Philippine boxer Aira Villegas in the women’s boxing 51kg division of the the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games. Photo courtesy of Philippine Olympic Committee (POC) Media Pool.NAGOYA (UPDATED) – Olympic bronze medalist boxer Aira Villegas suffered an early exit in the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games, an unfortunate repeat of her fate in the previous continental showcase.
The 31-year-old lost via unanimous decision to India’s Sakshi Chaudhary in the first round of the women’s 51kg division on Tuesday at the Nishio Gymnasium.
In the 2022 Asian Games, Villegas also exited in the opening round after falling to Mongolia’s Oyuntsetsegiin Yesugen.
The result sends Sakshi, a gold medalist at the 2026 Commonwealth Games and 2025 World Cup, to the Round of 16 of the boxing event.
Sakshi won all three rounds, with four of the five judges scoring the match in her favor, 30-27, while the last judge gave a score of 30-26.
"She lost to a better fighter, and she herself knew she lost to a better fighter," Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines President Marcus Manalo said of Villegas.
"Her opponent had all the advantage in height and reach," he added.
Villegas was the flag bearer for the Philippines at the opening ceremony of the continental showcase.
Fellow Olympians Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam, as well as boxers Riza Pasuit and Junmilardo Ogayre, have yet to see action in the Asian Games.
Petecio’s younger brother, Norlan, advanced to the next round of the men’s 70kg class after a unanimous-decision win over his Cambodian foe.
Ogayre will begin his campaign against Mongolia’s Lundaa Gantumur in the men’s 60kg division on Wednesday.