CONTINUING THEIR 2024 Summer Olympic stints in stellar fashion, Filipino boxers Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio trounced their opponents to secure their spots in the Women’s 50kg and 57kg quarterfinals, respectively.
The matches were held on August 2 and 3 at the North Paris Arena in Seine-Saint-Denis, France.
Aira Villegas
In her second bout of the tournament, Villegas undertook the role of an underdog, confronting the odds-favored Roumaysa Boualam of Algeria.
Right from the get-go of the opening bout, the Tacloban native successfully countered every attack from her opponent, resulting in a resounding 10-9 advantage in the first round.
It was a closer ordeal in the succeeding round with the Algerian earning the nods of three out of five judges over the Filipino boxer. However, Villegas could not be dissuaded, as she found more openings to land her decisive left jabs and combinations in the final round.
Villegas’ spectacular closing performance secured the 29-year-old a unanimous victory and a spot in the quarterfinals.
Nesthy Petecio
Tokyo silver medalist Petecio faced the host country’s representative, Amina Zidani, in a round of 16 showdown.
The Filipino switch boxer was caught off guard in the opening round, as Zidani outlasted Petecio in an otherwise defensive brawl. After a rough opener, Petecio turned up her aggression in the second round. The 5’2” fighter connected several of her blows, nearly knocking down her French rival with a right-side swing.
In the final round, Petecio maintained her momentum to keep Zidani at bay, gaining the favor of four out of five judges to secure her advancement to the next stage.
Looking to extend her dark horse run in a virtual medal-clinching match, Villegas will clash against France’s Wassila Lkhadiri tomorrow, August 4, at 3:20 AM. Meanwhile, eyeing another Olympic medal, the 32-year-old Petecio will square off against China’s Xu Zichuna also tomorrow, at 9:30 PM.
Scorecards:
Villegas vs. Boualam: 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 30-27
Petecio vs. Zidani: 30-27, 28-29, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29
