For the second time in his illustrious career, Carlo Paalam will have an Asian Games medal hanging around his neck.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist outpointed China’s Zhang Jiamao on Monday to book a spot in the semifinals of the men’s 55kg boxing division at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 at Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio City.
The 28-year-old Paalam controlled the bout with his jab to keep his taller foe at bay while constantly varying his attacks to keep the Chinese boxer guessing. He also showed that he had made adjustments from his previous fight, where he appeared to tire in the final round.
Paalam maintained a steady pace throughout, never allowing Zhang an opportunity to consistently work his way inside. After a feeling-out period early in the opening round, he gradually found his range, doing just enough to claim three of the five judges’ scorecards.
Zhang pressed the attack in the second round, but the shifty Paalam avoided any significant damage and landed his shots when it mattered.
Four judges rewarded the Filipino’s accuracy over Zhang’s activity, giving Paalam a cushion heading into the final round.
Although all five judges awarded the third round to Zhang, Paalam had already banked enough rounds to secure the win and ensure that the Philippine boxing team would not go home empty-handed.
With the victory, Paalam has now matched his bronze-medal finish at the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
He will have an opportunity to improve on that result, but faces a tough challenge in the semifinals against Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan, the 2023 and 2025 World Championship gold medalist and 2024 Asian Championship winner.
