NISHIO, Japan — Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam stands as the sole remaining Philippine boxing contender at the 20th Asian Games following the elimination of fellow Paris Olympic medalists Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio.
Paalam guaranteed himself at least a bronze medal in the men’s 55kg division after grinding out a narrow 3-2 split decision victory over China’s Jiamao Zhang on Monday at the Nishio City General Gymnasium.
”Focus lang po, hindi pa tapos ang laban,” Paalam remarked following his hard-fought quarterfinal win.
The Bukidnon native advances to the semifinals on Wednesday against Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan—a familiar rival he previously defeated at the ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Despite that past victory, Paalam remains cautious, acknowledging his opponent’s growth over the years.
”Lahat naman kami rito preparado. Kung sino man nakalaban ko last year, iba na rin siya ngayon kasi nag ensayo na rin. Lahat kami rito taon-taon nag-iimprove. One step at a time lang. Walang lugar para magkamali ngayon oara maabit natin yung ginto para sa bansa,” Paalam added.
Paalam aims to build on his momentum to surpass his bronze-medal output at the 2018 Asian Games in Palembang, Indonesia.
A tournament victory would also end the Philippines’ long Asian Games boxing gold medal drought, which dates back to Rey Saludar’s triumph at the 2010 Guangzhou Games.