Five more Filipinoes received their first-round opponents as the results of the draws in the taekwondo and boxing competitions were released on Thursday evening.
World champion Nesthy Petecio opens her bid for an Olympic title as she takes on DR Congo’s Marcelat Sakobi Matshu in the Round of 32 match of the women’s featherweight.
The reigning Southeast Asian Games champion will battle with the African in the Games’ official Day 1 of competitions, which is on Saturday, July 24 at 10:00 a.m. at the Kokugikan Arena.
Debutant and reigning Kurt Barbosa drew a very difficult opponent in world no. 1 and reigning world champion Jang Jun of South Korea in the Round of 16 of the men’s minus-58 kg class. The match is scheduled to start 52 minutes later at the Makuhari Messe Hall A.
The other female boxer, Irish Magno, will be the lone combat sports athlete to compete the following day. She battles another African in Kenyan Christine Ongare in Round of 32 of the women’s flyweight at 10:00 also at the Kokugikan Arena.
Carlo Paalam, the world no. 12 boxer in the men’s flyweight class, will take on the ring of the same venue on Monday. He faces Ireland’s Brendan Irvine for the division’s Round of 32 match.
Rounding off the vaunted Team Pilipinas boxing squad campaign will be highly favored Eumir Marcial.
The three-time Southeast Asian Games champion and 2019 world silver medalist drew a bye to the Round of 16 of the men’s middleweight as the fourth-seed.
Marcial will take on the winner of the match between Algeria’s Younes Nemouchi and Uganda’s Kavuma David Ssemujju.
