Champion trainer Carl Peñalosa admits that Filipino power-puncher Kenneth Llover faces a formidable foe in Michael Angeletti of the United States in their world title elimination fight on 6 June in Nagoya, Japan.
“This is a very tough fight for Kenneth,” Peñalosa, one of four fighting Peñalosa brothers, told DAILY TRIBUNE on Thursday.
Llover faces Angeletti in a battle of unbeaten prospects for the right to become the mandatory challenger in the International Boxing Federation bantamweight division being ruled by Mexican Jose Salas Reyes.
“There’s only one way to beat a talented fighter like Angeletti… pressure, pressure, pressure,” Peñalosa, who trains reigning IBF minimumweight king Pedro Taduran, said.
Angeletti, 29, more than two inches taller than Llover, 23, and possesses a high-level of boxing knowledge and decent power as shown by his record of 14-0-0 win-loss-draw with eight knockouts.
Llover’s main weapon is power as shown by his 17-0-0 ledger with 12 knockouts, including four in the very first round.
“If you stand in front of him thinking that you can counter, you are mistaken. Angeletti is very talented and skillful,” he said.
Penalosa swears Llover, a southpaw, has to press the attack as early as the first round in the hopes of tiring Angeletti out and softening him up for the kill.
“Kenneth has to hurt him and make him work hard because if he can’t it will be hard for him to win,” he said.
Llover, managed by two-division world champion Gerry, younger brother of Carl Jr., has been training at the Peñalosa Gym in Bicutan with conditioning coach Alex Ariza also lending a helping hand.
Everyone inside the camp are all on the same page one as to the blueprint to beat Angeletti.
“We all agree on one thing. Kenneth has to be there right in front of Angeletti every single time. He can’t afford not to.”