NAGOYA, Japan — Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam battled through a gritty semifinal against Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan to reach the men’s 55-kilogram gold-medal bout at the Aichi-Nagoya 20th Asian Games on Wednesday.
Paalam set the pace early, taking the opening round 10-9 on four of five judges’ scorecards. The Talakag, Bukidnon, native then fought through two closely contested rounds to escape with a 3-2 split-decision victory at Nishio Gymnasium.
Paalam said Sabyrkhan came out with a different style, forcing him into a tactical battle built around counters.
Following coach Elmer Pamisa’s instructions to strike first and land the final counter, Paalam looked to dictate the exchanges from the opening bell.
“Lalabas ’to siya, gawin ko yung laro ko … unahan lang kami kung paano mag-counter (He will come out, so I’ll impose my game … we just have to be the first to counter),” Paalam said.
The fight reached its most intense point in the third round, when the referee deducted a point from Paalam.
Rather than back down, Paalam dug deep and relied on his endurance and fighting spirit to close out the bout and sway the judges.
“Pinapakita ko sa referee na Pinoy tayo, dugo natin ’to. Kahit magkamatayan tayo … ibibigay talaga sa last round (I’m showing the referee that we’re Filipinos, this is our blood. Even if we have to fight to the very end … I will give everything in the last round),” he said.
The victory assured Paalam of at least a silver medal for the Philippines. He will fight for gold against Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi, who defeated Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharhuu 5-0 in the other semifinal.
The medal is another milestone for Paalam, who won an Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Games.
But Paalam said the pressure has extended beyond the ring, revealing that online criticism has taken a mental toll during the tournament. He appealed to Filipinos to support the country’s athletes instead of adding to their burden.
“Support me, walang bashing sa mga Pilipinong lumalaban sa Asian Games kasi lahat hirap talagang kumuha ng medal … pagdasal niyo kami (Support me, no bashing of Filipinos competing in the Asian Games because everyone is working hard to win a medal … please pray for us),” Paalam said.
With one fight left, Paalam is assured of a medal but remains focused on the color he wants most.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines President Marcus Manalo said Paalam is not settling for silver and will go all out for the gold. POC MEDIA
