CARLO Paalam scored a razor-thin split decision over Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan to advance to the gold-medal match of the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan on Wednesday.
The Filipino Olympian needed to win the third and final round of their fiercely fought semifinal in the men’s 55kg class to win the bout at the Nishio gymnasium, 3-2.
By making the finals, Paalam stayed on track of ending the Philippines’ 16-year gold medal drought in Asiad boxing.
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Rey Saludar was the last Filipino fighter to achieve the feat in the 2010 edition of the continental showcase in Guangzhou, China.
The 28-year-old Paalam, a silver medalist at the Tokyo Olympics, will be up against home bet Rui Yamaguchi in the gold-medal bout set Friday.
Yamaguchi, 28, won the other semifinals pairing against Bilguunsaikhan Kharhuu of Mongolia, 5-0.
Paalam is in the Asiad finals for the first time after settling for the bronze in the 2018 edition in Palembang.
He has to grind this one out against the 2025 world champion to keep the flame alive for Philippine boxing's only remaining hope for the gold.
The Filipino boxed tactically in landing the better punches against the aggressive Kazakh in the third and final round, where Paalam was deducted a point by referee Maruf Urdushev of Uzbekistan for repeteadly using an open hand.
Paalam won the opening round, 4-1, as he kept the charging Sabyrkhan at bay by constantly landing his right hand.
Aware he lost the first round, the Kazakh fighter went all out in the second like a kamikaze, pounding away at Paalam at every opportunity to even the bout and pave the way for a thrilling bantamweight finale.
The win over Sabyrkhan was the second for Paalam, who beat the Kazakh for the gold in the bantamweight final of the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan.
Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines (ABAP) president Marcus Manalo said the goal is crystal clear for Paalam.
"Our champion is absolutely not settling. He is going all out for the gold," said Manalo from Nagoya.
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