By Jean Malanum
MANILA – Undefeated Filipino boxer Kenneth Llover hopes to sustain his form against Japanese Keita Kurihara in their showdown for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight title at Korakuen Hall in Tokyo on March 24.
Llover, who hails from Cavite, has a 13-0 record, including 8 knockouts, while his Japanese rival has a 19-8-1 (16 KOs) card.
“I’ve been training hard and I know that I will be ready when we face each other,” Llover said during Monday’s press conference in Quezon City.
Also present were TitleHolder chair Dioceldo Sy and former world champion Gerry Peñalosa, who also serves as Llover’s manager.
“Ken continues to improve every fight. Japan won’t be easy. Kurihara may not have a perfect record, but he’s a bigger, relentless pressure fighter that Ken has never faced before. If Ken isn’t ready, it’s going to be a long night,” Peñalosa said.
Llover won the OPBF interim bantamweight title in December following a first-round technical knockout of Japanese Tulio Dekanarudo in Osaka.
“TitleHolder is built to be the go-to platform for future Filipino champions. Boxing has always been my passion and this journey starts in the ring. Sending Kenneth Llover to Japan to face a battle-tested warrior like Kurihara is a challenge but with the right preparation, we believe he has what it takes to win,” promoter Elmer Anuran said. (PNA)
