Irish Magno advanced to the round of 16 of the women’s flyweight event in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics boxing competition on Sunday, July 25, at the Kokugikan Arena.

Magno earned a unanimous decision win, 5-0, over Kenya’s Christine Ongare in the round of 32.

The Iloilo native joins fellow female boxer Nesthy Petecio, who qualified for the women’s featherweight round of 16, in the next round.

Both Magno and Ongare came out aggressively from the opening bell. After a momentary break, the Kenyan landed a sharp right hand at the 1:35 mark of the first round.

But Magno, who had the advantage in size, shrugged off the Kenyan’s attack and continued to take control and closed off the opening round with two right jabs.

After getting a perfect nod from the judges on her first-round performance, the 29-year-old Filipina rode on the momentum and came out more confident with her footwork and with simple, yet methodical attacks.

As Ongare continues to struggle, Magno took charge and landed more combinations to finish off her opponent.

The Filipina boxer will see action in the round of 16 on Thursday, July 29, at 12:24 pm, Philippine time.

Magno made history as the first Filipina boxer to qualify for the Olympics when she nailed a berth in the quadrennial meet in the Asia and Oceania qualifiers.

She also won a 2019 Southeast Asian Games silver in the women’s flyweight event. – Rappler.com