Philippine boxing’s quest for gold at the 33rd Southeast Asian Games hit a frustrating roadblock on Friday, as three Filipino finalists—Olympian Aira Villegas, Jay Brian Baricuatro, and Flint Jara—were all edged out by hometown Thai bets at the Chulalongkorn University Sports Centre in Bangkok.
Villegas, the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, opened the day with a hard-fought 0-5 loss to Thailand’s Chutamat Raksat in the women’s 50-kilogram class.
Despite a strong start and narrowly trailing 3-2 in the first round, Villegas was unable to turn the tide, as Raksat landed cleaner and more consistent punches in the second round.
Villegas, however, accepted the outcome with grace, noting that her silver medal marked an improvement from her 2019 SEA Games bronze.
“Hindi pa binigay ni God, siguro marami pang kulang, pero hindi pa doon natatapos ang lahat,” Villegas said. “Lahat ng nasa desisyon sa baba, sa referee, si God na ang bahala. Ako ’yung bahala sa taas ng ring.”
(C) POC Media
In the men’s 48-kilogram final, Baricuatro suffered a controversial 1-4 defeat to Thai contender Thitiwat Phlongauri.
Baricuatro appeared to dominate early, trailing just 3-2 after the opening round, and even landed a series of powerful blows in a late rally, including a big right hand that visibly shook his opponent.
Still, the judges awarded the bout to the host nation’s fighter, leaving Baricuatro inconsolable after the match.
“Minsan nagtatanong ka rin kung panalo dapat ako,” said Baricuatro. “Pero no surprise at all kasi nasa Thailand tayo, eh Thailand ’yung kalaban natin sa finals.”
(C) POC Media
Jara, fighting through an injured left hand, was the last of the three Filipino finalists to step into the ring.
In the men’s 54-kilogram final, Jara tried to force an early finish against Thanapat Saengphet but was repeatedly countered, ultimately losing via unanimous 0-5 decision.
Even the usually cheerful Jara couldn’t hide his disappointment as he reflected on the missed opportunity for gold.
“Masyado po akong naghabol sa mas clear na panalo, at kilala din po iyon na magaling naman,” he said. “Ginawa ko ’yung best ko kasi kahit gaano po kalapit ’yung score ko, tatalunin at tatalunin po ako.”
With these results, all Filipino finalists facing Thai opponents settled for silver medals.
Only Eumir Felix Marcial remained in contention for gold later in the day, giving Philippine boxing one last hope to break the host nation’s streak.
