PH fighter sets sights on OPBF bantam title

Kenneth Llover —DENISON REY A. DALUPANG

Kenneth Llover, one of the country’s rising boxing stars, knows he is about to step into the biggest fight of his career next week when he tackles Keita Kurihara in a unification bout for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight crown.

And he’s leaving nothing to chance.

“We put in the hard work in training and sparring, and we’ll show it in the ring,” Llover said in Filipino during a press conference held Monday afternoon at a restaurant in Quezon City.

“We’ve been preparing well. Like in a war, we’ve stockpiled ammo, especially for the early rounds he will be trying to get me into brawling because [our team knows] that’s what he plans to do,” he added.

Llover, unbeaten through 13 matches with eight knockouts to show for, shoots to become the OPBF’s undisputed champion. But Kurihara is shaping up as quite a roadblock with his 19-8-1 pro record built on twice as many KOs.

Gerry Peñalosa, a former world champion who manages the 22-year-old southpaw from General Trias, Cavite, expects the bid to be challenging. But it should be also the way the other camp should view the fight, which will be held at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan on March 24.

“Fighting Keita? He’s a champion so it’s going to be tough. But knowing Kenneth, I can see his hunger as a fighter,” he said. “And that also makes him tough to fight. He has the tools to become a champion with the right discipline [and] proper guidance.”

Inoues next?

Peñalosa was joined by Dioceldo Sy of Blackwater alongside Elmer Anuran of Titleholder, who are both coming in as major backers of Llover.

Kurihara won the bantamweight strap back on Oct. 12, 2023, defeating Filipino Froilan Saludar via a first-round technical knockout. With the Kurihara unable to defend the title, the OPBF then sanctioned an interim match pitting Llover and another Japanese, Tulio Dekanarudo, last December in Osaka, which the young Caviteño won in the opening round.

A Llover win in the Japanese metropolis next week will not only make Llover stand alone in the bantamweight division of OPBF, a pro boxing organization that also once served as a stepping stone for the great Manny Pacquiao. It will also pave the way for a long game towards global acclaim where the likes of Takuma Inoue and his peerless brother Noaya are among the targets.

Llover is looking forward to the journey.

“I’ve prepared well. I am confident that I will hurt him if I get to land my left or right hand against him,” Llover said.

“I’m confident that we’re not only going to win, but we’re going to win impressively,” Peñalosa said. INQ