Pinoy boxer Carlo Paalam is just a win away from an assured medal as he qualified for the quarterfinals of the men’s flyweight category at the Tokyo Olympics Saturday.

Paalam advanced to the next round, bidding goodbye to Mohamed Flissi of Algeria in the round of 16.

The Pinoy pugilist surprised the three-time Olympian Flissi right at the start of the match with his well-calculated shots, which gained him the nods of all the judges/

The fourth-seeded Algerian tried to catch up in the second and third round but Paalam held on, connecting his own shots. He eventually closed the match via unanimous decision, 5-0.

Paalam will be facing Shakhobidin Zoirov of Uzbekistan in the quarterfinals on Tuesday, August 3.

Previously, Paalam took a split decision, 4-1, in the round of 32, beating Ireland's Brendan Irvine.

• Olympics: Boxer Paalam advances to round of 16 in men's flyweight

Last March, Paalam joined national teammates Nesthy Petecio, Felix Eumir Marcial and Irish Magno among Pinoy boxers competing in Tokyo after making the cut, according to the International Olympic Committee Boxing Task Force.

The athlete clinched the bronze in the 2018 Asian Games and the gold medal in the 2019 Southeast Asian Games in the Philippines.

For breaking news and latest developments on the Summer Olympics in Tokyo, visit https://news.abs-cbn.com/tokyo-olympics

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