Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam settled for silver following a split-decision loss to Rui Yamaguchi in the 55kg men’s event finals in the 20th Asian Games on Friday at the Nishio Gymnasium.
The hometown bet tactically stifled Paalam right at the beginning to create a safe distance on the scorecards enroute to the victory.
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Strong push from Yamaguchi
Yamaguchi controlled the bout against Paalam at the onset, with the Filipino relying on better accuracy instead of a higher punch volume.
Despite a slow start for both fighters, Yamaguchi clinched the round with four judges putting him ahead of Paalam.
In the second round, Paalam played catch-up by stepping up his offence. Yamaguchi, meanwhile, staved off the Filipino by tactically delaying confrontation while landing counter-punches.
The lead became insurmountable for Paalam when the Japanese fighter narrowly won the second round, 3-2, putting the pressure on the Filipino for a comeback.
This meant that even if the 28-year-old unanimously wins the third round, Yamaguchi has enough points to secure the gold medal.
Paalam unleashed his best punches in the third round, but agonisingly missed his chance to knock Yamaguchi out, which was his only path to winning the gold in the fight.
Paalam rues officiating
After the fight, Paalam raised concerns about what he deemed unfair officiating that lessened his chances of winning the fight.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medallist claimed the Uzbek referee Maruf Urdushev disrupted his rhythm through repeated stoppages.
“I felt good, but again, the referee. I don’t know, it wasn’t a good decision. I don’t know why the referee kept looking at me,” said Paalam.
“Whenever I had momentum, he would stop it. The referee was really like that. It felt like I was always the one being watched,” he added.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Marcus Manalo also expressed his disappointment over officiating in the fight.
“It was frustrating that the same referee who officiated his semifinal was appointed again in the final. There were so many other referees available,” said Manalo.
The gold medal drought continues
With Paalam’s defeat, the country will need to wait four more years for a chance to break its 16-year gold medal drought in Asian Games boxing.
The Aichi-Nagoya edition also proved to be one of the most disappointing campaigns for Filipino boxers, with only one out of an eight-strong delegation making it into a medal round.
Still, this was an improvement for Paalam compared to his bronze medal finish in the 2018 Asian Games in Jakarta.
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