Carlo Paalam knew exactly what he was up against.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist was facing reigning Asian champion Rui Yamaguchi, who had won his first three bouts at the 20th Asian Games via unanimous decision and had the hometown crowd firmly behind him.
Paalam responded by pressing the action from the second round, but his aggressive approach was not enough as he settled for silver after losing to Yamaguchi via split decision in the men’s 55kg boxing final on Friday at the Nishio Gymnasium in Nishio City.
Paalam entered the final brimming with confidence after an impressive semifinal victory over Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan, a two-time World Championship gold medalist in 2023 and 2025 and the 2024 Asian champion.
That victory gave Paalam the belief that he could hurdle one final test in Nishio.
But Yamaguchi, the world No. 2, edged the opening round in a cautious affair marked by little activity from both fighters.
Paalam turned up the pressure in the second, taking the initiative and landing the clearer punches. Yamaguchi, meanwhile, relied mostly on counterpunching, with many of his attempts failing to find their mark.
The judges, however, still awarded the round to the Japanese fighter, putting Paalam in a difficult position heading into the final round.
The third round became a battle for survival for Paalam, who needed a strong finish after Yamaguchi had built a two-round advantage on the judges’ scorecards.
Despite the setback, Paalam secured his second Asian Games medal, surpassing his bronze-medal finish at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games.
