Philippines at the Olympics: Villegas settles for bronze after losing to Cakiroglu

Filipina boxer Aira Villegas magical run at the Olympics came to an end early Wednesday morning as she settled for bronze in the women's 50kg.

Villegas lost in the semifinals to the highly favored Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey via unanimous decision  -- a rematch of the quarterfinals of the 2022 World Championships. The third-seeded Cakiroglu dominated the bout from the first round, even forcing a standing eight count to create the gap early over Villegas.

It continued in Rounds 2 and 3, which proved to be insurmountable for the Filipina boxer. Cakiroglu has yet to drop a round at the Pars Olympics -- underscoring her superiority in this weight class.

Coming into the fight, the odds were definitely on the side of the Turkish boxer, having won multiple medals in the European Championships and a reigning silver medalist in Tokyo Olympics.

More boxing action for the Philippines will commence tomorrow with fellow Filipina boxer Nesthy Petecio aiming to reach the finals once more in the Olympic stage when she goes up against Julia Szeremeta of Poland. The 32-year old will bank on her experience and know-how advantage over the younger Polish fighter.