GOOD things appears to be coming the way of rising boxer Kenneth Llover.
After winning the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation bantamweight title last March, the 22-year-old Filipino fighter is bringing his talent to the rich Japanese boxing circuit after being signed to a co-promotional fight by Kameda Promotions.
Gerry Penalosa inked the contract with Kameda chief executive officer Tomoki Kameda in Japan recently. The contract is good for 15 months.
READ Llover scores 1st round KO of Japanese foe to wrest OPBF crown
Llover must have caught the attention of Japanese boxing promoters following his first-round destruction of Keita Kurihara to win the OPBF crown at the Korakuen Hall.
The fight was the second straight win in Japan for the 22-year-old native of General Trias, Cavite. His debut bout in Japan also ended in a first-round knockout of Tulio Dekanarudo last December.
But it was his title fight against Kurihara that impressed Penalosa and handlers Elmer Anuran of Saved By The Bell and Ever Billena owner Dioceldo Sy.
“May beke (mumps) siya na nagsisimula pa lang nung eve ng laban. Hindi pa naman malaki pero uncomfortable na siya,” recalled Penalosa, who recently lost his brother, former boxer and trainer Jonathan Penalosa, to cancer.
Added Anuran, “So nun day of the fight nung nasa dressing room na kami medyo nilalagnat na siya. Kaya sabi niya kailangan tapusin ito agad.”
Llover did exactly that, twice knocking down Kurihara with left hooks, before unleashing a solid straight left that prompted referee Koji Tanaka to stop the fight at the 2:33 mark of the opening round.
The win raised Llover’s record to 14-0 with 9 KOs.
According to Penalosa, initial plans for Llover’s first fight under the co-promotional setup will have the Filipino fighting Mexican Christian Medina Jimenez in a title elimination bout this September in Nagoya, Japan.
Medina holds a 24-4 record, with 17 KOs.
Get more of the latest sports news & updates on SPIN.ph
NOTICE ON UNAUTHORIZED AND UNLAWFUL USE, PUBLICATION, AND/OR DISSEMINATION OF SPIN.PH CONTENT: Please be notified that any unauthorized and unlawful use, publication, and/or dissemination of Spin.ph’s content and/or materials is a direct violation of its legal and exclusive rights to the same, and shall be subject to appropriate legal action/s.
