MANILA – Boxer Carlo Paalam advanced in the Paris Olympics men’s 57-kilogram event, defeating Irish opponent Jude Gallagher by unanimous decision at the North Paris Arena on Wednesday (31 July 2024).

Paalam’s strong performance in the second round secured his victory, building on a narrow lead from the first round.

He dominated the second round, earning the favor of all five judges, and maintained his advantage in the third round to seal the win.

Judge Jakov Peterson awarded Paalam a full 30 points, while the other judges scored the bout 29-28 in his favor.

Next, Paalam faces Australian Charlie Senior in the quarterfinals on Saturday. A victory will guarantee Paalam at least a bronze medal, marking a significant milestone for the Philippines in the ongoing games.

(ia/mnm)

PARIS—Tokyo Games silver medalist Carlo Paalam and newcomer Hergie Bacyadan launch their bids in the 2024 Paris Olympics on Tuesday (30 July 2024) at the North Paris Arena.

Bacyadan, from Tabuk, Kalinga, faces a significant challenge, as she is set to compete against top-seeded Chinese boxer Li Qian in the women’s 75kg round-of-16.

Paalam, meanwhile, will take on the aggressive Jude Gallagher of Ireland in the men’s 57kg round-of-16, a match he cannot afford to take lightly.

The 5-foot-10 Li Qian has a considerable height advantage over the 5-foot-6 Bacyadan, which may aid her in seeking to complete her unfinished business in the Olympics.

Li previously secured a bronze medal in the Rio de Janeiro Games and a silver medal in the COVID-delayed 2020 Tokyo Games.

Paalam, who transitioned from flyweight to featherweight, has successfully navigated the adjustments necessary for his new weight class. Both he and Bacyadan are buoyed by the victory of Aira Villegas on Sunday.

Boxing has been a significant source of national pride for the Philippines, contributing 8 of the country’s 15 Olympic medals since first competing 100 years ago in Paris.

(el Amigo/mnm)

MANILA — Boxers Nesthy Petecio and Carlo Paalam will represent the Philippines as flag bearers at the Paris Olympics opening ceremony on July 26.

Both athletes, who won silver medals at the Tokyo Olympics, are returning hoping to achieve gold.

In March, Petecio secured her spot for Paris by reaching the finals of the 1st World Qualification Tournament in Italy for the women’s 57 kg category.

Paalam, who missed an earlier qualification due to a shoulder injury, earned his place by advancing to the finals of the 2nd World Qualification Tournament in Thailand for the men’s 57 kg category last month.

(el Amigo/mnm)

PHILIPPINE Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino congratulates Carlo Paalam with his daughter Celestem who turns a year old this June 12.

CARLO Paalam found himself reeling against the ropes but amazingly managed to squeeze out of his predicament and is now on his way to Paris.

“I always believed that Carlo is a certified Olympian,” said Philippine Olympic Committee president Abraham “Bambol” Tolentino moments after Paalam put away the fifth and last stumbling block—India’s Sachin Siwach—for his return to the Olympics after clinching gold in boxing’s men’s flyweight in Tokyo 2020.

“The setback in Italy was just temporary as he proved that he could qualify for the Olympics by winning all five bouts here in Bangkok,” Tolentino added.

The odds went against Paalam in the first Olympic qualifying tournament last March in Busto Arsizio where he couldn’t continue because of a shoulder injury.

At the second and last Paris qualifiers in Bangkok, Paalam toppled five opponents in a week’s span for his Olympic ticket—Greece’s Alexei Lagkazasvili (5-0), Turkmenistan’s Shukur Ovezov (5-0), Armenia’s Artur Bazeyan (4-1), the Dominican Republic’s Jose Feliz de los Santos (5-0) and finally Siwach (5-0).

Paris Olympics berths went to the last four standing boxers in all divisions in Bangkok.

“I know and feel Carlo could bring his winning act to Paris,” said Tolentino, who’s in Bangkok with his POC secretary-general Atty. Wharton Chan to cheer the Filipino boxers sent by the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines led by chairman Ricky Vargas.

Paalam became the country’s 14th  athlete to qualify Paris after fellow boxers Eulir Felix Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas, fencer Samantha Catantan, gymnasts Carlos Yulo, Emma Malabuyo, Aleah Finnegan and Levi Jung-Ruivivar, as well as pole vaulter EJ Obiena, weightlifters Vanessa Sarno, John Febuar Ceniza, and Erleen Ann Ando and rower Joanie Delgaco.

Hergie Bacyadan went for her own Paris ticket in women’s 75 kgs class against Venezuela’s Maryelis Yriza on Sunday afternoon.

MANILA — Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Carlo Paalam has booked his ticket to the Paris 2024 Olympics after a decisive victory over India’s Sachin Sachin.

Paalam took it with a unanimous 5-0 decision in the semifinals of the 2024 Boxing 2nd World Qualification Tournament on June 1, 2024, in Bangkok, Thailand.

The 23-year-old boxer from Bukidnon impressed all five judges in the second round and maintained his performance in the third to secure his Olympic spot.

Paalam, a two-time SEA Games champion, will join fellow Tokyo medalists Eumir Marcial and Nesthy Petecio in Paris, along with newcomer Aira Villegas.

Hergie Baclayan, who transitioned from winning a Vovinam World title last year to boxing, is also close to joining the Philippine delegation to Paris, needing just one more win.

The Philippines will be represented by four athletes in both boxing and artistic gymnastics at the Games.

In gymnastics, two-time World champion Carlos Yulo leads the team, which includes Alleah Finnegan, Levi Ruivivar, and Emma Malabuyo.

In weightlifting, John Ceniza, Elreen Ando, and Vanessa Sarno aim to follow in the footsteps of Hidilyn Diaz, the country’s first Olympic gold medalist.

Rounding out the Olympic squad for the Philippines are pole vaulter and 2023 Athletics Worlds silver medalist EJ Obiena, rower Joanie Delgaco, and fencer Samantha Catantan.

(el Amigo/MNM)

REDEMPTION is at hand for the Philippines’ Carlo Paalam after the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist made short work of Greece’s Alexei Lagkazasvili, 5-0, in the 57kg division on Friday, May 24, that launched his bid in the second Paris Olympics Boxing Qualification on a bright note at the Hua Mak Indoor Stadium in Bangkok, Thailand.

A jab-straight that quickly found its mark was Paalam’s introduction to the Greek and dictated the condition of the one-sided fight which served as a virtual scrimmage for the Talakag, Bukidnon native.

Showing no ill signs of the right shoulder injury he suffered during the first World Qualifiers in Busto Arsizio, Italy last March which derailed his early quest for a second Olympic berth, Paalam ran rings around his opening opponent, staying fresh for his next fight against Turkmenistan’s Shukur Ovezov on May 28.

Up next for Team Philippines on May 25, Saturday is Rogen Ladon who takes on Rafael Serrano Lozano of Spain in the 51kg class.

Unable to go further against Ovezov in the first qualifier after getting slammed to the canvas by Mexico’s Andrey Bonilla during their round-of-32 bout, Paalam abandoned the round-of-16 bout with the Turkmen after fighting with only one hand, and immediately went into rehab in preparation for the second qualifier.

“Ipagpapatuloy ko ang aking labang sinimulan,” said Paalam, who lost in the gold medal bout in Tokyo to Great Britain’s Galal Yafai in 2021. “Maraming salamat po sa lahat ng inyong patuloy na suporta at sa iba kong kasamahan.”

Marcus Manalo, secretary-general of the Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP), was elated at Paalam’s recovery.

“Very good start for Carlo. It’s great to see him back from the shoulder injury,” Manalo said. “Coincidentally, his next opponent will be the Turkmen whom he lost to due to injury in the 1st World Qualifier in Italy. But he’s in good shape for now and moving very well.”

ABAP coaches Ronald Chavez and Elmer Pamisa, who trained Paalam as a youth in Cagayan de Oro City, said the fight plan worked to perfection.

“Maganda ‘yung ginalaw ni Carlo. Nasunod nya yung plano,” said Chavez, who competed in the 1992 Olympiad in Barcelona. “Yung unang jab-straight pa lang nya, nakita kong mako-control nya ang laban.”

Pamisa echoed the observation: “Nag-work ‘yung surprise attacks ni Carlo and maganda ang mga patama niya.”

HANGZHOU – Carlo Paalam hopes to follow fellow Olympian Eumir Marcial in the boxing semifinals of the 19th Asian Games but will be up against a tough opponent in reigning world champion Carlo Khalokov Abdumalik of Uzbekistan in Tuesday’s quarterfinal round.

Paalam climbs the ring against the 23-year-old Uzbek at 7:30 p.m. at the Hangzhou gymnasium.

The Tokyo silver medal winner needed to dispatch Uulu Munarbek Seiitbek of Kyrgystan in the Round of 16 by the score of 4-1 to reach the quarterfinals. Seiitbek, 27, was a bronze medalist in the last World Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

Now, Paalam will have to go through no less than the gold medal winner himself to join Marcial in the semis.

 “Halos lahat sila sa division namin magaling,” admitted the 25-year-old Filipino of the stacked roster in the men’s 57 kg class where he is fighting for the first time.

Daunting the task may be, but head coach Ronald Chavez likes the chances of Paalam opposite Khalokov.

“Kaya ni Carlo talunin yan,” said Chavez, unmindful of the fact Paalam is the shortest in his division given that he moved up from 54 kg where he won a silver in the Olympics.

Marcial, 27, already booked a berth in the semis on Sunday after demolishing Weerapong Jongjoho of Thailand in the second round of the men’s 80 kg.

(ai/mnm)

HANGZHOU – Carlo Paalam joined Eumir Marcial in the quarterfinals of the 19th Asian Games boxing competitions, beating Uulu Munarbek Seiitbek of Kyrgyzstan in a back-and-forth fight at the Hangzhou gymnasium on a cloudy Saturday.

The 25-year-old Paalam, winner of a silver medal in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, needed a strong finishing kick to pull off the hard-earned 4-1 win in the Round of 16 of the men’s 54 kg class.

Paalam had to overcome the Kyrgyzstan fighter’s height and reach to advance to the next round.

“Matalino ring maglaro. Ginagamit yung tangkad at experience niya,” the Filipino said of his lanky opponent, a bronze medal winner in this year’s World Championship in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. “Dun kami nagbe-based sa skill at sa style. Matalino talaga.”

Paalam became only the second Filipino fighter after Marcial to reach the Final Eight as the two try to carry the country’s hopes of earning a first-ever Asiad gold in 13 years and earn an outright passage to the Paris Olympics next year.

The path towards the top gets tough for the native of Bukidnon from hereon as reigning world champion Abdumalik Khalokov of Uzbekistan will be next for Paalam.

Khalokov, 23, won by unanimous decision against Nguyen Van Duong of Vietnam, 5-0, in the other Round-of-16 match.

The Uzbek bagged the 57 kg gold in the Tashkent World Championship and the Asian Championship in Amman, Jordan last year.

“Halos lahat sila sa division namin malalakas,” said Paalam.

The quarterfinal round is set for Tuesday.