Olympics: How Aira Villegas advanced to the Round of 16 in boxing
Photo courtesy of: FEDERACIO ESPAU00F1OLA DE BOXEO FACEBOOK PAGE
It came down to the final seconds.
With her dreams of Olympic glory on the line, Aira Villegas dug deep and landed crucial blows on Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki late in the third round of their light flyweight bout. Thanks to this clutch performance, the pride of Tacloban found herself an early birthday gift: a berth in the Round of 16.
Villegas, who turns 29 on Thursday, scored a 5-0 unanimous win on Monday morning (Manila time) against Mouttaki, a bronze medalist at the 2023 World Boxing Championships.
Villegas scored perfectly on all five judges’ scorecards in Round 1 after setting a more aggressive tone than Mouttaki, who was clearly bothered by the Filipina’s southpaw approach. On multiple occasions, Villegas tagged Mouttaki with her right lead, including a picture-perfect hook off a flurry.
Mouttaki appeared even more flustered in Round 2, getting warned twice by referee Radoslav Simon for wrestling Villegas. Though the Moroccan remained tentative in the opening minute, she gained momentum after landing a series of rights before the round closed.
With Mouttaki winning the second round on the judges’ scorecards, all eyes were on the pivotal third round. Both women started with a flurry, but midway through Round 3, Villegas’ lateral movement took a dip. Though Mouttaki tried to capitalize on this momentary flaw, Villegas regained her form and started circling the ring once again.
As the round drew to a close, Villegas and Mouttaki let their fists fly. In this eleventh-hour exchange, it was Villegas who hit her target with more accuracy and impact. This late burst of offense—which included a well-executed right counter and a beautiful left—was enough to convince all but one judge to hand Villegas the final round.
Up next for Villegas is Roumaysa Boualam of Algeria. Against the second seed in the tournament, the soon-to-be birthday girl will have to bring her A-game once again—and, perhaps, pull some surprises out of her bag.
