Paalam out of boxing medal race after close loss to Aussie

MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxer Carlo Paalam bowed out of the Paris Olympics after suffering a heartbreaking loss against Australia’s Charlie Senior via split decision Saturday night (Manila time).

Three judges scored the men's 57 kg. quarterfinal bout in favor of the fourth-seeded Senior, while the other two called it for the Tokyo Olympics silver medalist. 

The two sluggers were kept in a virtual deadlock at the end of the first two rounds. 

And in the final frame, Paalam became more aggressive, landing more clean shots.

Ultimately, though, the Australian was declared the winner to secure at least a bronze medal. 

With this, the Philippines boxing team is now down to just two bets — Aira Villegas and Nesthy Petecio who will both fight for a semifinal ticket on Sunday (Manila time).