Llover nears IBF title shot
By Joaquin Henson
PhilBoxing.com
Tue, 19 Aug 2025
Fresh from disposing of former two-time world champion Luis Concepcion, unbeaten IBF No. 8 bantamweight Kenneth (Lover Boy) Llover is now a step closer to sealing a crack at the IBF belt but it’s still a win away.
Llover floored Concepcion twice enroute to notching a TKO win at 2:27 of the eighth round in the Winford Resort and Casino Manila last Sunday. A left hook to the jaw sent the Panamanian down in the second frame and a right uppercut to the chin produced another trip to the canvas in the third. Llover, a southpaw, displayed power in both fists. But Concepcion survived the knockdowns, battled back like a proud warrior and as Llover appeared to lose steam, stepped up his attack. Llover, however, got his second wind and in the eighth, left Concepcion defenseless under a barrage of unanswered power shots, promoting referee Carlo Baluyut to step in.
The IBF 118-pound strap will be relinquished by champion Junto Nakatani who has announced his decision to move up to the superbantamweight division. Picked to dispute the soon-to-be vacant throne are No. 3 Jose Salas Reyes of Mexico and No. 6 Riku Masuda of Japan. In a title eliminator, Llover will face No. 5 Landile Ngxeke of South Africa in a Koki Kameda promotion in Kyrgyzstan on Oct. 26. The winner of the Reyes-Masuda fight will make his first title defense against the survivor of the Llover-Ngxeke bout.
Kameda, a former three-division world champion, was at ringside when Llover took out Concepcion and co-promoted the event with Gerry Penalosa. The bout was aired live on OneSports and Travel TV in Japan. Penalosa said it was providential that Llover got a workout over eight rounds with Concepcion as in his two previous outings, he won by a first round KO. “Worth every dollar we paid Concepcion,” said Penalosa. “He went down twice but never backed off. We wanted a test for Kenneth. When we contacted Concepcion, he had several take-it-or-leave-it demands. He asked to come at least nine days before the fight to acclimatize and his purse of $25,000 was non-negotiable. He was determined to win.”
Llover, 22, said after scoring two knockdowns, he couldn’t believe Concepcion was still standing. “Ang tibay niya, ayaw sumuko,” he said. “Bugbog serado na siya hanggang tinigil ng referee.” Concepcion, 39, was rescued from further punishment by Baluyut and earned every penny of his paycheck.
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