CARLOS Paalam moved within one victory of Asian Games gold after edging Kazakhstan’s reigning world champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan in a thrilling semifinal clash Wednesday at Nishio Gymnasium.

The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist prevailed via a 3-2 split decision in the men’s 55kg division, assuring himself of at least a silver medal—his best finish in three Asian Games appearances.

Paalam came out sharp, using well-timed counters to gain the early advantage and take the opening round on four of the five judges’ scorecards. Sabyrkhan answered with increased pressure in the second round, forcing the Filipino into a crucial final three minutes.

Paalam, however, kept his composure and connected with enough scoring punches to earn the narrow decision.

“Sobrang gumaling din po. Sobrang gumaling ang laro niya. Unahan lang kami kung paano mag-counter, so nauunahan ko pa siya,” Paalam said.

It was Paalam’s second victory over Sabyrkhan, following another split-decision win over the Kazakh in the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships.

The 28-year-old Filipino now turns his attention to Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi, who advanced to the championship bout after beating Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharkhuu by unanimous decision.

“Gawin ko ‘yung best ko. Step by step, gawin ko ‘yung best ko,” Paalam said.

With silver already assured after his bronze-medal finish in 2018, Paalam is now one fight away from rewriting his Asian Games story—and potentially ending the Philippines’ 16-year wait for a boxing gold medal.