Upcoming boxer Kenneth “The Lover Boy” Llover shoots for the stars as he battles hometown bet Keita Kurihara for the Oriental and Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight title on March 24 at the Korakuen Hall in Japan.

The 22-year-old Llover stakes his pristine 13-0 record that included eight knockouts against a much older Kurihara, who previously went viral after apologizing to Filipino opponent Renan Portes in their non-title bout recently.

Kurihara, 32, holds a 19-8-1 win-loss-draw record highlighted by 16 KOs, which Llover vows not to take for granted.

“Sa laban po namin, sure po ako na dadalhin nya ako sa laro nya at iingatan ko lang po talaga sa kanya, mangko-corner siya,” said Llover, a southpaw native of Gen. Trias, Cavite.

“Lahat po kasi ng kalaban nya dinadala nya sa lubid… kaya lahat po pinag-aaralan po namin yung labas, galaw, footwork, speed, power… yun yong pinolish namin. Kasi hindi po sya basta-basta na kalaban,” he added.

It can be remembered that Llover’s debut last December on Japanese soil turned out to be a spectacular one, needing just less than a minute to send crowd favorite Tulio Dekanarudo to the canvas with a two-punch combo in the first round.

Managed by former world champion Gerry Peñalosa and supported by businessman Dioceldo Sy, Llover is confident he can pull off another splendid performance.

“Talagang pinag-ensayuhan ko po. Yung confidence ko po andun, talagang buo na. Once na tumama yung left or right na kamao ko sa kanya, talagang iindahin nya,” said Llover.

Llover and his team leaves for Japan on Saturday, March 22, to have ample time to rest in bout that hopes to turn make an impact in his future international stints.

“He reminds me of Manny (Pacquiao) way back in 1998… very similar starting point, very bata, very hungry, they need support, so here I am redoing what I did to Manny. We love to see this journey go,” said Sy, a  sports patron who also owned Blackwater Elite in the PBA.

According to TitleHolder PH – the broadcasting partner – CEO Elmer Anuran, part of their plan is to bring Llover’s future fights here in the country, including an IBF match and, hopefully, a dream match against one the Inoues, Naoya or Takuma.