For the Philippines, for the Villegas family, and for kuya Rominick

[EDITOR’S NOTE: Get to know the 22 Filipino athletes bound for the 2024 Paris Olympics through this SPIN.ph series]

AIRA Villegas doesn’t have to box for a living.

As the Villegas family from Tacloban City makes ends meet, boxing isn’t necessarily a way of life for them.

There’s one in their kin, however, who had long been hooked to the sport of sweet science: Aira’s brother Rominick.

The elder Villegas was a multi-titled boxer in their province, winning city, provincial, and inter-regional tournaments and aspired to become a national athlete someday.

Seeing her older brother excel, Aira dreamt of following in his footsteps, more so when he became a university scholar at the government-managed Leyte Sports Academy and started to earn money of his own.

Rominick eventually became the first coach of the future Olympian, teaching her the rudiments of the sport at the age of nine – initially just for fun and not knowing it was to become a career later on in life.

Unfortunately, in 2012, Rominick had to totally stop boxing owing to a serious fractured hand, denying him of his dream to become a national team member.

Next Villegas up

It was around that time Villegas began her amateur career as a 16-year-old lass, joining the ABAP (Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines) National Open in Tagbilaran City.

Filipino boxing Olympian (2004 Athens) and 2006 Asian Games gold medalist Violito Payla was coach of the Leyte Sports Academy back then, and seeing the promise in Villegas, brought her to Manila and recommended the youngster to fellow national team coach Roel Velasco.

As the youngest in ABAP’s women’s boxing stable, Villegas bade her time in training and learned more about the sport by observing national team members ahead of her such as Josie Gabuco, Nesthy Petecio, and Irish Magno in the gym.

“Siya pinakabata sa mga babae noon, kaya diyan lang siya, ensa-ensayo. Kung may tournament, isasama namin siya,” recalled retired ABAP trainer Nolito ‘Boy’ Velasco, who would later on handle Villegas himself as women’s boxing head coach.

In the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in Manila, Villegas bagged a bronze medal, but couldn’t do the same in her two stints in the AIBA Women’s World Championships in Russia (2019) and Turkey (2022).

But her ultimate dream was to represent the Philippines in the Olympics, where she was actually in contention prior to the Tokyo Games in 2020.

The southpaw Filipina, though, was campaigning in the same weight class (bantamweight) as Magno, who went on to clinch one of the Olympic spots for the Philippines’ four-man boxing team along with Petecio, Eumir Marcial, and Carlo Paalam.

“Magaling (si Aira), kaso natalo siya kay Irish kasi katimbang niya yan,” said Velasco, now enjoying his retirement in a huge farm in Zambales. “Sabi ko sa kanya, next Olympics ka na. Sa 2024, hinog na hinog ka na.”

The ripe place and time

Those words proved prophetic, as Villegas became the second boxer to qualify in the Paris Games after scoring a 5-0 shutout of Bulgaria’s Zlatislava Chukanova in the women’s 50 kg quarterfinals of the 1st World Qualification Tournament in Busto Arsizio, Italy.

PHOTO BY: MARCUS MANALO

The 28-year-old Villegas is now in Metz, France in the company of fellow boxers Petecio, Paalam, Marcial, and Hergie Bacyadan – a first time Olympian like Aira – as they join the rest of Team Philippines in its training camp weeks before the Paris Games kick off.

Villegas vows to represent the country the best way she can in honor of the entire Filipino people and in honor of her family, especially older brother Rominick – her idol and her very first boxing coach.