TWO Filipino boxers secured impressive wins at the start of the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool, England, with Carlo Paalam and Junmilardo Ogayre both advancing via unanimous decisions.
Olympian Paalam demonstrated his elite skill in the men’s 55kg division, delivering a boxing masterclass against Chiao-Chu Hsu of Chinese Taipei.
The Tokyo Olympics’ silver medalist utilized his trademark defense to evade Hsu’s attacks and consistently replied with solid counterpunches, setting the tone early.
A powerful 1-2 combination in the second round even resulted in a knockdown. Despite Hsu’s tireless pursuit, the Filipino dynamo was simply too fast and too good.
Paalam will move on to the Round of 32, where he will face Junior Alcantara Reyes of the Dominican Republic on Sunday, September 7.
Meanwhile, in the men’s 60kg Round of 64, Junmilardo Ogayre bested Chu-En Lai of Chinese Taipei. Ogayre showed superior speed and accuracy, landing quicker combinations and cleaner punches throughout the match.
His next assignment will be against Biibars Zhexen of Kazakhstan, with the bout scheduled for early Sunday morning, Philippine time.
