Promoter Oscar De La Hoya says there’s the possibility that WBC interim lightweight champion William Zepeda will fight a rematch against Tevin Farmer next after Zepeda’s injured hand recovers.
Zepeda (32-0, 27 KKOs) beat Farmer, 34, by a 10-round split decision on November 16 at The Venue in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Farmer and some fans believed that he’d done enough to deserve the victory and were unhappy about the results.
Second Meeting Eyed
Earlier in the fight, Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) had dropped Zepeda with a left hand while he was on the attack. Zepeda wasn’t hurt, but the knockout convinced Farmer and a handful of fans that he deserved the victory.
Most people thought Zepeda had won without problems other than the fourth-round knockdown. But a rematch will clarify things.
“There’s talks of maybe a rematch with Tevin Farmer. It was such a good fight,” said De La Hoya to Fight Hub TV about Zepeda potentially facing Farmer again. “It’s a matter of sitting down with Zepeda’s team and carving out a plan for him, but I do love the rematch.
The scores
Zepeda: 95-94
Farmer: 95-94
Zepeda: 95-94
A rematch will slow things up for Zepeda to challenge for a world title against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson. They had been expected to fight in the summer of 2025, but Zepeda’s hand injury and his supposedly controversial decision over Farmer will delay the fight with Stevenson.
It’s unclear whether De La Hoya is eager for Zepeda to fight Stevenson because he wouldn’t be talking about a rematch with Farmer if he wanted that match. However, De La Hoya could keep Zepeda free if Gervonta Davis shows interest in fighting him.
In 2025, he’ll need a popular fighter. He likes fighting Mexican fighters because of the interest those matches generate. Zepeda can make a lot more money fighting Tank Davis than he can Shakur, who is a fighter on the margins in terms of popularity.
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