Paalam settles for silver in Asian Games boxing 

(Updated) MANILA, Philippines  — Carlo Paalam, the last man standing in Philippine boxing here, bowed to Japan’s rising star Rui Yamaguchi via split decision in the men’s 55kg final at the 2026 Asian Games on Friday afternoon at the Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. Paalam was close to ending the nation’s 16-year-gold medal drought in Asian Games boxing but the Japanese was very tactical in his movements, outplaying the Filipino in the first two rounds. Paalam tried to bring the heat in the third and final round but the Japanese survived the Filipino's onslaught. The last time the Philippines won the gold medal in the boxing event was in 2010, when Rey Saludar topped the men’s 52 kilogram (kg) division in Guangzhou, China. The first round was rather uneventful as the two pugilists studied each other's moves but in the last five seconds, Paalam charged Yamaguchi to the corner. However, it was not enough as the Filipino only had one judge to score in his favor. In the second round, Paalam knew he needed to up his efforts and landed a clean hook at the 1:43 mark, but Yamaguchi was very precise in his movements and jabs that allowed him to earn the nods of the three judges. With...