Aira Villegas takes down Algerian foe to punch Paris Olympics quarterfinal spot

By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña

Filipina boxer Aira Villegas finalized her entry to the quarterfinal round of the women’s boxing flyweight event in the ongoing Paris Olympics on August 2, 2024, at the North Paris Arena.

The PHL representative cruised past Roumaysa Boualam of Algeria via a 5-0 unanimous decision to score a second consecutive dominant win following her victory against Morocco’s Yasmine Moutaqui during the Round of 32 elimination phase.

Entering the Round of 16 matchup with boosted confidence, Villegas picked up where she left off and set the tone in the opening frame with her efficient left straight punches.

Despite the Algerian cutting the Filipina’s distance with her constant pressure, Villegas was able to score a lot of unorthodox points when her punches on the back foot kept on connecting to Boualam’s jaw.

Villegas sealed the first round with her flawless hitting clinic in the final 30 seconds as she hit two clean left straights followed by a snappy 1-2 combination in the closing seconds heading to the next round.

As a result of her all-around mastery, Villegas was able to earn the nod of all the five judges for a sweeping 5-0 lead at the end of the first round.

Things got interesting in the next period as Boualam stepped up with a sense of urgency, ramping up the pressure with a more aggressive approach on Villegas.

The Algerian pug didn’t allow Villegas to create separation and throw her signature left hooks, stepping inside the close range to follow up her aggression with a flurry of jabs.

Boualam leveled the playing field after two rounds and gained a slight edge in the scorecards when she took a 3-2 narrow lead from the judges’ votes.

Just when the Algerian challenger thought she could sustain her pace and continue moving forward, that second round proved to be a wake-up call for Villegas as she turned the jets and pummeled Boualam with no mercy.

From a relaxed and confident second-round performance, Villegas suddenly stepped on the gas pedal and threw more significant punches than Boualam.

From her solid left straight punches that kept on connecting, Villegas capped off the win with more combinations, landing a number of jab-hook combos which were enough to nab another 5-0 ruling in the third and final round.

With another win, Villegas will be headed to the quarterfinal round and will face the crowd-favorite Wassila Lkhadiri of France on August 4, 2024.