MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam stands a win away from being a two-time Olympic medalist.
Paalam moved closer to that goal in the Paris Games after advancing to the quarterfinals of the men’s 57kg division, beating Ireland’s Jude Gallagher via unanimous decision at the North Paris Arena on Wednesday, July 31.
Seeking to repeat as an Olympic medalist after bagging silver in the Tokyo Olympics three years ago, Paalam claimed his place in the quarterfinals with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.
Up next for Paalam is fourth seed Charlie Senior of Australia as they tangle on Saturday, August 3, for a spot in the semifinals.
All of the four semifinalists are guaranteed of at least a bronze.
Despite moving up to 57kg after competing in the lighter 52kg class in Tokyo, Paalam remained light on his feet as he proved to be an elusive target for the 22-year-old Gallagher, who debuted in the Olympics.
Paalam earned the nod of three of the five judges in the opening round then clinched the second round with a 5-0 score to virtually seal the deal.
The taller Gallagher went for broke in the third round, hoping to land a knockout but to no avail as Paalam wasted precious time by circling the ring and dodging attacks from the Irish.
Paalam got the Philippine boxing team back on track after Eumir Marcial (men’s 80kg) and Hergie Bacyadan (women’s 75kg) both dropped their opening bouts in the round of 16.
Marcial suffered an upset loss at the hands of 20-year-old Turabek Khabibullaev of Uzbekistan, while Bacyadan bowed to top seed Li Qian of China.
Aiming to join Paalam in the quarterfinals are Nesthy Petecio (women’s 57kg) and Aira Villegas (women’s 50kg) as they return to action on August 3 and 4, respectively. – Rappler.com
