Carlo Paalam booked his place in the round of 16 of the men’s flyweight after a 4-1 win against Brendan Irvine of Ireland at the 2020 Olympic Boxing tournament, Monday at the Kokugikan Arena, Monday.
The 23-year-old Olympic debutant finished the bout in the third round with composed work on both the defensive and offensive sides.
“Thankful ako kasi nanalo tayo on the first day ng laro ko,” Paalam said.
“Medyo dikit man ang laban, at least, binuhos ko kung anong natitira sa pagod ko, binuhos ko na lahat po.”
Paalam started aggressively in the opening round, leaning on his counter punches that connected. He even got the Irishman on the corner and took it from there, earning him the first round.
The second round was no different at the start, with him continuing to go for his combinations.
The Bukidnon-native did not let up following his hits. Despite going defensive in some stretches, he even sneaked in some punches to keep Irvine at bay.
Paalam will try to keep his debut afloat when he takes on Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi on Saturday, July 31 at 11:48 a.m.
