Paalam almost bid goodbye to Paris

​FILIPINO Olympic boxer Carlo Paalam has endured so much beating, borne the brunt of countless heavy punches on his 5-foot-4 frame.

But Paalam is as tough as a rock. The fight for survival as a kid in Cagayan de Oro, where he collected scraps of metal to sell and get by, hardened him and became his armor against adversities in his personal life and career as a boxer where he achieved every athlete's dream — competing in the Olympics and winning a silver medal shining like gold in Tokyo three years ago.