Aira Villegas settles for Olympic bronze after semis loss to Turkish foe

Metro Manila, Philippines — Filipino boxer Aira Villegas is bringing home a bronze medal after losing to Turkey’s Buse Naz Cakiroglu via a unanimous decision in the women’s 50 kilograms (kg) division semifinal Wednesday at the Roland Garros Stadium.

Cakiroglu proved to be the superior fighter as she landed more accurate and powerful blows, even scoring a standing eight count in the first round to set the tempo of the lopsided win that earned her the nod of all five judges.

Despite the loss, it was still an impressive Olympic debut for Villegas who displayed promising performances throughout her matches.

Nesthy Petecio is the remaining Filipino boxer still in the hunt for gold as she battles Poland’s Julia Szeremeta in the women’s 57 kg semifinal on Aug. 8.

Cakiroglu will face China’s Wu Yu in the gold medal bout on Aug. 10.