FAST-RISING Filipino boxing prospect Kenneth Llover kept his unbeaten record intact with a commanding stoppage victory over former two-division world champion Luis Concepcion in their bantamweight bout on Sunday night at the Winford Resort and Casino in Manila.
The 22-year-old Llover, long regarded as a future world champion in the making, took another decisive step toward that goal. He is now lined up for an IBF world title eliminator against South Africa’s Landi Ngxeke on October 26 in Kyrgyzstan—a win that could put him on the doorstep of a world championship bout.
Llover wasted no time asserting himself against Concepcion, dropping the Panamanian veteran in both the second and third rounds. True to his reputation, Concepcion showed grit and championship toughness, repeatedly beating the count and pressing forward despite taking heavy punishment from the hometown favorite.
The breakthrough came in the eighth round, when Llover unleashed a relentless flurry of unanswered punches. Though Concepcion refused to go down, he could no longer defend himself, forcing the referee to step in at the 2:27 mark of Round 8. The victory gave Llover a technical knockout win—his third straight stoppage—and improved his record to 15-0 with 10 knockouts. Concepcion fell to 40-12 (29 KOs).
“Matibay siya,” Llover said after the fight. “Hindi talaga matatapos lahat ng laban ng maaga. Binigyan niya ako ng magandang laban at magandang lesson.”
(“He’s tough. Not all fights end quickly. He really gave me a good fight and a good lesson.”)
The card was co-promoted by Gerrypens Promotions and Kameda Promotions. Filipino boxing legend Gerry Peñalosa, who co-manages Llover, praised the young southpaw’s performance but also pointed out room for growth.
“Marami pang dapat i-improve, pero siguro dahil gigil lang siya dahil gusto niya tapusin agad,” said Peñalosa, a former two-division world champion himself. “Pero ibang level na si Kenneth—world caliber na siya.”
