Carlo Paalam bids Asian Games boxing medal hopes goodbye after QF loss

Carlo Paalam ended his campaign at the 19th Asian Games after falling prey to Uzbekistan's Abdumalik Khalokov in the men's 57kg quarterfinals on Tuesday in Hangzhou, China.

The 23-year-old Khalokov, who reigned supreme in the same division during the 2023 World Championships, secured a unanimous decision victory, 5-0, en route to booking a semifinals duel with home bet Lyu Ping of China while also sending Paalam home in the process.

The loss spoiled Paalam's bid for back-to-back podium finishes after he copped a bronze medal in the flyweight division during the 2018 Asian Games edition in Indonesia.

With Paalam's exit, Eumir Marcial remains as the lone Filipino boxer still in the running in these Asian Games as the veteran pugilist advanced to the semifinals of the men's 80kg division after a KO win over his Thai foe.

Paalam won a silver medal during the 2020 Tokyo Olympics while he currently has two gold medals in the SEA Games, winning in 2019 in Manila and 2023 in Cambodia.

—Bea Micaller/JMB, GMA Integrated News