Bracing for battle

Luis Concepcion of Panama has evil plans for Philippine boxing he plans to unleash next week.

His target is the fast-rising Filipino bantamweight Kenneth “Lover Boy” Llover, who faces Concepcion on 17 August at the Winford Resort and Casino in Manila.

Llover, the reigning Orient-Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) 118-pound champion, is a hot prospect with an equally-sizzling professional win-loss record of 14-0 with nine knockouts, including four in the very first round.

Though his OPBF strap won’t be at stake since the Concepcion clash is a non-title affair, a lot is at stake in this fight for Llover, who is being groomed this early as a future world champion.

Likened to the legendary Manny Pacquiao, the southpaw Llover is coming off back-to-back first-round knockout wins on Japanese soil.

That feat got the attention of a lot of promotional outfits but it was Kameda Promotions that signed the 22-year-old to a contract.

Represented by two-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa, Llover is the tailend of his preparation for this much-awaited duel with Concepcion.

While he is already 39 years of age and inactive since 2023, Concepcion remains a formidable foe considering his vast experience and his being a two-division titleholder as well.

Armed with a 40-11 mark with 29 knockouts, Concepcion is coming to win, according to somebody with knowledge of the promotion.

“He is not making that long trip from Central America to Asia just to serve as cannon fodder,” said the ringsider on Thursday.

In fact, unlike most of the visiting fighters, Concepcion is arriving way ahead of the scheduled bout.

He is expected to land in Manila this Sunday to get used to the local conditions and ensure he is no longer feeling the effects of jet lag by the time he answers the ball.

As a precaution, Peñalosa recruited the renowned strength and conditioning coach Alex Ariza, who used to work with Pacquiao.

If Llover lives up to the hype, expect him to figure in a big fight before the year comes to a close since he is under Kameda Promotions.

But first, he has to take care of business next week.