JAPAN - Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam advanced to the men’s 55-kilogram boxing semifinals Monday after edging China’s Jiamao Zhang by split decision at Nishio City General Gymnasium in Aichi Prefecture.
Paalam returned to the Asian Games with a clear goal: improve on his bronze-medal finish at the 2018 Jakarta Games.
After nearly a year away from competition and skipping the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand, the 28-year-old Filipino showed he was ready for another major international campaign.
Paalam immediately set the pace in the opening round, pressing forward and forcing Zhang toward the ropes. Three judges gave him the round.
“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 ((What I did was just what I normally do — listen to my coaches. When I get hit, I return with cleaner punches. I made sure not to rush and controlled my emotions. My strategy in the ring really helped me win),” he said.
Zhang fought back in the second round, using counterpunches to disrupt Paalam’s rhythm and control the early exchanges. Paalam adjusted, however, becoming more selective with his punches and landing cleaner combinations.
His adjustments earned the nod of four judges in the second round.
The fight became more physical in the third. Zhang brought Paalam down during one exchange, but the Filipino stayed composed and returned to his game plan, using his jab, movement, and quick one-two combinations to close out the bout strongly.
Paalam secured the split-decision victory and a spot in the medal round.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines President Marcus Manalo praised Paalam’s performance, saying the Filipino set the tone early and did enough to secure the victory.
“He was able to set the tone and essentially finished the bout after two rounds. The last round, he just had to maintain the lead na lang. Very proud of his performance at ngayong naka-apak na siya sa medal round, I’m sure he’s more motivated na ituloy-tuloy pa (He was able to set the tone and essentially finished the bout after two rounds. In the last round, he just had to maintain the lead. I’m very proud of his performance, and now that he has reached the medal round, I’m sure he’s even more motivated to keep going).”
Paalam will next face Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan, the 2025 world champion, in the 55kg semifinal.
The two have met before. Paalam defeated Sabyrkhan by a 4-1 split decision in the bantamweight final of the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan, on Nov. 12, 2022, to win the gold medal.
Paalam, however, knows Sabyrkhan will be a different challenge this time.
“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 para maabot natin yung ginto para sa bansa (Everyone here is prepared. Whoever I fought before is different now because he has also been training. We all improve every year. It’s one step at a time. There’s no room for mistakes now if we want to reach the gold for the country).” POC MEDIA POOL
