Paalam one win away to Paris Olympics

BANGKOK — Carlo Paalam banked on a hot start to beat Dominican Republic’s Feliz Jose Luis delos Santos via 5-0 victory in the men’s featherweight division and move one win away of making it to the Olympics again on Friday evening here at the Indoor Stadium Huamark.

Paalam, 28, won his fourth straight bout in the second and last World Boxing Olympic Qualification Tournament in Thailand’s main capital to proceed to his next bout against India’s Sachin Sachin in the semifinal of 57 kgs.

“It’s an intense fight but God gives me the strength and keeps me motivated all the time,” Paalam, the Tokyo Olympics silver flyweight medalist, told BusinessMirror at the mixed zone. “Thank you to my coaches, ABAP leaders and my loved ones, my wife and daughter for inspiring me here.”

The two-time Southeast Asian Games and one-time Asian champion fought tactically aggressive to get the first two rounds, leading by 10-9 in all the five judges, before playing it out safe in the third and last round to get the unanimous decision win.

Elmer Pamisa, Paalam’s longtime coach from Cagayan de Oro City, is now preparing his boxer for the crucial bout on Saturday evening that will give him the Paris ticket outright. A loss, however, won’t be the end for Paalam’s Olympic campaign as a last scheduled fight on Sunday is still set.

But Paalam is determined to snatch the Olympic ticket on Saturday night.

“We already studied his opponent very well,” Pamisa said of India’s Sachin who beat French Samuel Kistohurry via split decision in the other quarterfinal bout.

Meanwhile, Hergie Bacyadan squares off with 19-year-old Hungarian Veronika Nakota on Saturday in the women’s middleweight Round of 16 to move one fight closer of snatching an Olympic ticket.

Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) Chairman Ricky Vargas, also a longtime president, is also in attendance to support the Filipino boxers.