By el Amigo
MANILA — Carlo Paalam kept his Asian Games gold-medal dream alive Wednesday, outlasting Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan in a razor-close semifinal to book his place in the men’s 55kg championship bout.
Paalam, the Tokyo Olympic silver medalist, won by a 3-2 split decision over the reigning world champion at Nishio Gymnasium, guaranteeing himself at least a silver medal in his third Asian Games appearance.
The Filipino made his move early, relying on sharp counters to claim the opening round on four of five judges’ cards. Sabyrkhan came back aggressively in the second, turning the fight into a tight battle heading into the final round.
Paalam responded when it mattered most, landing enough clean scoring punches to sway the judges and secure his passage to the gold-medal fight.
“Sobrang gumaling din po. Sobrang gumaling ang laro niya. Unahan lang kami kung paano mag-counter, so nauunahan ko pa siya,” Paalam said.
The victory also extended Paalam’s winning record against Sabyrkhan after the Filipino previously defeated him by split decision at the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships.
Waiting in the final is Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi, who earned a unanimous-decision victory over Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharkhuu.
“Gawin ko ‘yung best ko. Step by step, gawin ko ‘yung best ko,” Paalam said.
Paalam has already surpassed his previous Asian Games finishes, having won bronze in 2018. Now, he stands one victory away from the biggest prize—and from helping the Philippines end a 16-year drought for Asian Games boxing gold.
ia/xf
