Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam opened his bid for the Tokyo Olympic gold on a good note after beating Irish opponent Brendan Irvine in the first phase of the men’s flyweight event at the Kokugikan Arena in the Japanese capital on Monday.
Paalam dominated Irvine in the first round, gaining the nod of all five judges.
Irvine somehow got his bearing in the second round, impressing Judges Wulfren Olivares and Bakytzhan Bekpenbetov enough to give him the round, although the other three judges, Mohamed Besmi, Manuel Vilarino, and Yaroslav Renev still scored it 10-9 for Paalam.
After three rounds, Bekpenbetov had it 29-28 for Irvine, but Olivares and Renev both scored 29-28 advantages for Paalam, while Besmi and Vilarino both gave the Filipino pug the perfect 30 for the 4-1 split decision win.
(PNA – Philippine News Agency)