Boxing analyst sees gold medal win for Carlo Paalam, says Eumir Marcial fight could have gone either way

Veteran boxing analyst Ed Tolentino predicts a crystal clear victory for Carlo Paalam when he takes on Galal Yafai in the Olympic boxing flyweight finals tomorrow, Saturday, in Tokyo, Japan.

“I can already smell a gold medal for Paalam. He has the skill set and if you watch the fight of Galal Yafai, it is obvious that he is a late bloomer in boxing. He has many flaws in his style,” Tolentino told GMA News Online.

Paalam, 23, defied the odds when he defeated the defending champion and 2016 Rio Olympics gold medalist Shakhobidin Zoirov in the quarter-finals then went on to dominate Ryomei Tanaka in the semi-finals.

According to Tolentino, Paalam’s style is reminiscent of another Filipino Olympic boxer in Mansueto “Onyok” Velasco, who won silver in the 1996 Olympics.

“No matter what Tanaka threw, Paalam was locked and loaded to his battle and nothing can rattle him. He reminds me of a young Mansueto Velasco, who was small yet but a good boxer,” said Tolentino.

“Paalam has great physique, patience, timing, and is really good in mixing his aggressiveness with composure.”

Meanwhile, another Olympic gold hopeful Eumir Marcial lost via split decision in the semi-final against world number one Oleksandr Khyzhniak—a bout that could have gone either way, says Tolentino.

“It could have gone either way but it was not as controversial as Petecio versus Sena. Had Eumir won, acceptable. Had Khyzhniak won, also acceptable. That is how close that fight was.”

—JMB, GMA News