Tevin “American Idol” Farmer & Kenichi Ogawa for IBF 130 Title
By: Ken Hissner
Philadelphia’s Tevin “American Idol” Farmer will get his vacant IBF World Super Featherweight shot this Saturday at the Mandalay Hotel & Casino Events Center in Las Vegas, NV.
The southpaw Farmer, 25-4-1 (5), hasn’t lost since October of 2012 when he lost to then future world champion Jose Pedraza. He’s won eighteen straight bouts. He is promoted by DiBella Entertainment.
In Farmer’s last fight which was in April he defeated Arturo Santos Reyes, 19-7. A year ago Farmer defended the NABF title defeating Dardan Zanunaj, 12-2. He won that title defeating former world champion Gamaliel Diaz, 39-13-3 in March of 2016.
Farmer is trained by Raul “Chino” Rivas in Cherry Hill, NJ. Rivas also trains now former world champion Jason Sosa among others.
Farmer came to the attention of boxing fans back on January of 2014 defeating Noel Echevarria, 11-1. In his next bout on the cable TV he defeated Emanuel Gonzalez, 14-0. After that he defeated the likes of Viktor Chernous, 15-1-1, Angel Luna, 10-0-1, Daulis Prescott, 30-2, Ivan Redkach, 19-1-1 and Orlando Rizo, 19-7, besides Diaz, Zenunaj and Reyes.
Farmer is ranked No. 5 in the IBF with the first two spots vacant. His opponent this Saturday is Japan’s champion Kenichi Ogawa, 22-1 (17), who is ranked No. 6. Ogawa reversed his only loss.
Too many Philly boxers have suffered from the “Philly Jinx” losing when they get their world title chance. There are presently no world champions in Philadelphia. Farmer hopes to change that Saturday!