Tag: Tevin Farmer

Jo Jo Diaz: ‘I can’t wait to shut this guy (Tevin Farmer) up’

Jo Jo Diaz has suggested that Tevin Farmer is looking past him and will make him pay on Thursday.

Tevin Farmer is looking to make a move, up the scale from junior lightweight to lightweight. Jo Jo Diaz might have another description for what Farmer is doing.

Looking up can sometimes mean looking past an immediate challenge.

That challenge is Diaz, who promises to make Farmer pay in a 130-pound bout for Farmer’s title Thursday on DAZN, a boxing preliminary before the Kansas City Chiefs-San Francisco 49ers Super Bowl in Miami this weekend.

“I can’t wait to shut this guy up,” Diaz (30-1 15 KOs) said in a conference call.

Lots of talk has been exchanged in the weeks before the fight at Meridian at Island Gardens was announced.

Diaz, Farmer says, is a tough fighter, yet he also says he would be “a good name on my resume.’’ It’s almost as if Farmer is applying for a job, a new role as a lightweight contender.

“After I win, I think I have one or two more fights at 130 pounds and then I’ll move up, especially if the big fights don’t happen,” said Farmer (30-4-1 6 KOs), who will make a fifth defense of a belt he won with a unanimous decision over Billy Dibb in August 2018 in Australia. “It’s not frustrating. I want the unification fights and I want to be undisputed. But as long as I am still fighting and feeding my family, I am OK with that.’’

Meanwhile, Farmer suggests that a fighter without a plan is just a fool without a future. He says he doesn’t overlook anybody.

“Talk about overlooking people is overused as you have to plan for the future, but it’s my future and I won’t let any other fighter determine my career,’’ said Farmer, a 29-year-old fighter from Philadelphia. “You don’t want to fight me, we move on. I will make my legacy with what I do and who I fight.

“I don’t care what anyone else does. It’s all down to me.’’

Diaz promises to do plenty.

“Trust me, I have got everything to capitalize and land the shots to hurt him, slow him down and land devastating shots,’’ said Diaz, who lost a decision to featherweight champ Gary Russell Jr. in his only other world title bid in May 2018.  “I don’t see it going 12 rounds. I think I will hurt him and make him feel my shots.

“I’m happy and ready to go 12 rounds with him, though. I’m not going to go in swinging for the fence. That’s what he wants. I’ll fight a smart fight.”

Gary Russell Jr.: I’ll move up to 135 if I don’t get Leo Santa Cruz

Gary Russell Jr. wants to fight Leo Santa Cruz in a 126-pound title-unification bout. If it doesn’t happen, he’ll move up in weight.

Gary Russell Jr. is clear on who he wants to fight next, Leo Santa Cruz in a 126-poud title-unification fight.

If it doesn’t happen? Bye bye 126 pounds. Russell said he’ll vacate his featherweight title and move up in weight to pursue two other fighters on his radar — lightweights Gervonta Davis and Vasiliy Lomachenko, the latter of whom outpointed him in 2014.

Yes, that means he’d skip over 130 pounds.

Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) faces Tugstsogt Nyambayar (11-0, 9 KOs) on Feb. 8 in Allentown, Pennsylvania, on Showtime.

“I definitely want Leo Santa Cruz,” Russell told The PBC Podcast. “The only reason why I’ve been still competing at 126 is because I want a title unification with Santa Cruz. If we can’t get Leo Santa Cruz within the time frame which we want, I plan on moving up in weight. I don’t really have any thought of stopping at 130; I want to go straight to 135.

“There are a couple of guys that I want. I want Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis, I definitely want a rematch with Vasyl Lomachenko. And I feel like the only way for me to make those fights happen is to put myself in the same weight division as these guys.”

There’s no chance he’d make a pit stop at 130?

“If Tevin farmer beats Jo Jo Diaz … I’m one of those guys, I answer any challenge,” Russell said. “I’m a real fighter, I’m a real warrior. You know, if someone says they want to fight me and they’re acting like they want that, I’m going to give it them.

“They have to be careful what they ask for. So if Tevin Farmer were to beat Jo Jo Diaz and we don’t get the Leo Santa Cruz fight, I wouldn’t mind stopping at 130 just to shut him up for mentioning my name.”

Scott Quigg to make his return on March 7 in Manchester

Scott Quigg will try to climb back into the championship mix as junior lightweight against Ireland’s Jono Carroll on March 7 in Manchester.

Scott Quigg, a former junior featherweight titleholder, will try to climb back into the championship mix as junior lightweight against Ireland’s Jono Carroll on March 7 at Manchester Arena on DAZN.

Quigg (35-2-2, 26 KOs) hasn’t fought in 16 months. He suffered an elbow injury that bumped him off the Dec. 7 card featuring heavyweight Anthony Joshua’s rematch victory over Andy Ruiz Jr. in Saudi Arabia.

“The arm is fully healed now, and I’m already in great shape,’’ Quigg said in a Matchroom Boxing release announcing the 130-pound-fight. “This is a fight I’m really excited about. I’m looking forward to getting in there and taking him apart and showing that despite being out the ring for over a year and the injury, there is still a lot left in the tank.’’

Quigg has fought only once since he lost a decision to then-featherweight champion Oscar Valdez Jr. in March 2018 on a rainy night in an outdoor ring at Carson, California. Seven months later, he scored a TKO of Mario Briones in Boston.

“It’s great to be back fighting and headlining at Manchester Arena again and for my supporters to be able to see me back fighting on U.K. soil,’’ said Quigg, who defended a 122-pound belt five times before losing it to Carl Frampton by a split decision Feb 27, 2016, also in Manchester. “It’s a great platform for me to launch my career forward again and get my name back in the mix for a world title shot.”

Carroll (17-1-1, 3 KOs), of Dublin, lost a unanimous decision to junior featherweight champion Tevin Farmer on March 15 in Philadelphia. He came back with a unanimous decision over Eleazar Valenzuela on Aug. 24 in Mexico.

Joseph Diaz Jr. ‘not too happy’ about his promoter, Golden Boy

Canelo Alvarez isn’t the only presumably unhappy Golden Boy fighter. Joseph Diaz Jr. had some harsh words for the promoter in an interview.

You can add Joseph Diaz Jr. to the shortlist of disgruntled Golden Boy Promotions fighters.

The junior lightweight contender recently went on Sirius XM’s Fight Nation radio show to discuss his title fight against Tevin Farmer on the Demetrius Andrade-Luke Keeler card Jan. 30 in Miami. When asked about his thoughts on his promoter, Diaz expressed dissatisfaction. 

“I would say not too happy, not too happy, man,” Diaz (31-1-0, 15 knockouts) said. “I would say after the Gary Russell (featherweight title) fight (in 2018) they (Golden Boy) didn’t really promote me or do anything as much as they should.

“They gave me a another world title fight against Jesus Rojas, but I just felt that they started to treat me like an opponent, started to treat me like I’m not the fighter that [has] the talent like I do.”

It’s the latest sign of discontent from within Oscar De La Hoya’s promotional stable. Things became icy between cash cow Canelo Alvarez and De La Hoya, as they barely acknowledged one another in the lead-up to Alvarez’s bout against Sergey Kovalev on Nov. 2. Around the same time, Ryan Garcia engaged in a war of words with his promoters before cooler heads prevailed and Garcia was pacified with a lucrative new contract.

Most recently, former junior lightweight titleholder Andrew Cancio spoke out against Golden Boy ahead of his title-losing bout against Rene Alvarado. Afterward, Golden Boy cut Cancio from its roster. 

Diaz didn’t mince his own words. The former Olympian truly believes he has been neglected after coming up short against Russell. 

“With Jesus Rojas, they had me fighting on Facebook Watch, a brand new network where hardly anybody is going to be watching that,” Diaz said. “I had a good purse with Gary Russell Jr. and with Jesus Rojas I had a really sh– purse, and I accepted it because I knew that I had lost and that I had to work my way up.”

Demetrius Andrade to defend title against Luke Keeler on Jan. 30

Demetrius Andrade will defend his 160-pound title against Luke Keeler on Jan. 30 in Miami on DAZN.

None of the top middleweights have been eager to face Demetrius Andrade but Luke Keeler will.

Andrade will defend his 160-pound belt against the fringe contender Jan. 30 on DAZN. Tevin Farmer and Daniel Roman will defend their world titles on the undercard.

Andrade (28-0, 17 KOs) figures to cruise past Keeler (17-2-1, 5 KOs), an Irishman who is 7-0-1 in his last eight fights but has never faced anyone like the man he’ll meet at Meridian at Island Gardens.

Andrade has been lobbying to fight one of the other middleweight titleholders – Canelo Alvarez, Jermall Charlo or Gennady Golvokin – but, thus far, no one has been interested in tangling with the slick southpaw from Rhode Island.

The other featured fights should be more competitive.

Farmer (30-3-1, 6 KOs) is defending his junior lightweight title against capable

fellow southpaw Joseph Diaz Jr. (30-1, 15 KOs). Farmer lost four of his first 12 fights but hasn’t had a setback since 2012. He’s on a roll.

Diaz has won four straight since he lost a wide decision to Gary Russell Jr. in his previous shot at a major title.

Roman (27-2-1, 10 KOs) will be defending his two junior featherweight titles against unbeaten former amateur star Murodjon Akhmadaliev (7-0, 6 KOs), a 2016 Olympic bronze medalist from Uzbekistan.