Filipino prospect Kenneth Llover celebrates after a TKO victory over former two-division world champion Luis Concepcion of Panama in their 10-round bantamweight bout at Winford Resort Casino in Manila.-CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
MANILA, Philippines–Kenneth Llover showed his readiness to take the next big step in his young and flourishing boxing career.
The undefeated Filipino prospect aced his toughest test yet, stopping former two-time world champion Lusi Concepcion of Panama in the eighth round of their 10-round bantamweight brawl on Sunday night at Winford Resort and Casino Manila.
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Llover put on a dazzling display in front of the home crowd, dropping Concepcion in the second and third rounds before forcing the referee to stop the bout at the 2:27 mark of round eight.
“Not all fights end quickly,” said Llover in Filipino. “He’s tough. He really gave me a good fight and a good lesson.”
The 22-year-old Llover, deemed as a world champion in the making, moved closer to fulfilling his dream as he is set for an IBF world title eliminator fight against South Africa’s Landi Ngxeke on October 26 in Kyrgyzstan.
Filipino boxing legend Gerry Peñalosa, who, along with Kameda Promotions, handles Llover, rated the explosive southpaw’s performance as a solid “eight.”
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“I’ll rank it as an eight because it’s hard to be perfect. Of course, he still has a lot to improve on although he was able to hit the mark in the early rounds and knock down his opponent twice,” said Peñalosa, who had a storied 21-year career that saw him become a world champion at super flyweight and bantamweight, in Filipino.
“He was a bit erratic, perhaps because he was too eager to finish the fight. But it was a good experience for him and he showed he’s ready for that kind of level. We’re on a different level now, we’re world caliber.”
Llover notched his third consecutive TKO win and upped his record to 15-0 with 10 knockouts while Concepcion dropped to 40-12, 29KOs).
If everything goes as planned, Llover could see himself fighting for a world title by late December or early next year.
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