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Philadelphian Tevin Farmer made his HBO Latino debut Saturday night in the triple-header show-opener and could not have made a better or bigger impression. Farmer faced Daulis Prescott in a scheduled 10-round junior lightweight bout at the Fantasy Springs Casino in Indio, CA, and Tevin won by impressive 8th round KO. The fight was meant to warm up the TV audience, but Farmer's performance not only warmed viewers, it threatened to burn a hole right through their television screens. Farmer is well-known to our local fight fans as an entertaining over-achiever. Beginning in 2013, Farmer augmented a very average 7-4-1 professional career path with an attention-getting 7-0 winning streak during that year. The run brought wins over toughies Victor Vasquez and Carlos Vinan, and earned Farmer the Briscoe Medal as the "Breakout Fighter of 2013". He was suddenly a fighter to watch and appeared to possess far more ability than we ever gave him credit for.
Farmer started 2015 with a nice-looking 17-4-1, 4 KOs, record, but the jury was still out on whether he was a future contender or not. Decision wins over Viktor Chernous (15-1-1) an Angel Luna (10-0), further beefed up his record and led Farmer to Saturday night's spot on HBO Latino. And it was this most recent fight that helped to answer any nagging questions that remained about this fighter. Farmer was originally scheduled to face Juan Antonio Rodriguez (27-5, 24 KOs), but a late change instead put Daulis Prescott across the ring from him on Saturday. Prescott came in with excellent credentials, a 30-2, 22 KOs record and a world title bout under his belt. Little was known (by me) about Prescott, but still his record suggested that he would be Farmer's sternest test to date. Well, you'd never know that by watching this fight.
Farmer won the first round, then the second, then the third. Prescott occasionally exploited Farmer's breezy, all-offense, defense, but the punches were just irritating gnats to Farmer. Tevin is a fighter who is always focused on what he is doing in the ring. He seems nonchalant about his opponent's tactics. His foes are nothing but supporting players for the American Idol. This tendency to step in and engage without concern was something that I believed Farmer would eventually pay for against a more experienced opponent. Who knows? Maybe he will one day, but on Saturday, it was all Farmer in that ring.
In round six, Farmer, temporarily switched to a righty stance, cracked Prescott with a right hand that put the weakening fighter down again. As Prescott kneeled in a heap, Farmer took another swipe at his fallen foe. The punch cost Tevin one point and led to an extended rest and recovery period for Prescott. Referee Ray Corona marched Farmer around to all three judges and instructed them to count the knockdown and penalize Farmer one point. Corona then let Prescott stand in a neutral corner to recover for several minutes. The infraction by Farmer was the only notable error he made in the fight. Chalk it up to excitement, but Tevin should have known better. Still he won the round 9-8. When the action resumed, Farmer picked it up right where he left off - dominating the fight and banking rounds. Farmer took the seventh as well, and started the eighth with a commanding lead on the cards. But Tevin wasn't looking to win a decision, this was his opportunity to make a statement, and that's exactly what he did.
In round eight, Farmer blasted Prescott with a violent left hand and Prescott collapsed flat on the canvas. Referee Corona stopped the fight immediately and called it a KO at 0:52 of round eight. Tevin Farmer, 20-4-1, 5 KOs, made a serious statement with his blazing hot performance against Prescott. Some boxers get a big opportunity on TV but do not give it everything they have. Their blasé attitudes suggest that they think these opportunities grow on trees, and that many, many more lie ahead. But Tevin Famer did not do this. Farmer rose to the occasion and grabbed this opportunity firmly with both hands. He sent a message that he was a force to be reckoned with in the 130 division and that he wanted his shot on the giant platform of regular HBO. Farmer is still developing as a fighter. However, his confidence and skills are higher than ever before, and most importantly, his attitude and willingness are right where they should be. It was an impressive showing by Farmer, and the hope here is that he really gets a chance to prove himself, not only to Philadelphia fans and HBO Latino fans, but to the rest of the boxing world. Farmer looks ready for a serious challenge. |
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However,
Tevin's win-ning ways didn't stop there. 2014 brought three
more wins, including a nationally televised, 10-round
shutout of undefeated Emanuel Gonzalez on Fox Sports 1. 
Farmer
bounced out for the first round in his usual high-energy,
southpaw style, and began tossing and landing good shots
from the get-go. 
In
round four, Farmer walloped Prescott with a looping left and
the Columbian crashed to the canvas. He got to his feet and
the fight continued, but Farmer was on it. 