Flyweight Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam won in a 5-0 shutout against hometown bet, Ryomei Tanaka for a sure silver and barge into the final round for a chance to snare the gold in Tokyo Olympics.
The 23-year-old Paalam, a former garbage picker in Cagayan De Oro, convincingly won in three rounds against the 27-year-old Tanaka.
“I put all my strength and my skills to avoid being a victim of a hometown decision,” Paalam told Filipino reporters in Tokyo in a live airing over the television.
In the middleweight match, Filipino boxer Eumir Marcial lost to Oleksander Khyzhniak, 3-2, in a tightly-contested semifinal match.
Marcial, who registered knockout victories in the Round of 16 and quarterfinal matches, settled for a bronze medal.#
