Tevin Farmer believes his fourth-round knockdown should’ve won him a close decision over William Zepeda on Saturday.
Philadelphia’s Farmer, 34, lost a split decision to 28-year-old Zepeda of Mexico in a WBC interim lightweight championship in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Judges scored the bout 95-94, 94-95, and 95-94 in favor of Zepeda.
Farmer, 33-7-1 (8 KOs), described the contest as a close one which could’ve been determined by the fourth-round knockdown.
“Absolutely,” admitted Farmer when asked if he thinks he deserved the decision. “I think the knockdown edged me out for sure. That’s why when you say 94-95, I just knew I had it because of the knockdown. And fights like these, knockdowns definitely make a difference.”
The decision handed former IBF junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer his second consecutive defeat this year, following a loss to Raymond Muratalla in July. The Philadelphia native Farmer faced two of the division’s hottest talents in Muratalla and Farmer and believes he proved his mettle.
“It was good but you see, I handled it. But for a veteran like me, it was just something that I’ve seen already. So, I brought the fight to him. Like I told you, he wouldn’t have to find me. I’ll be right there.”
Meanwhile, Zepeda, 32-0 (27 KOs), has gone 3-0 this year, including significant victories over Giovanni Cabrera and Farmer. With the WBC interim title in the bag, Zepeda is in line to challenge champion Shakur Stevenson next year.
When asked about his strategy going into the fight, Farmer said “This guy has been stopping his last 11, 12 opponents and you see what I just did. So, I mean, it is what it is. I will go back with my family. I had a hard training camp. You see, we went to the war hall.
“My goal was to put pressure on him. I think if I would let him dictate the pace, it’d probably be too much. That’s what a lot of young fighters don’t know. When you’re fighting against a guy that comes forward, you gotta kinda make them go backwards. Because the only thing they can do is go forward.
“So, we made them go backwards. They really can’t fight that well.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist with a specialty in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” in his native Ghana for years. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter) at @BernardNeequaye, LinkedIn at Bernard Neequaye and through email at [email protected].
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