By Leobert Julian A. de la Peña
There will be no goodbyes for Filipino boxing star Carlo Paalam after earning a seat in the upcoming 2024 Paris Olympics men’s boxing event.
Paalam achieved the goal after outdueling Indian pug Sachin Sachin during the semifinal round of the 2nd World Qualification Tournament in the men’s 57-kg category on June 1, 2024, held in Bangkok, Thailand.
The former Tokyo Olympic silver medalist pulled off a dominant outing over Sachin and earned the decision of all the five judges to secure the victory.
Three of the official match judges scored the bout 29-28, all in favor of Paalam while the remaining two tallied a lopsided 30-27 scoring sheet.
Despite facing a taller and longer Indian foe, Paalam entered the match well-prepared and executed his corner’s strategy to perfection.
To counter Sachin’s length, Paalam didn’t waste time cutting off the distance and bullied the Indian with quick combinations.
Every time Paalam stepped back to regain his balance, he immediately went inside and forced Sachin to fight in the closed range.
During the whole first round, Sachin wasn’t able to take advantage of his reach and received a huge beating from Paalam’s combinations and snappy right hooks.
Paalam continued his tactic in the following round but Sachin was able to retaliate this time in the final minute of the second frame.
The Filipino boxer then iced the match in the third and final round, bullying Sachin from the get-go with his quickness and displayed a better defensive stance when he executed better head movement.
With the huge win, Paalam will be joining Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio, and rising star Aira Villegas in Paris next month.
