WBC interim lightweight champion William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer finalize negotiations for a March 29 rematch in Cancun, Mexico.
Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) is entitled to a rematch after losing to Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) by 10-round split decision Nov. 16 in Riyadh on the Latino Night card.
Back to find out more
Tevin then complained bitterly that the decision should have been given to him. It didn’t seem like it, but it’s understandable why he would be unhappy. Now he’s getting another payday, but his chances of winning the rematch are non-existent.
The scores
95-94 – Zepéda
95-94 – Farmer
95-94 – Farmer
Some boxing fans considered the decision controversial, believing that Farmer, 34, deserved the victory. Farmer scored a knockdown in the fourth round and landed mostly headshots.
“They are close to finalizing the rematch between William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer for March 29 in Cancun. The fight will now last 12 rounds for the interim lightweight championship (for WBC),” Salvador Rodriguez said on X.
Zepeda focused almost entirely on Farmer’s body, nailing him with powerful shots that easily should have won him a wide decision.
The scoring reflected what this set of judges considered important to them. Many would have scored Zepeda a wide goal due to his punishing body work. It wasn’t close.
I had it 9-1 for Zepeda. Farmer won the fourth thanks to his lightning knockdown 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 by the eighth round.
Farmer had the same look on him as Zepeda’s other opponents when they took too much punishment and needed to be taken out for their own good. It was valiant that Farmer stayed there, but he wasn’t competitive from the eighth round onwards. It was hard to see the old veteran get beaten up like that.
Former IBF super featherweight champion Tevin was gone and was the equivalent of a punching bag in the final three rounds. If this was a 12-round fight, Farmer would have been knocked out because he took 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 was beaten starting in the eighth round and was lucky to see the final bell.
Over the last two rounds, Zepeda threw over 100 punches per round, and Farmer looked like a victim losing his temper. Surprisingly, the judges closed this gap. A rematch isn’t necessary, but it would calm fans who thought Farmer was robbed.
Zepeda needs to win this fight and look good to mount a title challenge against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, provided he is victorious in his clash against Floyd Schofield on February 22.
