TOKYO - After a 6-0 start for the Philippine boxing team in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, the squad suffered its first defeat as flyweight Irish Magno says goodbye to her medal hopes after absorbing a unanimous decision loss to Jutamas Jitpong of Thailand (30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 30-27, 29-28).
After Marcial punched his ticket into the quarterfinals of the men's middleweight division, it was Magno who was the next Filipino fighter to step into the ring.
It was a tentative start for both fighters who are very familiar with each other. Magno tried her best to come in and attack but Jitpong was timing her with counters. The Thai fighter was nimble on her feet, darting in and out to avoid taking any damage. The best punch for the Filipino was a right straight in the closing seconds.
All the five judges scored the first round for the Thai bet.
Jitpong continued to dictate the tempo and distance of the match in the second round as she made sure Magno wouldn't be able to get comfortable in the match. The Filipina was looking for ways to fight back but the Thai, who was all smiles throughout the match, was in rhythm already.
All the judges scored the second round again for Jitpong, putting a lot of pressure on Magno not just to win but to dominate in the third.
The last round played similarly to the first two as as Jitpong frustrated Magno with her flashy movement. The Thai balanced her attacks between moving forward and waiting for counters as Magno was left with no answer.
Magno made it into the Round of 16 with a unanimous decision against Christine Ongare of Kenya but her stint in Tokyo will end in the quarterfinals.
Magno and Jitmong last met in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games as they faced off in the semifinals. Magno won the match via a 4-1 split decision but ultimately lost in the gold medal match to Nguyen Thi Tam of Vietnam.
Next for Jitpong is Buse Naz Cakiroglu of Turkey the top seed of the women's flyweight division.