Llover beats veteran foe, now a WBC regional champion 

Kenneth Llover (right) and Edward Heno (left) during the weigh-in. | Photo from Gerrypens Promotions Facebook page

CEBU CITY, Philippines — Unbeaten prospect Kenneth “The Lover Boy” Llover captured the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Continental bantamweight title with a hard-earned unanimous decision win against veteran Edward Heno on Sunday, November 5, 2023 in General Trias, Cavite.

The 20-year-old Llover, the current banner boxer of Gerrypens Promotions of former three-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa, passed another acid test after all three judges scored the bout 116-112 in favor of him.

Llover, a former Philippine youth bantamweight champion earned his first major regional title on Sunday, while keeping his immaculate 11W-0L, 7KOs record intact. 

Meanwhile, Heno, a veteran of 25 bouts, suffered his fourth defeat. Worse, it was Heno’s third straight loss this year which all involved regional titles in the IBF, OPBF, and WBC. 

During the bout, Llover effectively utilized his speed and accuracy. He landed his jabs perfectly, while following it up with sharp straights in the first half of their 12-rounder bout.

This was despite Heno’s aggressive style who kept pinning Llover against the ropes. 

Llover defended himself well from Heno’s combinations, while being pinned against the ropes. 

Heno kept pushing and pressuring Llover throughout the bout, but it didn’t yield him the victory as the latter landed the more telling blows. 

In the final round, Llover impressed his hometown folks when he rocked Heno with a left straight followed by a flurry of punches to seal his convincing victory. 

In his previous bouts, Llover defeated veteran Jonathan Francisco and Omega Boxing Gym prospect Benny Canete in dominating fashion. 

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