Former junior lightweight titleholder Tevin Farmer, who now competes at lightweight, has heard chatter about his opponent William Zepeda’s potential February showdown with Shakur Stevenson, but Farmer believes people are ignoring one simple fact — Zepeda has to get past him first.
The two meet Saturday in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, in a lightweight bout scheduled for 10 rounds on Golden Boy Promotions’ “Latino Night” card, broadcast on DAZN.
Farmer, now 34 and sporting the “2x” title as a nod to his goal of becoming a two-time defending champion, is feeling snubbed amid talk of a Zepeda-Stevenson showdown.
He is particularly upset by the “dream match” poster promoted by Golden Boy’s Oscar De La Hoya and Matchroom’s Eddie Hearn, which lists Zepeda facing Stevenson. The promoters, known for their public barbs, even joked about fighting each other on the current fantasy card.
“It’s crazy to see Golden Boy and Eddie Hearn pushing this 5-on-5 with Zepeda and Shakur,” Farmer said. “But it’s weird when there’s a guy like Tevin Farmer in front of him. You never put the cart before the horse, you say, right?”
Farmer, who is coming off a unanimous decision loss to undefeated Raymond Muratala in July, is also a free agent. He noted that a win on Saturday could derail any plans to fight Zepeda and Stevenson, given he has no contract with either promoter.
“I think it’s a bad move then, because once I beat him on Saturday, I don’t know who they’re going to pick Shakur for,” Farmer said. “I didn’t sign with Golden Boy or Eddie. So we’ll leave that there.”
Zepeda, 28, enters with an unbeaten record of 31-0 (27 KO) and a four-fight knockout streak, having stopped Maxie Hughes and Giovanni Cabrera in 2024 alone. While Farmer, the pride of Philadelphia, respects the hugely popular Zepeda, he believes the Mexican player still has tests to pass.
“They say William Zepeda is one of the best players at 135 years old, and I agree with that,” Farmer said. “But you can’t become an overachiever unless you beat an overachiever. And on Saturday night, he was busy with Tevin Farmer.
