Aira lone rep in world tilt

MANILA, Philippines — Aira Villegas will be the only Philippine entry in the IBA World Women’s Championships in Istanbul, Turkey, on May 6-21 as the tournament is in conflict with the Hanoi SEA Games on May 12-23 but ABAP president Ed Picson said yesterday she’s in good hands under coaches Pat Gaspi and Rey Galido.

Villegas, a southpaw from Tacloban, recently took silver at the Thailand Open and will fly to Istanbul with Galido from the Philippine team’s Thai training camp in Muak Lek tomorrow. Gaspi will join them from Manila. Picson and ABAP secretary-general Marcus Manalo will also leave for Istanbul to attend the IBA Electoral Congress on May 13-14. The Congress is critical as IBA president Umar Kremlev, a Russian, seeks reelection in the wake of IOC’s call to disallow the participation of Russian and Belarusian athletes and officials in international competitions.

Villegas, 27, failed to land a podium finish in two previous world championships as a bantamweight (54 kg). IBA has since reclassified weight limits so that in Istanbul, Villegas is in the 50 kg lightflyweight class and there will be 12 divisions. At the Hanoi SEA Games, women’s boxing will feature six categories – lightflyweight (48 kg), flyweight (51 kg), featherweight (57 kg), lightweight (60 kg), welterweight (69 kg) and middleweight (75 kg). Under SEA Games boxing rules, a country may join up to six of seven men’s divisions and five of six women’s classes. The Philippines’ women boxers in Hanoi will be lightflyweight Josie Gabuco, flyweight Irish Magno, featherweight Riza Pasuit, lightweight Nesthy Petecio and middleweight Hergie Bacyadan.

ABAP head coach Don Abnett singled out Bacyadan as a possible surprise medalist in her SEA Games debut. Gabuco, 35, is gunning for her sixth SEA Games gold medal. A single mom, Gabuco is dedicating her quest to 15-year-old son Mack Joseph. She was a 2012 world champion and 2019 Asian titlist but has never competed in the Olympics where there is no lightflyweight division.