Aira Villegas celebrates her win in the semis of women's flyweight in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 17, 2025 at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media
Four Filipino boxers will compete for gold medals in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games.
Olympians Eumir Marcial and Aira Villegas won their respective semifinals matches on Wednesday afternoon at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center to earn a chance to add to the country's medal haul.
They joined Jay Bryan Baricuatro and Flint Jara, who were triumphant on Tuesday.
Villegas, a bronze medalist in the Paris Olympics, was the first to progress on Wednesday as she scored a shutout over Mya Moe Thu of Myanmar in the women's flyweight (50kg).
She will take on Thailand's Chuthamat Raksat in the final on Friday.
Meanwhile, Marcial continued his dominance at the Southeast Asian level with a knockout win over Vietnam's Nguyen Manh Cuong in the semis of the men's light-heavyweight (80kg).
Eumir Marcial celebrates his win in the semis of men's light-heavyweight in the 2025 Southeast Asian Games, December 17, 2025 at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Center in Bangkok, Thailand. POC Media
After taking his time in the opening round, Marcial pressed forward in the second round and landed a massive right hook that floored his opponent.
"'Di ko ineexpect yung knockout na iyon, but ginawa ko lang 'yung best ko and 'yun nga 'yung naging resulta," said Marcial. "Alam ko na 'pag ganu'n na mga knockdown, ihihinto na talaga ng referee iyon. Napa-smile lang ako siyempre kasi pasok na tayo sa finals."
Marcial had also knocked out Nguyen in the 2019 SEA Games, and outpointed him in the 2022 Asian Games.
Marcial, a bronze medalist in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, will now try to add to his collection of four SEA Games gold medals.
He will be up against Indonesia's Maikhel Roberrd Muskita, who stunned Thailand's Jakkapong Yomkhot in the other semifinal to advance to the final. Muskita is the first boxer to beat a Thai bet in the 2025 SEA Games.
Another Filipino boxer, Weljon Mindoro, lost to Vietnam's Bui Phuoc Tung via unanimous decision in the semis of the men's middleweight division (75kg).
Mindoro, a professional boxer like Marcial, will go home with a bronze, giving the Philippines a total of six bronzes. Other Filipino boxers to take home a bronze are: Ofelia Magno, Riza Pasuit, Hergie Bacyadan, Nesthy Petecio and Mark Ashley Fajardo.
READ: Baricuatro, Jara score dominant wins, advance to gold medal matches