Paalam, Marcial earn first-round byes for Paris Olympic boxing

Filipino Olympian and boxers Carlo Paalam and Eumir Marcial earned byes for the first round of their respective events as the brackets for the Paris Olympics boxing competitions were determined on Thursday, July 25.

Marcial (men’s 80kg) and Paalam (men’s 57kg) advanced to the round of 16 as they both begin their golden quests on Wednesday, July 31.

Paalam, who moved up in weight after bagging silver in the men’s 52kg category in Tokyo, will go against Ireland’s Jude Gallagher, a gold medalist in the 2022 Commonwealth Games.

On the other hand, Marcial tangles with Uzbekistan’s Turabek Khabibullaev, who earned a bronze medal in the 2023 Asian Games in Hangzhou.

The draw has also put Marcial for a potential rematch with Ukraine’s Oleksandr Khyzhniak three years after the Filipino obtained bronze following a split decision loss in their semifinal bout in Tokyo.

Debuting in the Games, Hergie Bacyadan, meanwhile, got dealt a tough hand as she faces a tall order in the women’s 75kg after being drawn with top seed Li Qian of China for their round of 16 duel on Wednesday, July 31.

Li boasts of impressive credentials, winning an Olympic bronze in Rio de Janeiro and silver in Tokyo on top of gold medals in the Women’s World Boxing Championships, Asian Games, and Asian Amateur Boxing Championships.

Meanwhile, Nesthy Petecio (women’s 57kg) and Aira Villegas (women’s 50kg) begin their respective campaigns in round of 32.

Villegas will be the first Philippine boxer in action as she fights Morocco’s Yasmine Mouttaki on Monday, July 29, before Petecio opens her bid of improving the silver she won in Tokyo against India’s Jaismine Lamboria on Tuesday, July 30.

The boxing competition runs until August 10.\