KENNETH Llover continues his hot streak with another impressive finish.
Llover snagged the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight title after knocking out Japanese veteran Keita Kurihara in the first round on Monday, March 24, 2025, at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo, Japan.
The 22-year-old Llover, one of the hottest prospects of the Philippines, dropped Kurihara with a solid left.
Although Kurihara beat the referee’s count, Llover immediately knocked him down again with an overhand left.
Kurihara once again beat the referee’s 10-count, but Llover quickly unleashed a barrage of solid punches that forced the referee to step in and stop the fight at the 2:33 mark.
With the victory, Llover remains undefeated at 14-0 with nine knockouts, while Kurihara fell to 19-9-1 with
16 knockouts.
Llover came into the fight as the interim OPBF bantamweight champion after winning the belt with a first-round stoppage of Japanese boxer Tulio Dekanarudo last year in Japan.
Llover is currenlty ranked No. 12 by the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and No. 31 by the World Boxing Council (WBC). / EKA