Aira Villegas overcame a wobble in the second round to win by points against Yasmine Mouttaki of Morocco in the round-of-32 of the women’s 50-kilogram division in boxing at the North Paris Arena early yesterday morning (Philippine time).

Villegas opened the Philippines’ boxing campaign in the 2024 Paris Olympics and made sure that the country got off to a strong start.

All five judges ultimately scored the bout in favor of Villegas, though the Filipina did encounter some trouble in the second round after Mouttaki got into a rhythm and got the better of their exchanges.

Three judges had given the second round to Mouttaki, putting the fight in the balance in the third.

But it was Villegas, making her Olympic debut, who landed the cleaner and more significant shots in the final round — including a sharp left in the closing seconds.

The Filipina got the nod of four of the five judges in the final round to secure her win.

Villegas will take on No. 2 seed Roumaysa Boualam of Algeria in the round-of-16 on Thursday, August 1. (ABS-CBN News)