AFTER SNATCHING a silver medal in the flyweight final at Tokyo 2020, Carlo Paalam has earned anew a coveted spot in his second Olympics and is determined to punch his way to bag a gold medal.
This time, he will compete in the men’s featherweight class.
Hailing from Bukidnon, Cagayan de Oro, Paalam used to venture into the stinky landfill in Barangay Carmen to look for scrap metals to support his family of 10, after his mother left them when he was six.
Despite the threat of poverty jeopardizing his family’s future, the young Paalam dreamed of being a boxer.
Paalam’s first punches
Paalam has always displayed an innate talent for boxing. While picking garbage was his priority, he still pursued his passion for boxing by joining weekly matches in his hometown.
The Pinoy boxer has a nickname “Pipi Lata,” which means tin-can crusher. The monicker was given to him by Roberto “Bobby” Jalnaiz, a two-time Olympian bantamweight fighter and gold medalist at the 1990 Asian Games.
In 2009, Paalam’s exceptional talent was discovered at the city’s Amphitheater during an event called “Boxing in the Park.” He was selected to join former Cagayan De Oro mayor Oscar Moreno’s boot camp, a program that supported athletes by offering resources such as allowances, accommodation, meals, and professional training.
“I never forgot when he brought to me his winnings of P150. Carlo wanted to give it all to me but I told him to keep it so he can buy soap and something to eat,” his father Piorio Paalam shared with MindaNews.
Little did the elder Paalam know, it was only the beginning of his son’s victories.
Rough road to redemption
Paalam joined the national team in 2013 at age 15 and bagged bronze medals at the 2016 AIBA Youth Asian and World Championships.
A year later, Paalam made his senior debut at the 2017 Southeast Asian (SEA) Games in Kuala Lumpur, however, he did not secure a medal.
In the 30th SEA Games held in Manila, Paalam sought redemption after Malaysia’s Muhammad Fuad Bin Mohamed Redzuan defeated him via a 5-0 unanimous verdict. Despite his failed SEA Games debut, Paalam bounced back by blanking Indonesia’s Kornelis Kwangu Langu and snatching the gold medal.
At the Tokyo Olympics 2020, Paalam was beaten by Great Britain’s Galal Yafai in a 4-1 split decision in the men’s flyweight division. As a result, he won a silver medal made out of recycled materials instead of the gold his family and fans aimed for.
Paalam’s success and inspiring story earned him recognition as part of Asia’s Most Influential in the Philippines under the sports industry in 2021. The following year, he was honored as SPIN.ph’s ‘Fighter of the Year.’
During the 32nd SEA Games, Paalam shamed Cambodian Sao Rangsey with three knockouts and secured a victory over Timor Leste’s Edegar Foe Quintas Da Silva with a unanimous 5-0 decision. Paalam then dominated Indonesia’s Aldoms Suguro in the finals, winning the Philippines’ second boxing gold in the SEA Games.
The Olympic silver medalist claimed another win as he bagged a split-decision victory over Kyrgyzstan’s Munarbek Seiitbek-Uulu in the nerve-wracking 30-27, 29-28, 29-28, 29-28, 28-29 win at the Hangzhou Gymnasium in Asian Games 2023.
Paalam advanced to the 57kg quarterfinals, hoping for another victory and the chance to secure a medal. However, Uzbekistan’s world champion Abdumalik Khalokov crushed him by 5-0 in a unanimous decision in their quarterfinal.
In addition, his loss against Khalokov was not the only unfortunate news for him and the Philippines. Paalam withdrew in his bout against Shukur Ovevov of Turkmenistan during the World Championship due to a shoulder injury from his match against Mexico’s Andrey Bonilla, whom he still managed to outclass via a split decision.
On the bright side, Paalam returned stronger in the World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, Thailand, by punching his way to a unanimous decision victory against Greece’s Alexei Lagkazasvili, holding high hopes of reclaiming the ticket to the 2024 Paris Olympics.
During the Second World Qualification Tournament in the same country, Paalam triumphed against Armenia’s Artur Bazeyan in a tiebreak and a 4-1 decision.
He advanced an inch closer to Paris after outsmarting the Dominican Republic’s Feliz Jose Luis De Los Santos.
Finally, in the men’s 57-kg category semifinals, Paalam defeated India’s Sachin Siwach with a score of 29-28 to three judges and 30-27 to two judges. This win secured Paalam’s spot in Paris 2024, a chance he missed previously due to a shoulder injury.
Paalam says ‘bonjour’
On June 22, some Philippine Olympians, including Carlo Paalam, flew to Metz, France, for their first-time one-month training camp ahead of Paris 2024.
Meanwhile, Paalam and Nesthy Petecio are set to carry the Philippine flag during the opening ceremony of the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, which will be held at the Jardins du Trocadéro and River Seine.
It has been a bittersweet journey for Paalam’s boxing career. Now that the competition draws near, the question is: Will this be Paalam’s time to redeem himself by bagging a gold Olympic medal?
For now, the boxer can proudly say ‘bonjour’ as he prepares for the upcoming bouts as one of the five Filipino boxers competing for the gold at the North Paris Arena and Roland Garros-Stadium from July 27 to August 10.
