Tim Bradley thinks extremely ranked light-weight contender William Zepeda might lose to Tevin Farmer subsequent month of their ten-round struggle on ‘Latino Night time’ on November sixteenth at The Venue in Riyadh.
The 34-year-old Farmer (33-6-1, 8 KOs) is a artful former IBF tremendous featherweight champion who’s coming off a aggressive ten-round unanimous resolution loss to Raymond Muratalla on July thirteenth in Paradise, Nevada.
WBC light-weight champion Shakur Stevenson is anticipated to be subsequent for Zepeda if he’s victorious towards Farmer and appears good in doing so. If he loses, then that struggle is off the desk.
Zepeda has appeared spectacular lately, scoring knockouts towards these fighters:
– Giovanni Cabrera– Maxi Hughes– Mercito Gesta– Jaime Arboleda
I might favor Hughes and Cabrera over Farmer. These guys could be an enormous downside for him in his profession. Commentator Bradley believes Farmer has sufficient at this level in his 13-year profession to probably defeat Zepeda (31-0, 27 KOs). I disagree with that.
That is going to be one other demolition job for Zepeda that may be over by the fourth until Farmer strikes nonstop. That’s not how Farmer fights.
That will be an enormous blow to the Golden Boy-promoted Zepeda’s profession as a result of he’s ranked #1 by all 4 sanctioning our bodies at light-weight and poised to problem WBC champion Shakur Stevenson subsequent February.
“If Zepeda can blow away Farmer, it’s an excellent assertion as a result of I don’t suppose Farmer is simply displaying up for a payday. Farmer continues to be displaying as much as win. It’s how he’s constructed and the character he has. He’s not spineless, and when he reveals up within the ring, he reveals as much as win,” mentioned Paulie Malignaggi to Probox TV, speaking about William Zepeda’s struggle towards Tevin Farmer on the November sixteenth ‘Latino Night time’ in Riyadh.
Earlier than Farmer’s loss to the extremely hyped Raymond Muratalla final July, he’d gained three consecutive wins since dropping to Joseph Diaz in 2020. Farmer continues to be in his prime. However his downside is he’s preventing exterior his pure weight class and towards an enormous puncher in Zepeda.
“I like this struggle as a result of it might probably present us any deficiencies in Zepeda’s model. Yeah, he’s a two-fisted destroyer, however can he be extra towards a man with the craftiness and character of Tevin Farmer? That’s why this struggle is basically fascinating,” mentioned Malignaggi.
Farmer will make Zepeda look unhealthy at instances within the early going, however as soon as he will get warmed up by the third, that is going to finish quickly after. Farmer gained’t have the ability to take the photographs that Zepeda is heating him with with out falling aside.
“You count on Zepeda to win as a result of Farmer is on the opposite aspect of his prime,” mentioned Malignaggi. “However you don’t count on it to be as a lot of a walk-through as Zepeda has been doing to those different guys.
“If he is ready to blow proper by Farmer like he’s been doing towards these different guys, then it makes it extra of a profound assertion. He’s pounding on the door for a title shot. He’s the obligatory in all 4 [sanctioning bodies]. So a title shot ought to be across the nook quickly,” mentioned Malignaggi about Zepeda.
“This might backfire. I do know what Golden Boy is attempting to do, however Farmer is hard,” mentioned Tim Bradley, who thinks Zepeda might lose. “This dude might win this struggle. I might see it.”
There’s nothing that Farmer has that can preserve Zepeda from strolling him down and chopping him aside on this struggle early. Farmer is simply too weak to struggle at light-weight towards a puncher like Zepeda.
“Zepeda is the type of shrimp [Mantis] that kills you. I noticed it on one of many Nationwide Geographic specials,” mentioned Malignaggi, speaking about Zepeda’s nickname, ‘Camaron.’ “Zepeda is a kind of sorts of shrimps. He’s a striker. I’m not huge on science, however there’s a shrimp that’s straight dying [Mantis Shrimp]. I’m speaking a couple of shrimp the place you die. Zepeda is that type of shrimp.”
Zepeda shouldn’t have any issues with the 34-year-old Farmer, nevertheless it’s going to take a couple of rounds for him to get warmed up earlier than he begins unloading on him with mixtures.
