Filipino fighting prospect Kenneth Llover will look to get back on track on Sunday, November 15, when he takes on Indian Sagar Chouhan, after a series of changes to his comeback fight.
Yes, this time it’s for real.
Llover was originally supposed to face Sandeep Kumar, but Kumar had difficulty securing his travel documents, and the Filipino was reassigned to Neeraj Swami. That fight, scheduled for Sunday, October 24, at the Dasmariñas Arena in Dasmariñas, Cavite, was then cancelled and moved to November 15, with Chouhan as the new opponent.
Llover, a rising super bantamweight prospect who got as high as No. 8 in the IBF rankings and is currently ranked No. 25 by the WBC, suffered a stinging setback in his last fight, a split-decision loss to Michael Angeletti in an IBF title eliminator. That fight in June was a clash of unbeaten fighters, with the Filipino entering with a pristine 17-0 record with 12 KOs and the American entering with a clean 14-0 slate with 8 KOs. The winner was slated to fight IBF bantamweight champion Jose Salas Reyes of Mexico.
Unfortunately, Llover faded after a strong start, even scoring a knockdown in the second round. Angeletti survived, steadied himself in the championship rounds, and outworked Llover down the stretch to take the decision.
Still Kid Gloves for Llover’s Return Fight
Nearly five months after that crushing loss, the 23-year-old Filipino will be looking for a career reboot in his own country. And he’s still getting the kid-gloves treatment, as was the case in the original cancelled bouts.
Chouhan is an orthodox fighter based in Rohtak, India, who turned pro in September 2023. According to BoxRec and other trackers, he is approximately 9-1-3 with around five knockouts, fighting mostly in the featherweight and bantamweight range. His wins include a unanimous decision over Shanborlang Marbaniang in August 2024, a technical decision over Ali Abbas Jeddy in Thailand in February 2025, and victories over Raj Baghel, Jaskaran Singh, Sahil Chouhan, and Deepak Budhwar, whom he beat multiple times.
That record is more seasoned than Swami’s. The earlier opponent had made his pro debut only in 2025 and had fought just four times, all wins, including a decision over that same Marbaniang. Still, the step down in competition for Llover is apparent, and the gap is more like a gulf. Chouhan has never fought anyone close to Llover’s level, and he’s several weight classes down from the Filipino’s natural division.
But, to be fair, Llover is coming off a loss and is back to the proverbial drawing board. An easier fight could be exactly what he needs to regain his confidence and get back on track.
