 |
| Kenneth Llover stakes his OPBF bantamweight title against a red-hot Chinese opponent. |
MANILA—Filipino boxers John Riel Casimero and Kenneth Llover got their green light to fight on Saturday in Tokoname, Japan after both made weight during the official weigh-in on Friday.
Llover, boasting a perfect 16-0 record with 11 knockouts, stakes his OPBF bantamweight title against Chinese opponent Ayati Sailike.
Llover officially weighed in at 117.7 pounds, while Sailike was lighter at 116.6.
Playing for the fourth time this year, Llover looks to continue his climb to a future world title shot with an impressive victory against Sailike.
“This is my last fight of the year, and I want no less than an impressive performance to defend my OPBF bantamweight title,” Llover said in a statement.
“This is the kind of activity that I have always hoped for in my career, and I thank my promoters, Gerry Peñalosa and Kameda Promotions, for making it happen. Philippines, this one is for you!”
Sailike's current record (12-9-3 with five stoppages) may not be as brilliant as that of Llover, but he is on a roll too.
After a slow start that saw him losing four bouts and drawing two more before finally notching a win, Sailike is streaking, winning seven of his last nine matches including back-to-back victories in Bangkok earlier this year.
A win by Llover, currently ranked number five by the International Boxing Federation, could all but certainly set him up for a shot for the said organization's world title at 118 pounds very soon.
“With the number one and two spots in the IBF world bantamweight ranking vacant, the three and four spots reportedly fighting, and Kenneth placed in the top five, we may be looking at a world title fight for him next year,” boxing legend Gerry Peñalosa, Llover's promoter, said.
“But first, we have to overcome this test in front of us. He is not an opponent we can overlook. Our team is laser-focused on getting the job done on December 27 because only after we win that fight can we afford to look forward.”
Meanwhile, Casimero is scheduled to battle Japanese opponent Tom Mizokoshi in an eight-round showdown.
Casimero (34-5-1 with 23 KOs) is eyeing a strong end to his 2025 campaign after he got smothered last October against another Japanese foe in Kyonosuke Kameda.
Up next for the former world champ is the 11-5-2 Mizokoshi, who hails from the Aichi Prefecture and will have the hometown crowd by his side.
