Tokyo 2020 silver medalist Carlo Paalam turned the ring into a chess match while punching his way to the quarterfinals of the the men's 57kg boxing in the Olympic Games Paris 2024.
Philippine boxer Carlo Paalam’s road to the Olympic Games gold medal is far from over, but he's showing plenty of potential after besting Jude Gallagher of Ireland in the men’s 57 kg boxing preliminaries via unanimous decision on Wednesday, July 31.
With a game plan sharper than his gloves and a mind as quick as his footwork, Paalam is proving proving that brains can be just as mighty as brawn.
“Unang-una po, ‘yung talino po. Saka to be wise in the ring talaga kasi useless ang lakas mo kung hindi tatama ng clear punch. Kaya iniisip ko po na ‘yung lakas maging 30 percent, ‘yong talino maging 70 percent,” Paalam told One Sports’ Carlo Pamintuan regarding his strategy in the Round of 16.
“Every fight ko nga, sinasabi ko sa sarili ko na manalo, matalo man ako, gagawin ko ‘yong best ko na wala akong pinagsisisihan pagbaba ng ring,” he added.
It worked well, as Paalam won all three rounds.
In the first round, Paalam had three judges in his favor. The second was unanimous, with all five in favor for the Filipino. It was a unanimous decision, in the end.
“Ipapanalo ko ang kada laban kasi ang lahat ng Pilipino dito, na pumunta lang dito, mahal ‘yong ticket para sa kanila ‘to,” Paalam said to his Filipino supporters.
Watch the full interview here:
Carlo Paalam will compete in the quarterfinals on August 3, 9:30 p.m.
[ALSO READ: Carlo Paalam pummels Irish foe to win via unanimous decision, advances to the quarterfinals in Paris 2024]
(With reports from Carlo Pamintuan/One Sports)