DESPITE A gallant stand, Carlo Paalam was unable to secure the Philippines’ first boxing gold as he suffered a split decision 1-4 loss at the hands of Great Britain’s Galal Yafai. The flyweight division finals of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics was decided by scorecard (28-29, 29-28, 28-29, 28-29, 28-29) at the Kokugikan Arena earlier today. Nevertheless, the young Filipino still has much to be proud of as he returns to his homeland with a shining Olympic Silver.
2019 SEA Games gold medalist Paalam started off aggressively in the opening round, eventually connecting with a right uppercut to Yafai’s body. However, the two-time Olympian Yafai went on the attack and connected with a four-punch combination highlighted by a left straight that floored Paalam, prompting all five judges to give the Briton the round, 10-9.
Recovering from the knockdown, the 2018 Asian Games bronze medalist Paalam continued with his offense and showcased good head movement in the second round. Yafai, who won bronze in the 2019 European Championships, then used his three-inch height advantage to continually tag Paalam with his jabs and signature uppercuts. All but one judge rewarded Yafai with the round.
With a comfortable lead, the British southpaw Yafai coasted in the third round and played it safe. The Cagayan de Oro-native Paalam, on the other hand, sustained his aggressiveness in a last ditch effort to win the match. Despite all judges scoring the final round for Paalam, the Filipino’s last hurrah was unable to sway the bout in his favor, ultimately securing the gold for Yafai.
En route to the finals, Paalam tallied dominant wins over Ireland’s Brendan Irvine and Mohamed Flissi of Algeria. He then outlasted reigning Olympic Champion Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan via scorecard after referee stoppage in the quarterfinals. In the semis, Paalam displayed a masterful performance in a domineering unanimous decision win over Japan’s Ryomei Tanaka.
Paalam becomes the fourth Filipino boxer to win a silver in the Olympics, joining Nesthy Petecio, Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, and Anthony Villanueva.
