MALAYBALAY CITY (MindaNews / 03 August) – Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam ousted Olympic champion Shakhobidin Zoirov in their flyweight quarterfinal bout on Tuesday and assured himself of at least a bronze medal at the Tokyo Olympics.
Paalam, unfazed by Zoiro’s credential as a gold medalist in the Rio Olympics, initiated the exchanges from the first round until the second round, where the referee stopped the fight after the Uzbek suffered a cut in his eyelid.
The Bukidnon-born Paalam unleashed combinations that disrupted whatever offensive strategy his opponent had prepared.
Zoiro, a gold medalist in the 2019 World Championships, left the ring without congratulating Paalam and acknowledging the referee.
Paalam will next face Ryomei Tanaka of Japan in the semifinal bout on Thursday. (H. Marcos C. Mordeno/MindaNews)
