan ka ng counter niya, e. Depensa muna tayo tsaka ka mag-counter,” Villegas was reminded by coach Reynaldo Galido in her corner after the first round.
Despite the loss, Villegas nonetheless will be bringing home a bronze medal in her maiden Olympic foray, making her a bright prospect for the Philippines in the Summer Games four years from now in Los Angeles.
Her exit though, left the country with only Nesthy Petecio as its sole hope for an Olympic gold in boxing.
The 32-year-old Petecio, who won a silver in Tokyo in 2020, will fight for a seat in the finals of the women’s 57 kg class early Thursday morning (Manila time) against young Polish fighter Julia Szeremeta.
Villegas, the pride of Tacloban City and fighting in her first Olympics, appeared to have scored a knockdown in the second round with a straight left against Cakiroglu, who was backing off.
But the referee waved it off and ruled it as a slip, further putting Villegas far behind in the scorecards with a full round left in the fight.
In the end, Cakiroglu won it via a dominant 5-0 win as she earned another crack at winning an Olympic gold. The Turkish fighter set up a final showdown against top seed Wu Yu of China
Gold medal winner in the World Championships and Asian Games last year, the 29-year-old Chinese won over Nazym Kyzaibay of Kazakhstan in the other semifinals match, 4-1.
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