Raring for one more punch in LA

MANILA, Philippines —  Philippine boxing hasn’t seen the last of Olympic silver medalist Carlo Paalam just yet.

Same with Olympic medal winners Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas and Eumir Marcial, who, just like Paalam, are hoping to take one last shot at a medal in the 2028 Los Angeles Games.

“Yes, all of them are still capable,” Association of Boxing Alliances in the Philippines president Marcus Manalo yesterday told The STAR.

Of the lot, Paalam was the most impressive as evidenced by his golden effort in the Eindhoven Box Cup in the Netherlands. On his way to the mint, Paalam caught a big fish,  beating 2024 Paris silver winner Billal Bennama of France via a 4-1 split decision in their semis bantamweight clash.

“Carlo just won in the Netherlands,” said Manalo.

Petecio, a silver winner in Tokyo and bronze earner in Paris, recently returned after battling some injuries.

“We have to see how her progress goes,” he said.

Villegas and Marcial, Olympic bronze winners in Paris and Tokyo, respectively, came back much earlier and are currently in Baguio and are in excellent shape.

All four are in contention of making it to the Asian Games team in Nagoya, Japan this September.