By Rey Danseco
Rexon Flores and Jun Paderna successfully kept their regional boxing titles for the second time against game, but light punching Thai challengers in separate events on Friday in Cavite and Manila.
The Filipinos earned convincing unanimous decision wins over 12 rounds.
Flores dominated top ranked challenger Terdkiet Jundaeng of Thailand in their mandatory fight for the World Boxing Organization Asia Pacific flyweight title in the main event of Strike for Honor card before a capacity-crowd at the Cavite Coliseum in Bacoor.
Judges Virgilio delos Reyes and Edwin Sese scored the bout 119-109 while Rudy Perez had it 118-112 all in favor of Flores, the newly installed world’s No. 1 contender by the WBO.
Ringside TV Boxing will televise the fight in its 3-4 pm program slated on Sunday over ABC Channel 5 with this writer and the Philippines’ leading promoter Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr. joined as commentator for the second time at ringside.
Paderna wins every round, out punching the defensive challenger Kularbdang Kiatkrerin in their Pan Asian Boxing Association (PABA) super featherweight title bout in a makeshift open-air arena being installed by neophyte promoter Team Asia at Rajah Sulaiman Park in Manila.
Judges Virgilio Abainza and Gil Co both saw it correctly with identical shutout 120-108 decisions in favor of Pederna.
The third judge, Salven Lagumbay surprisingly gave a single round to Kularbdang Kiatkrerin for his final tally 119-109 also for Paderna.
Flores, native of Sto. Niño Village in Cadiz City, improved to 16-2-4 win-loss-draw with 8 knockouts. Judaeng dropped to 7-2, 2 KOs.
The brawler PABA champ Paderna, who stands small in his division at 5-5, now has 12-6-1, 6 knockouts. Samaksaman has 22-4-9, 5 KOs.
In the undercard in Manila, Philippine minimumweight champ Florante Condes (17-2, 17 KOs) has retained his title with TKO win at 2:46 mark in round 5 over WBC rated Arman dela Cruz.
Condes floored Dela Cruz with left uppercut in the neutral corner late in round 4. But Dela Cruz came back strong and hurt the champ with body blows.
In the fatal fifth round, Condes hurt the challenger in his red corner, forcing ref Virgilio Abainza to interfere and immediately count despite the boxer remained on his feet.
But at the point, Dela Cruz was not in the fight and staggered for the last time, which allowed Abainza decided save him for punishment.
In Cavite card, RP super bantamweight king Alex Escaner stopped former Pan Asian Boxing Association (PABA) bantam champ Boy Guevarra with hard right uppercut to the midsection at 2:19 in the third of their non-title fight.
