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| Kenneth Llover could not sustain his early dominance and fell to Michael Angeletti. Gerrypens Promotions (file photo) |
MANILA—Filipino boxing prospect Kenneth “The Lover Boy” Llover suffered the first defeat of his professional career after dropping a hard-fought split decision to American contender Michael Angeletti in their 12-round IBF bantamweight title eliminator on Saturday at the Aichi Sky Expo in Tokuname, Japan.
Llover started brightly and appeared on his way to a breakthrough victory after scoring a knockdown in the second round.
The Filipino caught Angeletti with a clean shot that sent the American to the canvas.
Angeletti immediately protested the ruling, insisting it was a slip, but referee Koji Tanaka ruled it an official knockdown.
The knockdown helped Llover gain momentum during the early rounds as he consistently pressured the unbeaten American.
However, Angeletti gradually found his rhythm and began taking control of the fight in the championship rounds, using his movement and ring generalship to score points down the stretch.
After 12 competitive rounds, the judges turned in scorecards of 115-112 and 116-111 for Angeletti, while the third judge favored Llover, 115-112, resulting in a split-decision victory for the American.
With the win, Angeletti improved his record to 15-0 with eight knockouts and secured his position as the mandatory challenger for IBF bantamweight champion Jose Salas Reyes of Mexico.
Llover, meanwhile, fell to 17-1 with 12 knockouts.
Despite the setback, the Filipino contender showed he belongs among the division's top fighters and remains a strong candidate for future opportunities on the world stage.
In the co-featured attraction, former Filipino world champion John Riel Casimero delivered an emphatic statement by stopping former two-division world champion Luis Nery of Mexico in the fourth round.
Casimero came out aggressively from the opening bell and overwhelmed Nery, scoring three knockdowns in the first round alone.
The Filipino veteran continued his dominance by sending Nery to the canvas once more in both the second and third rounds.
The end came in the fourth round when Casimero landed a solid left hand to the head that left Nery unable to continue, prompting the referee to wave off the contest.
The victory improved Casimero's record to 36 wins, five losses, and one draw with 25 knockouts, while Nery dropped to 37 wins and three losses with 28 knockouts.
Adding to Nery's disappointing night was the fallout from his failure to make the agreed 124-pound catchweight limit during the official weigh-in.
The Japan Boxing Commission imposed a six-month suspension and ordered the Mexican boxer to forfeit a percentage of his purse to Casimero as part of the penalties for the weight violation.
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