William Zepeda survived a scare as he risked his No. 1 ranking at lightweight, having to climb off the floor to defeat Philadelphia veteran Tevin Farmer by the narrowest of margins.
Victory clears the way for Zepeda to face Shakur Stevenson in February, but Zepeda had his hands full with fellow southpaw Farmer, who decked him in the fourth with a left hand.
Ultimately, two judges scored it 95-94 for Zepeda and one judge gave the fight to Farmer by the same margin.
There was not a lot in it. Zepeda was busier but Farmer was defensively impressive and he landed plenty of his own shots throughout.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough fight and we knew he was experienced. It shows there are things I have to perfect going forwards but I was happy with my performance tonight,” said Zepeda. “He tried to smother me and not allow me to feel comfortable… We’re just waiting with confidence to receive that firm offer to take that opportunity [to fight Shakur Stevenson next].”
There was not a lot between them in the opener, or even in the first section of the second, but as that session progressed, Zepeda started to get his hands flowing and started to apply his trademark pressure. Zepeda began working the body and he started the third in a similar relentless pursuit.
Farmer swayed this way and that and tried to cover up, but he was being made to work without let up and it didn’t suit him. He was also trying to load up bigger shots in the hope that he might be able to dent Zepeda’s charge, and he caught the Mexican with a straight left and left uppercut at the end of the third.
A left hook-right uppercut from Farmer in the fourth caught the eye as he stubbornly refused to be overwhelmed and then a superbly-timed straight left knocked Zepeda over.
Zepeda, now 32-0 (27 KOs), later said he was caught by surprise and the moment dented his confidence.
Farmer looked relaxed and confident in the fifth. Zepeda seemed one dimensional. The volume remained, but he was shipping shots and finding Farmer hard to clip cleanly. But as the fifth progressed, Zepeda got busier and started to find more gaps for his own shots.
Farmer’s defense was frustrating Zepeda, and he was able to force the Mexican back on the inside and while Zepeda was typically busy, Farmer was not a passenger. He was letting his hands go, too.
Zepeda’s workrate was a factor in the seventh, but Farmer’s left hand, to the head and/or body, meant Zepeda paid for some of his successes. Farmer was courageous and defiant in the eighth but it seemed he was just getting outworked.
Farmer stayed in harm’s way in the ninth and he seemed comfortable taking Zepeda’s power and there were signs both were starting to finally slow. Farmer’s veteran defense meant many of Zepeda’s shots were wasted and both landed good, meaty shots at the bell.
Farmer was informed he needed the last round to win the fight. “All you got,” his cornerman told him. “You want to be the WBC Interim world champion? This is it right here.”
Both fought as if the contest hinged on the final frame and there was a respectful touch of gloves at the end of the fight.
Farmer is 34, and the 42-fight veteran is 33-7-1 (8 KOs). Before the fight, he promised he would be able to shut down the punching machine, Zepeda, who is known for his output.
Farmer felt the knockdown had earned him the fight and, dejected afterwards, he added: “His output was good, but you see I handled it. It was something I’d seen already so I bought the fight to him. He didn’t have to find me. I was right there.”
By Tris Dixon