Patience pays off for Llover

MANILA, Philippines — Patience, indeed, is a virtue.

Following back-to-back wins in the first round, Filipino boxer Kenneth Llover took his time and secured a technical knockout victory over Luis Concepcion in the eighth round of their bantamweight clash Sunday at Winford Resort and Casino Manila.

The 22-year-old Llover knocked the Panamanian former two-division world champion down in the second and third rounds, but it took him five more stanzas to completely take Concepcion out.

After the match, the pride of General Trias, Cavite said that aside his team told him not to rush things.

“Yung round na yun, talagang binigay naman sa akin ni Sir Gerry Peñalosa na huwag akong magmamadali. Kasi hindi lang yung kalaban namin lagi naming nakukuha sa first round. Talagang andyan yun gagamit kami ng strategy. Gagamit kami ng oras na hindi tayo pwedeng magmadali sa lahat ng bagay,” he told reporters.

“Kasi ang pinaghahandaan po namin is world champion. Hindi lang ito yung Asia-Pacific. Talagang ang pinaghahandaan namin dito, puso sa puso, talagang laban kung laban,” he added.

It also did not help that Concepcion’s chin was tremendous.

“Nagulat ako noon, yung unang knockdown ko, kasi sa akin yung first knockdown na yun, yun yung inaabangan ko talaga sa laban namin. Sabi ko, pag nangyari yun, tapos na eh. Tapos na boxing eh. Pero nakita ko yung talagang tibay niya,” he said.

“Yung tibay niya na pinakita sa akin sa loob ng ring talagang binigay niya yung best niya sa akin. Talagang sabi ko, tatagal kami ng round nito,” he added.

Llover sent Concepcion crashing to the canvas in the second round with a left hook. And a right uppercut put down the Panamanian once again in the third round.

Still, the 39-year-old veteran kept himself in it, connecting on Llover as well.

But Concepcion's resolve lasted only until the eighth round, when the Filipino unleashed a barrage of punches that forced the referee to halt the fight.

“Hindi po [ako na-frustrate] kasi expected ko na po yun sa laban namin ngayon na talagang aabot kami sa mahabang round. Then yun naman yung sinabi sa akin ni Sir Gerry Peñalosa na malakas yan. Mag-ingat ka,” he said.

“Then nung time na knockdown ko siya, di akong nagmadali. Talagang hindi ko siya tinapos kasi once na mamadaling ko yun, pwede akong ako yung madehado, ako yung matsambahan. Kaya, talagang nag-ingat ako na hanggang makuha ko siya sa tamang round na yun yung biniyaya ng Diyos ko kanina.”

Llover is expected to return to action in October. He said he will rest for a week and will resume training for a world title eliminator against International Boxing Federation No. 5 bantamweight contender Landi Ngxeke.