Villegas settles for bronze

Aira Villegas formally awarded the country its third medal after bowing to Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey via unanimous decision in the semifinals of the women’s boxing 50-kilogram class of the Paris Olympics early Wednesday at the Roland Garros Stadium.

The 29-year-old Villegas showed up ready to rumble, but eventually fell prey to the aggressive, powerful, and superior Turkish boxer. Despite her valiant effort, she settled for the bronze medal, adding to the medal haul of Team Philippines' tally of three following Carlos Yulo’s golden double in gymnastics over the weekend.

Cakiroglu was simply impressive as she dominated Villegas early on, earning a standing eight-count from referee Wade Peterson of Canada after absorbing a wicked right straight in the final stretch of the opening round.

Although Cakiroglu slipped while backtracking in the second round, she recovered just in time to dictate the tempo the rest of the way and seal the victory.

With the win, Cakiroglu will face 19th Asian Games champion Wu Yu of China, who beat Nazym Kyzaibay in the other semifinal pairing, in the gold medal match.