Tokyo Olympics: Philippines boxing hopes back on track as Carlo Palaam eases into quarter-finals
- Palaam dominates the experienced Algerian Flissi to move on to last eight in the flyweight
- The 23-year-old will face the defending Olympic champion in the quarter-finals
All three judges gave each of the five rounds of the flyweight contest to the 23-year-old Palaam as he claimed a statement victory against Flissi, a three-time Olympian who finished fifth at the Rio 2016 Games and is a two-time World Championship medallist.
“It feels so good,” Palaam said. “I’m so happy because I listened to my coach’s instructions.
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“To all Filipinos: thank you for the support.”
Palaam, the Cagayan de Oro-native, advanced his amateur record to 31-11 with the win and will now face the formidable Uzbekistani Shakhobidin Zoirov, the reigning Olympic champion, for a spot in the semi-finals.
Zoirov will provide stiff opposition. He mauled Cape Verde’s David de Pina in his last-16 bout and the experienced southpaw boasts a professional fight record of 3-0 in addition to an amateur record of 97-26.
“I am going to give my best performance,” Palaam added.