MANILA, Philippines – Former world title contender Jeo Santisima and prime prospect Kenneth Llover made the Philippines proud by stopping homegrown opponents on Sunday, December 15, at the Sumiyoshi Sports Center in Osaka, Japan.
Santisima caught Hiro Ichimichi with a left-right combination, followed up with two hard rights, then bombarded his taller rival with head punches to force the referee to halt the super featherweight bout in the third of a scheduled eight-rounder.
The unbeaten Llover was even more impressive, catching Tulio Dekanarudo with an overhand left and a short right hook in the first round of their battle for the interim Orient Pacific Boxing Federation (OPBF) bantamweight crown.
Llover, supported by two-division world champion Gerry Peñalosa, climbed to 13-0 with 8 knockouts and improved his chances of landing a world title eliminator next year.
In clinching the World Boxing Council (WBC) Asian Continental super featherweight belt, the 28-year-old Santisima, a pillar of ZIP Sanman Promotions headed by JC Manangquil, climbed to a 25-win, 7-loss, including three in Japan, record with 21 KOs.
Despite giving up 3 1/2 inches in height and 5 1/2 inches in reach, Santisima dominated Ichimichi, who fell to 8-3-1 with 6 knockouts and lined himself up for another world title run.
Santisima, being trained by Michael Domingo, registered 59.8 kg (131.6 pounds) during the official weigh-in on Saturday, slightly heavier than Ichimachi’s 59.4 kg (130.7 lbs). – Rappler.com
