WBC interim lightweight champion William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer are finalizing negotiations for a rematch on March 29 in Cancun, Mexico.
Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) will receive a rematch after losing to Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) via 10-round split decision on Nov. 16 in Riyadh on the Latina Night card.
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Tevin complained bitterly afterward that he should have been given the decision. It didn’t seem like it, but it’s understandable why he wouldn’t be happy. Now he gets another payday, but his chances of winning the rematch are non-existent.
the scores
95-94 – Zepeda
95-94 – Farmer
95-94 – Farmer
Some boxing fans considered it a controversial decision, as they felt the 34-year-old Farmer deserved the victory. Farmer scored a knockdown in the fourth round and primarily landed shots to the head.
“The rematch between William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer is about to be finalized for March 29 in Cancun. The fight will now be 12 rounds for the interim lightweight championship (by the WBC),” said Salvador Rodríguez in unknown.
Zepeda focused almost entirely on Farmer’s body, nailing him with powerful shots that should have easily allowed him to win a lopsided decision.
The score reflected what this group of judges considered important to them. Many would have given Zepeda a deflected goal based on his body-pushing work. It wasn’t close.
I had it 9-1 for Zepeda. Farmer won the fourth due to his quick takedown of Zepeda, but other than that round, it was one-sided. Zepeda pounded Farmer’s body in every round of the fight and made him look exhausted in the eighth round.
Farmer had the same look as other Zepeda opponents when they had taken too much punishment and needed to be eliminated for their own good. It was brave of Farmer to stay there, but he wasn’t competitive from the eighth round. It was difficult to watch the old veteran being beaten like that.
Former IBF super featherweight champion Tevin was gone and was the equivalent of a punching bag in the final three rounds. If it had been a 12-round fight, Farmer would have been knocked out because he was absorbing terrible punishment in the last two rounds.
It was similar when Farmer fought Raymond Muratalla on July 13, 2024. Farmer was competitive for seven rounds, but took a beating starting in the eighth round and was lucky to see the final bell.
In the final two rounds, Zepeda landed over 100 punches per round and Farmer looked like a victim being worked on. Surprisingly, the judges were very close to this mismatch. A rematch isn’t necessary, but it would appease fans who felt Farmer was robbed.
Zepeda needs to win this fight and look good to set up a title challenge against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, provided he emerges victorious in his clash against Floyd Schofield on February 22.
