Following his smashing showing in Osaka before the end of 2024, undefeated Filipino bantamweight Kenneth Llover made it to the top 15 in the latest ratings released by the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Llover, who knocked out Japanese Tulio Dekanarudo in under one minute before a stunned crowd at the Sumiyoshi Sports Center, came in at No. 13 in the division ruled by Ryosuke Nishida.
Now holding a 13-0 win-loss card with eight knockouts, Llover is being groomed for bigger things by his chief handler, two-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa.
“If an attractive offer (abroad) doesn’t come, I will stage his fight in March,” said Peñalosa, who remains thrilled by Llover’s surprisingly easy victory even a month after the fight.
Despite his promising showing, Llover has to rack up a few more wins to make himself a worthy world title challenger.
Meanwhile, other Filipino fighters making great inroads include Joey Canoy in the minimumweight class at No. 3, ahead of No. 4 and former champion Ginjiro Shigeoka, both likely to square off for the right to become the division’s mandatory challenger.
Also improving are ex-unified world super-bantamweight titlist Marlon Tapales, now rated No. 3, former interim world bantam king Reymart Gaballo at No. 11 in the bantamweight category, Ar-Ar Andales at No. 14 at light-fly and Esneth Domingo at No. 4 at fly.