By REYNALD MAGALLON
Kenneth Llover just couldn’t keep the strong start and lost steam in the middle rounds to absorb his first taste of defeat at the hands of Michael Angeletti in their International Boxing Federation (IBF) bantamweight title eliminator at the Aichi Sky Expo in Japan on Saturday.
The Filipino prospect came out strong through the first three rounds, even scoring a knockdown in the second but struggled against the tactical counter punching of the longer and more rugged American as the fight went on.
Llover dropped to 17-1 with 12 knockouts, while Angeletti remained unbeaten at 15-0 and secured a future IBF title shot against reigning champion Jose Salas Reyes.
Angeletti began taking control of the contest in the fourth round as he landed slick jabs and timely counters against the pressing Llover.
Although still searching for the big punch that could turn the tide of the bout, the Filipino already looked winded by the eighth as Angeletti continued to land the more significant punches.
Llover actually got the break in the second round when the referee ruled a knockdown to his favor. Angeletti seemed to have tripped himself although it came after a Llover punch landed on his guard.
