By Rey Danseco

Reigning WBO Asia Pacific flyweight champion Rexon Flores took another strong step in his bid for a world title shot by stopping Acasio Simbajon in a rematch before the start of the sixth round of their scheduled 10-round bout on Sunday night.

In other exciting bout, Filipina counter-fighter Mel Braguda and China’s multi-medallist boxer Ding Jin figured in a draw in Gabriel “Bebot” Elorde Jr. card at the Grand Flash Ballroom of Elorde Sports Center in Sucat, Parañaque City, Philippines.

The fight at 120-pound limit was originally scheduled for five rounds, but cut into three with two minutes each as amateur rules applied when they both wore headgear.

The 5-foot-2 Braguda, who was born in Sampaloc in Manila but now stays in Muntinlupa quickly crowded the five-inch taller Chinese in the opening bell and kept on her strategy until the last bell despite Jin landed cleaner punches.

Braguda, a 32-year old mother of a girl named Estelle from her American husband, used to weight 180-pound but was able to loss more than 60 lbs in just seven months and not two years as previously reported of rigorous training at Elorde Gym.

Flores (14-2-4, 8 KOs) threw more combinations and even more gutsy compare in August 27 bout against Simbajon, who suffered a nasty two-inch cut over his head from accidental headbut that forced to rule the bout as technical draw in the second round.

Flores, only 22 years old, wore down the 53-fight veteran Simbajon with power shots in the head and body in every round, forcing the Villaba, Leyte boxer to retire on his stool after taking punishments in round 5.

“Slowly but surely, I chopped him down like a thick log. And I know there’s no way for him to win as long I controlled the fight with incessant quality combinations,” said Flores, who is rated No. 4 under his desired opponent WBO flyweight king Omar Narvaez of Argentina.

On the undercard, Ronilo Sermona of Negros Occidental improved to 3-1 win-loss with 3 knockouts after stopping slick punching Marlon Malacao from Tondo, Manila with two lefts and right hooks at 48 seconds of the third of the scheduled 4-round flyweight fight.

Benny Palen (2-0, 2 KOs) scored a TKO after the end of round 3 when the exhausted Ferdie Zagado (18-16, 4 KOs) refused to fight in the fourth and final round of their super featherweight clash.

A cut on junior lightweight Ruel Santos' (0-2-1) left eyebrow from accidental headbutt with newcomer Noel Basto (0-0-1), decided the fight as a technical draw at 2:11 of the opening round.