Tevin Farmer, Philadelphia’s top-ranked Super Featherweight, is slated to face Japan’s Kenichi Ogawa for the IBF world title Saturday, December 9 on HBO. Is this just the warm-up though?
All photos by Marilyn Paulino/RBRBoxing
Super Featherweight contender Tevin Farmer (25-4-1, 5 KOs) has overcome four losses – including a pair of early career stoppages – to earn a Top-10 ranking by multiple sanctioning bodies in boxing.
Unfortunately, Farmer’s unblemished record from 2013 to the present hadn’t impressed Mayweather Promotions founder Floyd Mayweather Jr. enough to sign off on a bout with the first ballot Hall of Famer’s protégé Gervonta “Tank” Davis (19-0, 18 KOs).
Davis previously held the belt Farmer competes for December 9, until some weight issues cost the power-punching Baltimore southpaw his title before his last bout against Francisco Fonseca.
Prior to Fonseca being named Davis’ opponent – a fight that took place on the Floyd Mayweather versus Conor McGregor undercard – Farmer had publicly and directly lobbied for a title shot with Davis. The two young fighters even engaged in a heated confrontation following Vasyl Lomachenko‘s victory over Jason Sosa back in April. Once the footage of the altercation made the rounds through social media, it seemed like Farmer might’ve successfully placed his name on the short list of potential Davis opponents.
The end result was Farmer was no closer to a fight than he was prior to the two sharing words inside Oxon Hill, Maryland’s MGM National Harbor. However, for those who weren’t as familiar with Farmer before, the altercation was reason to hit the internet to see whether the four-loss fighter had a legitimate case.
The video of the heated exchange ultimately carried over to the two fighters’ social media accounts where the rivalry’s war of words has steadily burned for the past several months. The beef reached its crescendo in late-July when reports surfaced that Farmer was shot in the hand during an altercation.
Davis, 22, took apart Jose Pedraza as Davis walked away with his first world title.
While many in the boxing world naturally expressed thoughts of concern for Farmer’s well-being and a successful recovery, Davis flippantly weighed in on Twitter (in a tweet that’s since be removed) with the savage adjacent, “You have to move different little boy.”
Now, as the fully healed Farmer prepares for his December 9 showdown with Ogawa for Davis’ vacant IBF title, the heat of the furor between the two rivals continues to rise in Fahrenheit degrees.
Just two days ago Davis scoffed at Farmer praising his own evolving defensive prowess.
You should stop post videos. You are very trash and the more you post them you showing how trash you are! No power, No speed, no nothing https://t.co/wruWkzs6Zx
— Gervonta Davis (@Gervontaa) October 19, 2017
Farmer countered some of Davis’ criticism with a reference to some potential legal issues Davis may possibly face.
You just kO’d out a 16yr old on camera you sucka. We classy. We don’t post beating up on people. If it was Iike that. I can post 1 everyday.
— TEVIN FARMER (@TevinFarmer22) October 19, 2017
One important concern is that Farmer doesn’t allow Davis’ constant prodding on Twitter to cause him to overlook the current job at hand – Ogawa. A world title shot, albeit not against Davis, is what Farmer coveted per many of his posts to his Instagram account.
An opportunity at a world title is what compelled the Philly native to skip the normal channels of negotiations with Davis while exiting the Lomachenko fight.
Now that the late-starting Farmer has fought his way onto the doorstep of the elite at the Super Featherweight division, if a IBF champion Farmer versus Davis title fight does come to fruition, the matchup would be an interesting clash of Farmer’s mix of slick boxing and elusive defensive skills versus Davis’ dazzling array of explosive power punches.
With Davis apparently needing Farmer a lot more these days than he did six months ago, fans might enjoy the pairing, seeing as it’s a highly likely matchup as opposed to the coveted fight with Lomachenko that could be years in the making.
One interesting aspect of the ongoing Davis-Farmer feud is that after Davis disappointingly failed to make weight to defend his title against Fonseca, it’s encouraging that the Under Armour endorsed knockout specialist seemingly intends to remain at the 130-pound fighting limit. That move keeps matters a little more intriguing at 130, 135 and 140 for the time being.
