Carlo Paalam toppled an older and more seasoned foe from Kazakhstan, Termirtas Zhussupov, 4-1, on Wednesday to assure himself of a men’s flyweight bronze medal in 18th Asian Games boxing action at the Jakarta Expo Boxing Hall, Wednesday afternoon.
Paalam, the youngest on the eight-boxer Philippine team at 20, scored the split decision victory over the 30-year-old Kazakh — a former Asian champion and two-time national titlist of his country.
“Magaling siya at mautak kasi experienced siya,” said Paalam, who takes on China’s Wu Zhonglin — a controversial 5-0 winner over Indonesia’s Mario Blasius Kali earlier in the day — in the semifinals on Friday.
“Kahit bata ako, gusto ko siyang sabayan,” added Paalam, who clinched a bronze medal in each of the 2016 Asian and World Youth Championships.
Middleweight Eumir Felix Marcia is scheduled to fight South Korea’s Kim Jinjea in a middleweight quarterfinal bout late Wednesday.
Olympian Rogen Ladon has already advanced to the flyweight semifinal and will take on Thai Yuttapong Tongdee, also on Friday.
