Beyond the Bronze: The Valor of Aira Villegas

After three sensational bouts in the women’s flyweight category, Aira Villegas ran into an insurmountable roundblock.

In the wee hours of Wednesday morning (Manila time), Villegas dropped a unanimous decision to Turkey’s Buse Naz Çakıroğlu. This loss put an end to Villegas’ 2024 Olympic stint, but it also guaranteed the addition of a bronze medal to the Philippines’ medal tally.

“Sa younger self ko, I know that you are already proud of me,” a reflective Villegas said in her post-fight interview. “And, to my future self, mas lalo ka pang magiging proud sa ‘kin.”

Heading into the fight, Villegas hoped to settle the score with Çakıroğlu, who handed the Tacloban native a quarterfinal loss in the light flyweight tournament of the 2022 IBA World Boxing Championships. Çakıroğlu, however, proved too much to handle once again as the two squared up in Stade Roland Garros.

So, what exactly shaped the outcome of the fight between Villegas and Çakıroğlu? Three factors come to mind.

Outstanding Defense

Unsurprisingly, Çakıroğlu—the no. 1 ranked flyweight in the world by the International Boxing Association—was the best technical boxer that Villegas faced in Paris. To be specific, Çakıroğlu’s timing and discipline on defense were impeccable, making it extremely difficult for Villegas to land clean punches anywhere.

In addition, Çakıroğlu wielded a vicious right jab that evidently made Villegas think twice about coming in. This jab helped to limit the number of punches landed by Villegas, who was far craftier with her offense in her first three Olympic bouts.

Counterpunching Clinic

Çakıroğlu is a notorious counterpuncher, and in this semifinal bout, Villegas was tagged time and time again off close-quarter exchanges. Showing next-level agility and muscle memory, Çakıroğlu hit counters from multiple angles, hurting Villegas while remaining mostly unscathed.

A couple of impressive counterpunches came in Round 3, when Çakıroğlu landed right uppercuts that were clean as a whistle. Villegas, meanwhile, could not get her usual fleet-footed offense going against her fellow southpaw.

“Halos parehas din po kami ng laro, pero ayun nga po, magaling din po talaga,” said Villegas of her opponent. “Magaling pong kumuha ng distansya.”

The Standing Count

With 40 seconds to go in Round 1, Villegas and Çakıroğlu engaged in a vicious flurry. Coming off this exchange, the Turkish fighter connected on a right hook that rocked Villegas. At that point, referee Wade Peterson began a standing count on Villegas, who looked to be in good enough shape to finish the round.

Though Filipino boxing fans can argue at length about the need to call for that standing count, the impact on the judges’ assessment was undeniable. Çakıroğlu swept the scorecards that round, and Villegas faced an even tougher hill to climb in the final six minutes of action. Unfortunately for the Filipino fighter, she could not shake off the tarnish of that count.

What won’t be tarnished, however, is the Olympic legacy of Aira Villegas, a multitalented fighter whose tough chin warrants a mention in the history books. Moving past Paris, Villegas now has an Olympic bronze medal that will fuel her to achieve greater feats in the future.

And maybe, just maybe, she will finally get to exact revenge on a woman that made her taste defeat twice.

“In the future, magkikita at magkikita pa rin kami,” said Villegas with a tired smile.