Paalam barges into semis with convincing win, assured of bronze
Carlo Paalam refused to say goodbye to his hopes of a gold medal in the 18th Asian Games as he defeated Temirtas Zhussupov of Kazakhstan via split decision in the quarterfinals. With the win, he joins Rogen Ladon as surefire medalists in boxing but the two are far from done.
After easily defeating Tu Powei of Chinese Taipei in the Round of 16, Paalam was met with a tougher opponent in Zhussupov. He didn't let his opponent's vast experience get the best of him as the 20-year-old Filipino boxer started aggressively.
Paalam timed the attacks of Zhussupov and countered with either a right straight down the pipe of a jab-straight-hook combination while staying away from trouble because of his quick foot and head movement. Zhussupov barely landed in the match as most of his punches came at the clinch while Paalam landed scoring punches from the outside.
After three action-packed rounds, Paalam was declared the winner via split decision. Three judges scored it a shut-out 30-27 while one had it 29-28 for Paalam. The judge from Iran somehow scored it for Zhussupov, 29-28.
"I was surprised with the decision," Paalam said. "I thought I won the first two rounds clearly because that was where I got my rhythm but it's okay as long as we got the victory."
Paalam now marches on to the semifinals where he takes on the powerful Amit of India, one of the top-ranked boxers in the 46-49kg category.
"Going up against Kazakhstan is never easy so I gave my best in the ring. I told myself that there was no tomorrow for me if I lost this fight," Paalam added. "My opponent was good, strong, and smart. He's 10 years older so he has more experience so I'm happy with the victory." —
ESPN5