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Carlo Param reached the quarterfinals of the second World Qualifying Tournament and is now just two wins away from qualifying for the Paris Olympics.
MANILA, Philippines – Filipino boxer Carlo Parham overcame close matches to move one step closer to returning to the Olympics after two dominant wins.
On Thursday, May 30, in the men's 57 kg category at the 2nd World Qualifying Tournament for the Paris Games held in Bangkok, Thailand, Param defeated Armenia's Artur Bazheyan in a tiebreak to advance to the quarterfinals.
A tiebreaker was necessitated after three of the five judges judged the score tied at 28-28, with Parham and Bazeyan getting the even score of 29-27 each from the other two judges.
Olympic rules, set out by the Paris 2024 boxing unit, state that if three or more judges score a fight with the same score, they will be asked to choose a winner.
Paaram won the tiebreak to win 4-1 and move within two wins of booking a ticket to Paris.
“I think Carlo won the match with good tactics,” national team coach Don Abnett said. “He boxed well today, landing some good backhand straight punches and some lead-hand hooks.”
Param was leading on the scorecards after the first two rounds, but things were complicated when he was deducted a point for holding in the third round and all three judges settled for a draw after the bout.
Luckily, the three judges voted in favour of Param, breaking the tie.
“We don't agree with the points deduction… we thought it was the Armenian boxer who kept his head down,” said Philippine Boxing Federation secretary-general Marcus Jerwin Manalo.
“But Carlo did more than enough to win and receive recognition from all four judges.”
Parham will next face Jose Luis delos Santos Feliz of the Dominican Republic on Friday, May 31, with a shot at reaching the finals for an Olympic berth.
In the men's 57kg class, only three spots are up for grabs at the Paris Games.
Also competing is Helgi Bačadan, who will face Hungary's Veronika Nakota in the round of 16 in the women's 75kg class on Saturday, 1 June. – Rappler.com
