Tokyo Olympics silver medalist Carlo Paalam defeated Ireland’s Jude Gallagher in the men’s boxing 57-kilogram division at the 2024 Paris Olympics. The match was held at the North Paris Arena on Wednesday, July 31.

The win was a unanimous decision, with scores of 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28.

In the first round, Carlo Paalam received scores from only three of the five judges. However, he dominated the next round, earning a perfect 5/5 from the judges. Despite Jude Gallagher’s height advantage of 5-foot-7 over Paalam’s 5-foot-4, Paalam showcased his agility in the final round.

He smartly dodged Gallagher’s attempts by increasing his work rate to ensure victory. His efforts paid off when he won the approval of three judges, allowing him to move on to the quarterfinals.

The boxer will face Australia’s Charlie Senior in the quarters on August 3 at 9:46 PM in Philippine time.

Paalam’s round of 16 victory ended the Philippine boxing team’s two-fight losing streak after the losses of Eumir Marcial (men’s 80kg) and Hergie Bacyadan (women’s 75kg). 

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As for Marcial, he suffered a unanimous decision loss against Uzbekistan’s Olympic debutant Turabek Khabibullaev early Wednesday.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday evening, Hergie Bacyadan ended her Olympic journey after losing to China’s Li Qian. All five judges scored 30-27 in favor of Li, ending the match unanimously.

Carlo Paalam is the third Filipino boxer to win in Paris, after Aira Villegas (women’s 50kg) and fellow Tokyo Games silver medalist Nesthy Petecio (women’s 57kg). Both are still in the running for winning the medal for the Paris Olympic boxing event.

Villegas will battle Algeria’s Roumaysa Boualam in the round of 16 on August 2 at 2:16 AM Philippine time. Petecio, the first female Filipino boxer to medal at the Olympics, will face French Amina Zidani in the round of 16 on August 3 at 2 AM.

Also Read: Aira Villegas beats Moroccan foe to Advance in Olympics Boxing Event 

Sources: (1), (2)

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