Southpaw Jr. Featherweight contender Tevin Farmer is raising the eyebrows of skeptics and the hopes of fans with his viewer friendly, scientific style.
If he continues driving his impressive winning streak through Contender Avenue, we may see him standing on the welcome mat of championship’s doorstep soon.
Round By Round Boxing recently had an opportunity to speak with the Philadelphia fighter about his career and his plans for the future.
Round By Round Boxing: How did you discover the sport of boxing?
Tevin Farmer: I was 17 or 18 when I started, I’m only 24 now. I was a good athlete, but at the time didn’t really have a sport to play. My brother had just started boxing so after a couple of weeks I went with him to the gym and have been doing it ever since.
RBRBoxing: Did you have a lot of amateur experience?
TF: I had 16 fights.
RBRBoxing: Were those all in the Philadelphia area (where you’re from)?
TF: No, they were all over the place.
RBRBoxing: Philadelphia has quite a history of great fighters, who are your favorites?
TF: Oh, man… I like a lot of the Philly fighters. I do really like Bennie Briscoe, he was one of the best… he was a monster. Definitely Joe Frazier, he’s definitely my number one, him and Bennie Briscoe both. Cyclone Hart was really good too.
RBRBoxing: You suffered a few losses early in your career; all against undefeated fighters and now you have won 12 in a row. You seem to have really stepped on the gas, what happened?
TF: Well, it was early in my career, but I can’t really call it lack of experience because when I fought those guys I was beating them early on. It’s that they were calling me to fight on short notice and I really didn’t have anyone behind me so I took it. The crazy thing is I would be winning the fight, but we would get in to the later rounds and I’d be tired.
RBRBoxing: So it was more a lack of management?
TF: I didn’t have any management, it was just me. The thing is, I could have beaten those guys at the time even with the experience that I had. I just needed the time to train.
RBRBoxing: What about now?
TF: I do have a manager now, yeah. I lost to Jose Pedraza in 2012, it was my last loss in October I think. I reached out to a friend of the family named Marcus Marrone who owns five auto body shops and he wanted to help me out. He saw me when I sparred with Danny Garcia to get him ready to fight Zab Judah and took it super serious after seeing my talent. He took over management and moved me to New Jersey and got me a strength trainer and nutritionist and that’s when you started seeing a different me.
RBRBoxing: You had a very impressive showing against undefeated Angel Luna on ESPN Friday Night Fights in April. How have things changed, was that a coming out party for you?
TF: Well, I had fought on Fox Sports before that against a Golden Boy prospect who was 14-0. I beat him then I fought a couple more fights and signed with Lou DiBella in October. I beat a guy who was 15-1 after that then I fought Luna who was 10-0. Since then I think the networks are really looking out for me because they want me on T.V. again and Lou DiBella told me that he really doesn’t want me fighting off of T.V. So that was a big step up for me.
RBRBoxing: Against Luna you would stay right in the pocket with no holding, slipping his punches and make him pay. Who the fighters who influenced that style?
TF: Well, actually I just learned it through the experience that I gained over the years, from losing and learning what to do and what not to do. Also my trainer Raseem Jefferson and Ronald River really helped me get to where I’m at today.
RBRBoxing: So what’s next for you, do you have anything signed?
TF: August 8 on HBO Latino.
RBRBoxing: Who would you most like to fight next?
TF: Honestly, I want to fight any top fighter out there right now. I think I deserve it and I think that I’m ready. I have 12 straight wins over good competition so I think it’s about time that I get a shot at one of the big fighters if they will take me. There are a lot of excuses in boxing so I don’t know if they will, but I would definitely like a rematch with Pedraza. He beat me the last time when I took the fight on three days notice so I would really like that fight plus he just became the IBF Super Featherweight world champion. I would also like a fight against Javier Fortuna. I’d like that fight because he’s young and he’s strong and he is also a southpaw.
RBRBoxing: In closing is there anything that you would like to say to the fans?
TF: Look out for Tevin Farmer; I am one of the best out and I am going to prove it. I’m going to keep fighting hard as long as they support me.
Photo by Ed Diller/DiBella Entertainment
