Paalam banners Filipino pugs aiming to catch Paris Olympics bus

MANILA, Philippines – Carlo Paalam knows he’s at a point of no return.

So when the 25-year-old Tokyo Games silver medalist from the Philippines plunges into action in Friday’s second and final World Qualification Tournament to the Paris Olympics set in Bangkok, Thailand, expect him not to pull any punches.

Paalam will spearhead a small but determined team consisting of Rogen Ladon, Hergie Bacyadan and Criztian Pitt Laurente and eyeing a place in the quadrennial event slated July 27 to August 10 in the French capital, where they will join fellow boxers Eumir Marcial, Nesthy Petecio and Aira Villegas.

The four-man national contingent will just be a speck of the whopping 630 boxers who are desperately vying for 51 remaining Olympic quota places — 23 for women and 28 for men — that will be up for grabs for 13 weight divisions — six women and seven men.

All are aware that this will be the last doorway to the Olympics, which should make it a little tougher considering that practically everybody should be giving it their all for one last shot at glory.

Paalam will compete in the men’s 57-kilogram class despite a nagging shoulder injury that he sustained in the critical rounds of the first qualification tilt in Busto Arsizio, Italy last March.

He would need to make it to at least the top three to make the Paris cut.

Otherwise, it will be goodbye for Paalam.

For Ladon, an Olympian himself, and Bacyadan, they will wade into battle in the men’s 51kg and the women’s 75kg where four berths each are at stake.

And so is Laurente, who could punch his ticket by just making the semis in the men’s 63.5kg.

It would be nice for the country that all four end up qualifying and completing Philippine boxing’s “Magnificent Seven” in Paris.