FILIPINO Olympian Carlo Paalam will vie for the men’s 55-kilogram (kg) boxing gold medal in the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan on Friday. The last Filipino boxer standing in the ongoing games, Paalam will take on hometown bet Rui Yamaguchi as he tried to end the 16-year gold medal drought of Philippine boxing in the Asian Games. Paalam, a two-time Olympic medalist, will have experience on his side when he exchanges blows with Yamaguchi, a 22-year-old 2026 Asian Boxing Elite champion, on Friday at 12:45 p.m. (Manila time) at the Nishio Gymnasium in Aichi, Japan. The last time the Philippines won a gold medal in boxing was in 2010 when Rey Saludar topped the men’s 52-kg division in Guangzhou, China. Paalam, a crafty orthodox boxer who surprises his opponents by switching to a southpaw stance, needs to overcome Yamaguchi's tactical and technical game. An interesting similarity to point out is that both fighters are naturally right-handed but use an orthodox stance in their bouts. Amateur boxing relies more on the punches thrown and connected compared to professional boxing. Amateur boxers don’t usually focus on delivering the knockout blows but rather use tactics to land better punches. The Japanese boxer reached the gold medal round after a commanding 5-0 victory over Mongolia's Bilguunsaikhan Kharhuu. The Cagayan de Oro pride, on the other hand, booked a finals berth after prevailing over world champion Makhmud Sabyrkhan of Kazakhstan via split decision on Wednesday. “I trust myself. God knows that, and God is guiding me. All of the pressure is on us right now. I am being very patient, doing my best, and I hope God will be with me, step by step,” Paalam said. After scoring a huge victory in the semifinals, the 28-year-old Paalam posted a video of himself, sharing his manifestation.  “I am Carlo Palaam, I am the best, and I am number one, representing Cagayan de Oro,” he said in a video. Paalam’s best finish in the Asian Games was in 2018 when he captured the bronze medal in the 49kg division. He has already surpassed that milestone this year by making the final round. He was almost a year outside of the ring and even skipped the 2025 Southeast Asian Games in Thailand.