Carlo Paalam is now just one victory away from fighting for the Asian Games gold medal.
The Tokyo Olympic silver medalist has reached the semifinals of the men’s 55kg boxing competition at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games after surviving a close quarterfinal battle against China’s Zhang Jiamao.
And this is where things get even more interesting.
Waiting for Paalam in the semifinal is Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan — a reigning world champion and, importantly, a boxer Paalam has already defeated before.
The semifinal is scheduled on Wednesday, September 30, at the Nishio Gymnasium in Japan. Paalam is expected to fight at around 1:30 p.m. Philippine time in the first men’s 55kg semifinal bout. Philstar
Here’s everything Filipino boxing fans need to know about Carlo Paalam’s Asian Games semifinal — including his opponent, schedule, Philippine time, road to the semifinals and latest result.
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Carlo Paalam Asian Games 2026 Semifinal Schedule
Here are the important details:
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Event | Asian Games 2026 Boxing |
| Division | Men’s 55kg |
| Round | Semifinal |
| Match | Carlo Paalam vs Makhmud Sabyrkhan |
| Paalam | Philippines |
| Sabyrkhan | Kazakhstan |
| Date | Wednesday, September 30, 2026 |
| Philippine Time | Around 1:30 p.m. |
| Venue | Nishio Gymnasium, Japan |
| Result | To be determined |
The September 30 boxing program places the two men’s 55kg semifinals at 11:00 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. India time, equivalent to 1:30 p.m. and 1:45 p.m. in the Philippines. Paalam and Sabyrkhan are in the first semifinal pairing based on their positions in the completed quarterfinal bracket.
As always with boxing tournaments, the actual ring walk can move slightly depending on how quickly the earlier bouts finish, so Filipino fans may want to tune in a little earlier.
Carlo Paalam vs Makhmud Sabyrkhan
This is definitely not an easy semifinal for Paalam.
Makhmud Sabyrkhan is one of Kazakhstan’s top boxers and won the 55kg world title at the 2025 World Boxing Championships in Liverpool. He has also collected major titles at the world and Asian levels, establishing himself as one of the strongest fighters in the division. Philstar
But there is something that should make this matchup especially interesting for Filipino fans:
Paalam has beaten Sabyrkhan before.
The two met in the final of the 2022 ASBC Asian Elite Boxing Championships in Amman, Jordan. Paalam defeated the Kazakh boxer by a 4-1 decision to capture the bantamweight gold medal.
Of course, that fight happened four years ago.
Sabyrkhan has improved significantly since then, and Paalam himself acknowledged that previous results do not necessarily mean much when two elite fighters meet again.
Both boxers have continued developing, making this semifinal almost like an entirely new matchup.
How Carlo Paalam Reached the Semifinals
Paalam’s road to the medal round has not exactly been comfortable.
In the round of 16, the Filipino defeated India’s Jadumani Singh Mandengbam to advance to the quarterfinals.
There, he faced China’s Zhang Jiamao.
And this one was close.
Paalam eventually escaped with a 3-2 split-decision victory, earning three 29-28 scorecards from the judges. Zhang received the other two cards, including one 30-27 score. Philstar
The Filipino built his advantage during the first two rounds.
Paalam won the opening round on three judges’ cards before performing even better in the second, where four judges gave him the round.
Zhang then came out aggressively in the third.
All five judges awarded the final round to the Chinese boxer, but Paalam had already done enough during the first six minutes to protect his lead and take the fight. Philstar
That victory guaranteed Paalam at least a bronze medal.
Carlo Paalam Is Already Guaranteed an Asian Games Medal
One important thing to remember about Asian Games boxing is that both semifinal losers receive bronze medals.
There is no separate bronze-medal fight.
That means simply reaching the semifinals has already guaranteed Paalam a medal.
It will be his second Asian Games medal after he also won bronze at the 2018 Jakarta Asian Games. Philstar
But you can probably guess what Paalam wants now.
He didn’t travel to Japan just to match his previous bronze.
A victory over Sabyrkhan would guarantee him at least silver and send him into the gold-medal bout.
Paalam Is the Last Filipino Boxer Standing
There is also extra pressure surrounding this fight because Paalam is the only remaining member of the Philippine boxing team still competing.
Nesthy Petecio, Aira Villegas, Riza Pasuit, Norlan Petecio and Junmilardo Ogayre have all been eliminated from their respective divisions.
That makes Paalam’s medal even more important.
His quarterfinal victory ensured that Philippine boxing would once again leave the Asian Games with a medal.
And now he has the opportunity to do something even bigger.
The Philippines has been waiting for another Asian Games boxing gold since Rey Saludar won the men’s 52kg title at Guangzhou 2010.
Paalam could end that drought.
But first, he has to get through Sabyrkhan.
Who Is Makhmud Sabyrkhan?
For Filipinos who may not follow amateur boxing closely, Makhmud Sabyrkhan is not just another opponent standing between Paalam and the final.
He is one of the biggest names in international amateur boxing.
The Kazakh fighter won the 2025 world championship in Liverpool and has collected other major international championships during his career. At the Asian Games, he reached the semifinal by defeating Iran’s Mehdi Kazemi before beating South Korea’s Shin Jaeyong in the quarterfinals. Philstar
That quarterfinal victory over Shin came by a 3-1 decision with one judge scoring the contest even. Philstar
So both men arrive in the semifinal after competitive fights.
Why Their Previous Fight Matters
The 2022 meeting between Paalam and Sabyrkhan adds another layer to this semifinal.
Paalam won that fight 4-1.
That shows he already knows what it feels like to share the ring with Sabyrkhan — and more importantly, he knows he can beat him.
But Paalam himself is not treating that previous victory as some kind of guarantee.
He stressed after reaching the semifinals that boxers continue improving every year and that there is little room for mistakes at this level. Dugout Philippines
That seems like exactly the right mindset for this particular matchup.
The Paalam who fought Sabyrkhan in 2022 is different today.
And so is Sabyrkhan.
What Happens If Carlo Paalam Wins?
If Paalam defeats Sabyrkhan, he will advance to the men’s 55kg gold-medal fight on Friday.
The other semifinal features Japan’s Rui Yamaguchi against Mongolia’s Bilguunsaikhan Kharkhuu.
So the Asian Games final would be:
Carlo Paalam vs Rui Yamaguchi or Bilguunsaikhan Kharkhuu.
Philstar reports that the winner of Paalam-Sabyrkhan will face the winner of that second semifinal in Friday’s championship bout.
A win would also guarantee Paalam his best Asian Games finish.
He took bronze in Jakarta in 2018 before falling in the quarterfinals of the Hangzhou Asian Games in the 57kg division.
Carlo Paalam Asian Games 2026 Result
As of early Wednesday, September 30, the semifinal has not yet taken place.
Current result:
Carlo Paalam vs Makhmud Sabyrkhan — Result pending.
Paalam is already guaranteed at least a bronze medal after beating Zhang Jiamao, 3-2, in the quarterfinals. A semifinal victory will move him into the gold-medal match and upgrade that guaranteed medal to at least silver. Philippine News Agency
This section can be updated with the official scores once the fight finishes.
Where to Watch Carlo Paalam at the Asian Games
Cignal is the official Philippine broadcaster of the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
Coverage of the Games is being distributed through platforms including One Sports, RPTV, One Sports+, Cignal’s Asian Games pop-up channel and Cignal Play. Specific events shown on each platform can vary depending on the day’s broadcast schedule.
Because Paalam is fighting in a medal-round boxing bout, Filipino viewers should check the latest One Sports and Cignal programming close to fight time.
A Huge Fight for Carlo Paalam and Philippine Boxing
There is already a medal waiting for Carlo Paalam.
But somehow, this semifinal feels much bigger than bronze.
Paalam is the last Filipino boxer left in the tournament. He is facing a world champion. He is trying to improve on the bronze medal he won eight years ago. And he has an opportunity to move the Philippines within one fight of its first Asian Games boxing gold since 2010.
Then there is the history between the two fighters.
Paalam has already defeated Sabyrkhan once.
Now he has to do it again when the stakes are even higher.
Carlo Paalam faces Kazakhstan’s Makhmud Sabyrkhan in the Asian Games 2026 men’s 55kg semifinal on Wednesday, September 30, at around 1:30 p.m. Philippine time.
Whatever happens, Paalam has already secured another Asian Games medal for the Philippines.
The next question is whether that medal will stay bronze — or whether he can punch his way into Friday’s fight for gold.
