By MARK REY MONTEJO
Week before his bout, rising star Kenneth “Lover Boy” Llover made a vow to make his trip back to Japan a very memorable one.
Truly, it was a lovely one.
Fighting like a whirlwind machine, Llover put on a show and scored a first-round technical knockout win over hometown bet Keita Kurihara to snare the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight belt at Korakuen Hall Monday, March 24.
The 22-year-old Llover was all business from the very start, unleashing combinations of heavy punches that dropped his Japanese foe down to the canvas, not once, but twice.
He then he followed it with a 1-2 combo which was enough to convince the referee to stop the fight.
It was Llover’s 14th win – 9 by KOs – in as many outings, boosting his stock to earn better, and perhaps more lucrative deals in the near future.
It can be remembered, the pride of Gen. Trias, Cavite made his Japan debut at Sumiyoshi SportsCenter in Osaka last December.
There, Llover made quick work of Japanese Tulio Dekanarudo (8-3-2) via a TKO as well.
Llover hopes to take on tougher rivals in the division with the popular Japanese siblings Takuma and Naoya Inoue in the radar.
