Ranged against hometown bet, Carlo Paalam needs decisive finish

In Carlo Paalam’s three fights in the Tokyo Olympics, he always came in as the prohibitive underdog. Yet, he always found ways to defy the odds.

He opened his Olympic boxing campaign in the round of 32 when he faced a seasoned campaigner from Ireland, Brendan Irvine, a two-time Olympian and a silver medalist in the European Games. Paalam won a 4-1 decision.

He next went up against another veteran Olympian, Algeria’s Mohamed Flissi. Paalam won a 5-0 shutout over the 2013 World Championships silver medalist and the 2015 World Championships bronze medalist.

Paalam registered what perhaps is the biggest win of his career in the quarterfinals when he prevailed over Rio Olympics gold medalist and reigning world champion Shakhobidin Zoirov, who was predicted by the Associated Press as the probable champion of this year’s Olympics.

The victory via 4-1 split decision assured Paalam of at least a bronze medal. It also set him up for a collision with Japan’s Ryomei Tanaka. 

The two will dispute on Thursday, August 5, at 1:30 pm, Philippine time, for one of the finals slots and a crack at the gold medal in the men’s flyweight division.

But who is Ryomei Tanaka? Truth be told, his only real claim to fame is that he is the brother of Kosei Tanaka, a three-weight world champion who held the WBO titles in the mini-flyweight, junior flyweight, and flyweight divisions. 

Ryomei, the older of the Tanaka brothers, has not participated in the AIBA World Championships. He tried to but failed to qualify for the 2016 Rio Olympics. He did join the 2018 Asian Games where after winning his opening round fight, he lost in the round of 16 to Gankhuyagiin Gan-Erdene of Mongolia. 

In 2011, the then 17-year-old Ryomei made his amateur boxing debut. His first ever opponent was Naoya Inoue, the current unified bantamweight world champion who is popularly known as “The Monster.” Tanaka lost on points.

Tanaka has registered 20 wins in his amateur boxing career. Before the Olympics, none of his victories came against anyone in the top 30 of the AIBA world rankings. He has also compiled 17 losses. 

That is why it has come as a huge surprise that Tanaka has taken out some of the biggest names in the division on his way to the semifinals. 

He scored a 5-0 shutout  in the first round over Yoel Finol Rivas of Venezuela, who was a Rio Olympics silver medalist and a Pan American Games bronze medalist. 

Tanaka next won over Hu Jianguan of China, whose resume is even more impressive than Finol Rivas. Hu bagged bronze medals in the Rio Olympics, the 2015 World Championships, and the 2019 Asian Championships . He was predicted by the Associated Press to win a bronze in this year’s Olympic Games. 

After the fight, Hu posted on his Chinese social media account: “Fairness is only for the hosts and I am nothing more than a sacrificial lamb,” alluding that he got the raw end of the decision when he lost to Tanaka. 

In the quarterfinals, Tanaka once again wielded the upset axe when he triumphed via 4-1 decision over Yurberjen Herney Martínez Rivas, a 2016 Rio Olympics silver medal winner in the light flyweight division.

Paalam has the better credentials compared to his Japanese foe as his record stands at 37 wins and 11 losses. He is a SEA Games gold medalist and an Asian Games bronze medalist. He reached the quarterfinals of the 2019 World Championships where he lost a decision to current world No. 1 Amit Panghal of India.

Paalam should be the clear favorite against the lesser known and less experienced Japanese. But the pride of Cagayan de Oro will have to put on a convincing performance and totally outclass Tanaka. A close fight will leave room for doubt and could sway the decision to the hometown bet. – Rappler.com