‘Lover Boy’ guns for OPBF crown

Heavy-handed Filipino southpaw Kenneth Llover bids to dethrone Keita Kurihara as Orient-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight king when they clash Monday at the Korakuen Hall in Tokyo.

The undefeated Llover, who packs a 13-0-0 win-loss-draw card with eight knockouts, will be fighting for the second time on Japanese soil following his auspicious debut last December in Osaka where he needed just 59 seconds to knock out Tulio Dekanarudo.

Kurihara, holder of a 19-8-1 slate with 16 knockouts, had won the OPBF 118-lb plum by stopping Filipino Froilan Saludar early last year in Cebu City.

Now rated within the top 15 by the International Boxing Federation, Llover, nicknamed “Lover Boy”, hails from General Santos City and is regarded as one of the country’s brightest prospects.