Philippines, 12 Jul 2025
  Home >> News

 


BOXERS

CURRENT CHAMPIONS 

FORMER CHAMPIONS   

RATINGS                       

NEWS           

FORUM        

FIGHT GALLERIES        

RING CARD GIRLS        


 
 
News  


Paalam says it?ll be gold next time


PhilBoxing.com




Cagayan de Oro?s Carlo Paalam said he was not in his right mind in losing to eventual gold medalist Sachin of India in their recent AIBA World Youth Championships lightflyweight semifinal bout in St. Petersburg, Russia, and vowed the outcome will be different if they ever meet again.

Paalam, 18, settled for the bronze medal and earned a reward of P100,000 from ABAP president Ricky Vargas. On the way to the semifinals, Paalam beat Colombia?s Pedro Alarcon, 5-0, Ireland?s Jordan Moore, 4-1 and Russia?s Volodya Mnatsakanyan, 4-0. What unsettled Paalam?s mind was losing $200 of his $420 allowance to a thief before the match against Sachin. The money was stolen from his hotel room.

?I was stressed,? said Paalam in Pilipino. ?I left the money in my bag but when I went back to my hotel room after beating Mnatsakanyan, it was gone. I felt really bad because I wanted to give it to my family.? Paalam said despite the stress, he fought Sachin on even terms until the last round. ?I thought I was ahead,? he continued. ?But my mind was not on the fight. Sachin is a good boxer but if we face off again, I know I?ll beat him.?

Coach Ronald Chavez, who accompanied ABAP?s delegation of five fighters with another coach Elias Recaido to St. Petersburg, said Paalam will learn from this experience. ?Masipag sumuntok,? said Chavez, a 1992 Olympian. ?Mataas ang boxing IQ ng bata. Madaling matuto.? Chavez noted that Paalam?s style is flexible and he adjusts easily to instructions from the corner. After the win over Mnatsakanyan, Russian fans applauded Paalam for defying the odds to defeat the hometowner.

ABAP executive director Ed Picson said Paalam has a bright future. ?Since he was 10 years old, Paalam was already in the pool of prospects of Mayor Oca (Moreno),? he said. ?Mayor kept telling us to watch this boy, that Carlo would go far. He?s shifty. He has speed and power. It?s too bad he wasn?t himself against Sachin. Coach Elias told me Carlo would?ve easily beaten Cuba?s Jorge Grinan if they met in the final.? As it turned out, Sachin outpointed Grinan for the 49-kilogram gold.

Chavez said Sachin was taller than Paalam by about three inches and enjoyed a longer reach. ?It?s hard to penetrate Sachin?s defense because he fights from a distance,? he said in Pilipino. ?Like Carlo, Sachin also throws a lot of punches. Sachin?s advantage is his length. If Carlo was more focused, maybe, he would?ve won.?

Picson said the usual practice is the fighters going abroad receive half of their allowance before leaving. ?They usually give it to their families,? he said. ?So in Carlo?s case, he left $220 behind. He was given the balance of $200 when he landed in Russia.?

But Paalam?s consolation was the bonus he received from Vargas. The sixth of eight children, Paalam said he?s giving the money to his parents Pio, 48, and Jocelyn, 42. His father, two sisters and a brother work in a bakery. His mother keeps house.

?We live in a squatter area,? said Paalam in Pilipino. ?All eight of us children and our parents live in a small place, about 50 square meters. I sleep on a sofa. I?m giving my bonus to my parents so we can make our house a little better.?

Picson said Paalam is definitely Olympic material. ?He?ll be in contention for our team in the Southeast Asian Games this year but he has to prove himself in the eliminations and boxoffs,? said Picson. ?We?ve got a deep pool in his class. Rogen Ladon brought back a silver in the lightflyweight division in the last SEA Games so he?ll want to get a gold next time.?

When Paalam claimed his bonus, Vargas reminded him not to lose focus on his education. Paalam is a Grade 11 student at the University of Baguio. ?While we realize his potential as a boxer, Mr. Vargas wants Carlo to appreciate the importance of education,? said Picson. ?Carlo is a soft-spoken kid, hardly speaks. He?s disciplined, he easily learns from his coaches. Mr. Vargas told him to stay focused on his boxing and studies, to avoid distractions. Carlo is in Baguio with our training pool so he?s able to concentrate 100 percent on boxing and school.?

Paalam was joined in St. Petersburg by flyweight Mark Lumbab, bantamweight Jhon Patrick Cagumay, lightweight Ranjo Napoles and lightwelterweight Ronald Chavez, Jr. Lumbab, Cagumay and Napoles were eliminated in their first bouts while Chavez beat Hungary?s Karoly Botos, 3-2, before bowing to Monaco?s lone entry Hugo Micallef, 5-0. Lumbab lost to Australia?s Jack Bowen, 4-1. Cagumay was defeated by England?s Charles Frankham, 5-0 while Napoles was blanked by Ireland?s Patrick Donovan, 5-0.

Photo: Carlo Paalam (R) wins over Tuan Mohd Faizal of Malaysia during the ASBC Asian Confederation Youth Boxing Championships in Pavlodar, Kazakhstan on May 1 to 8, 2016.


Click here to view a list of other articles written by Joaquin Henson.


Recent PhilBoxing.com In-House articles:

  • Taylor vs. Serrano Trilogy: Can Amanda Get The Nod?
    By Chris Carlson, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • BERLANGA-SHEERAZ, STEVENSON-CEPEDA, MORELL-KHATAEV MAKE WEIGHT IN NEW YORK
    By Dong Secuya, , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • Johnny Spell Takes on Chancellor Batttenberg on Saturday, July 19th at the Hollywood Casino at the Meadows in Washington, PA
    , Sat, 12 Jul 2025
  • JV Tuazon, Ador Torres, Lemuel De Barbo, Jomar Fajardo Make Weight for Brico Santig's Highland Show in Thailand
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Philippine Under-12 Girls Team Shines Bright, Clinches Multiple Medals at 23rd ASEAN+ Age Group Chess Championships in Penang
    By Marlon Bernardino, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Kenneth “Llover Boy” Takes on “El Nica” Concepcion Aug 17 on Gerry Peñalosa’s Show @ the Winford Resort and Casino Manila (Analysis)
    By Carlos Costa, , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated junior middleweight prospect Anthony Velazquez won’t be Boxing’s best kept secret in 2026
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Undefeated Gabriela Tellez Returns July 18 at “Night of Champions” Live on DAZN
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Dushanbe hosts stacked fight card with Bakhodur Usmonov and Christopher Mouafo headlining IBA.Pro 8
    , Fri, 11 Jul 2025
  • Shakur vs Zepeda & Morrell vs Khataev Fight Analysis
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Peñalosa To Test "Lover Boy" Llover Versus Accomplished Panamanian Veteran Concepcion
    By Teodoro Medina Reynoso, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • USA Boxing Youth High Performance Team Begins Brandenburg Cup Prep Camp
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Dream Fight: “Bam” Rodriguez vs “Puma” Martinez on the Horizon
    By Carlos Costa, , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Perez vs Vivas Headlines All Star Boxing's Prueba de Fuego Card on July 25
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin Promotions & Ringside Ticket Inc. Present ‘Lopez Vs. Vargas’ Welterweight Battle
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • Vegas Fight Experience Where Authentic Sparring Meets Cinematic Vegas Energy
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • 4 Division World Champion & Hall of Famer Erik Morales Confirmed for Eighth Annual Box Fan Expo, During Mexican Independence Day Weekend, Saturday September 13, in Las Vegas
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • SALITA PROMOTIONS SIGNS FORMER WORLD CHAMPION TONY HARRISON
    , Thu, 10 Jul 2025
  • FIGHT EMPIRE! TUAZON, ADOR, DE BARBO, JOMAR, AND MORE ARE READY FOR ACTION IN BRICO SANTIG'S EXCITING SHOW JULY 12 IN THAILAND
    By Carlos Costa, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Shakur Stevenson and David Morrell Face "Crossroad Fights" This Saturday in Queens
    By Ralph Rimpell, , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Christy Martin’s “Mayhem in Music City 2” to Feature Undefeated Vic Hernandez Facing Jayvon Garnett for NABA & Jr. NABF Featherweight Championships
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • James Perkins & Anthony Andreozzi Headlines “Oceanside Prize Fights”
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • GORST PURSUES GOLDEN GLORY IN JEDDAH, DEFENDING WORLD POOL CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE IN SAUDI ARABIA, 21–26 JULY
    , Wed, 09 Jul 2025
  • Hovhannisyan and Barrientes Set for High-Stakes Showdowns July 18 on DAZN
    , Tue, 08 Jul 2025
  • UNBEATEN PROSPECT KENNETH LLOVER TO FACE FORMER TWO-DIVISION CHAMPION LUIS CONCEPCION IN MANILA
    , Mon, 07 Jul 2025




  •  



     
    PhilBoxing.com has been created to support every aspiring
    Filipino boxer and the Philippine boxing scene in general.
    Please send comments to feedback@philboxing.com


    PRIVATE POLICY | LEGAL DISCLAIMER
    developed and maintained by dong secuya
    © 2025 philboxing.com.