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By: Sean Crose
“After I win,” says IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer in the lead up to Thursday’s fight with Joseph Diaz, “I think I have one or two more fights at 130lbs and then I’ll move up, especially if the big fights don’t happen.” Although there are names such as Miguel Berchelt and Jamel Herring who hold titles in Farmer’s weight class, boxing politics might well keep unification bouts from happening. Therefore, Farmer may well just move on after a point. “It’s not frustrating,” Farmer says. “I want the unification fights and I want to be undisputed, but as long as I am still fighting and feeding my family, I am OK with that.”
Yet Farmer also wants people to know he isn’t overlooking anyone. “Talk about overlooking people is overused as you have to plan for the future,” he says, “but it’s my future and I won’t let any other fighter determine my career – you don’t want to fight me, we move on. I will make my legacy with what I do and who I fight, I don’t care what anyone else does, it’s all down to me.”
One person Farmer wants the world to know he’s focusing on is the 30-1 Diaz. “It’s going to be a hell of a fight, he’s going to come ready and I am always ready to fight,” Farmer says. “I’ve had a great camp and we’ve added some new things to what I already have so I can’t wait, it’s going to be fireworks. You can never learn enough. I’m the first in the gym and I’m the last out, I put the work in and cut no corners.” Although Diaz isn’t as high profile an opponent as some may want Farmer to face, Farmer is happy to give the Californian a chance.
“He started calling me out on social media,” he says of Diaz. “Usually I don’t pay attention to people but I thought that he would be a good name on my resume, he’s a hell of a fighter and I wanted to give him a shot at the title. I knew the fight would happen, if I say the fight is going to happen, it’s going to happen.” The 30-4-1 titlist made it clear he’s exuding confidence walking into Thursday. “He’s going to come out and try to bang,” Farmer said of Diaz, “throw a lot of power shots, maybe he could try to box too. But anything he brings I’m ready for it.”
he Farmer-Diaz bout will be part of a huge Thursday card airing live from Miami’s Meridian at Island Gardens on DAZN. The event will also feature Demetrius Andrade facing off against Luke Keeler for the WBO middleweight title, and Daniel Roman facing off against Murodjon Akhmadaliev for the WBA and IBF super bantamweight titles.
