Courtesy: POC Media
Carlo Paalam is not just the last man standing for the Philippine boxing team in the 20th Asian Games, he is also the hero who saved the country from an almost disastrous exit in the continental event.
The 28-year-old pugilist from Bukidnon escaped with a gritty split-decision victory against China’s Zhang Jiamao in their men’s 55kg quarterfinal bout on Monday at the Nishio Gymnasium.
Three judges scored the fight 29-28 in favor of Paalam, while the other two saw it for Jiamao with 29-28 and 30-27 scorecards.
“Ang ginawa ko lang dito is ‘yung normal ko lang na ginagawa. Makinig sa mga coaches ko. Pag tinamaan ako, ibabalik ko ng mas malinis. Inisip ko na wag magmadali, kinokontrol ko lang yung emosyon ko. So, diskarte sa ibabaw ng ring talaga ‘yung nagpanalo din talaga sa akin,” Paalam told POC Media.
His victory replicated his bronze medal finish at the 2018 Jakarta Games. More importantly, Paalam prevented the national boxers from exiting the competition without a medal for the first time in history.
Since the inception of boxing at the inaugural Asiad in 1951, the Philippines has maintained its continuous streak by securing at least one medal every edition.
The country’s last gold, meanwhile, came at the 2010 Guangzhou Games, where Rey Saludar ruled the men’s 52kg division.
Paalam will vie for a place in the gold medal match, but getting there in a bid to end the Philippines’ 16-year gold drought will be treacherous as he is set to clash with defending world champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan in the semifinal on Wednesday, September 30.
Although the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist defeated the Kazakh fighter via majority decision when they first met in the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships bantamweight final, Paalam remains cautious about Sabyrkhan’s threat.
“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 said.
Meanwhile, an Asian Games gold medal remained elusive for Olympic medalist Nesthy Petecio.
The 34-year-old southpaw pride of Davao del Sur suffered a unanimous decision loss at the hands of China’s Yang Chengyu in the women’s 60kg final.
Petecio ended her fourth Asiad appearance with another heartbreak, mirroring the fates she suffered during the 2014 Incheon, 2018 Jakarta, and 2023 Hangzhou Games.
On the other hand, four other national boxers Junmilardo Ogayre (men’s 60kg), Norlan Petecio (men’s 70kg), Aira Villegas (women’s 51kg), and Riza Pasuit (women’s 54kg) also concluded their Aichi-Nagoya Games stints without a medal.
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