Carlo Paalam and Nesthy Petecio posted impressive victories.
But it doesn’t mean that they will veer away from their ultimate missions.
With Eumir Marcial and Hergie Bacyadan already out, Paalam and Petecio vow to keep fighting until they win the elusive gold medal in the boxing competition of the Paris Olympics.
Paalam, the silver medalist in the previous Olympics in Tokyo three years ago, delivered a glimpse of his prowess when he clobbered Commonwealth Games champion Jude Gallagher of Ireland in the Round of 16 of the men’s 57-kilogram event late Wednesday at the North Paris Arena.
Paalam said he allowed the 5-foot-7 Gallagher to attack him before unloading clean counterpunches that impressed all five judges that led to a unanimous decision victory.
“He’s big and he’s good so I opened my defense to bait him. Even if I get hit, I can counter with clear punches,” said Paalam following his victory that sent him to the quarterfinals against a taller Charlie Senior of Australia on Saturday at 9:46 p.m. (Manila time).
“Whenever he attacks me, I counter with two clear punches. It was a strategy that worked.”
But the road to the gold medal will not be easy.
At 5-foot-10, Senior is way taller than the 5-foot-4 Paalam with winning mentality after ruling the 2023 Pacific Games.
After Senior, Paalam will be on collision course in the semifinals with the top seed Abdumalik Khalokov, the skilled and dangerous Uzbek who dominated him in the semifinals of the 19th Asian Games in Hangzhou last year.
If ever he shocks Khalokov, Paalam will fight either second seed Javier Ibanez Diaz of Bulgaria or third seed Jahmal Harvey of the United States for the gold medal.
Diaz, who was born and raised in Cuba, switched his nationality to Bulgarian in 2018 before becoming the European Games champion last year.
Harvey, for his part, is a muscular puncher who ruled the 2023 Pan American Games.
Paalam said he has to be very careful because the battle for gold medal will not be easy.
“All of the boxers here are prepared so I will do my best in every match,” said Paalam, who clinched his Olympic berth in the 2nd World Qualification Tournament in Bangkok last June.
But Paalam’s coach Elmer Pamisa remains positive, believing that his ward can overcome the challenges that will be thrown by the taller Senior.
Once he gets past the quarterfinals, anything can happen.
“He has been beating him in training,” said Pamisa, referring to Paalam and Senior’s sparring sessions in their pre-Olympic training camp in Germany.
Also tipped to go all out is Petecio.
Petecio, who is heavily being counted on to deliver, will be facing hometown hero Amina Zidani of France in the Round of 16 of the women’s 57-kg event on Saturday at 12 midnight (Manila time).
The 30-year-old Zidani is tipped to be a major force not only due to the massive hometown crowd that will be rallying behind her but also due to her experience on top of the ring.
In fact, Zidani is a six-time French champion who clinched the featherweight gold medal in the European Games and bronze medal in the World Championship last year.
Interestingly, Zidani lost in the semifinals of the World Championship to Irma Testa of Italy, whom Petecio beat in the semifinals of the Tokyo Olympics in 2021.
“It’s a good start for me. I hope I can sustain my form,” said Petecio after crushing the taller Jaismine Lamboria of India in the Round of 32.