Controversy once again reared its head over a Filipino boxer.
Carlo Paalam suffered a razor-thin split decision loss to six-time world champion Amit of India in the 2020 Asia-Oceania Olympic Qualification Tournament, Monday at the Prince Hamzeh Hall, Sport City in Amman, Jordan.
Based on the eye test, the 2019 Southeast Asian Games gold medalist landed the more powerful shots in the bout. But the judges did not see the same thing.
In the first round, Paalam was the more aggressive fighter, even getting his shot through Amit’s guard.
Outside of a huge combination by the Indian in the second round, Paalam was able to land the better shots. However, the judges still gave the passive Amit the round, 4-1.
It was the same in the final round. The Filipino was able to land better, but Amit still got the bread.
Still, the road to Tokyo is not over for Paalam, as the men’s flyweight division still has a box-off.
