NEW YORK, NY – World ranked junior lightweight contender Tevin Farmer (24-4-1, 5 KOs) will begin 2017 with his third consecutive fight in his hometown of Philadelphia, headlining a “Night at the Fights” event at Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University tomorrow night.
Facing Farmer in a 10-round bout will be Arturo Santos Reyes (19-7, 5 KOs), of Nogales, Sonora, Mexico. An Olympian who represented Mexico at the 2008 Games in Beijing, Reyes is a former WBC Youth Intercontinental and WBA Fedecaribe titlist. He has never been knocked out and has gone the distance with champions Hozumi Hasegawa, Fernando Montiel and Abner Mares.
Farmer weighed in at 131.9 lbs. for the bout. Reyes tipped the scales at 129.5 lbs.
“I’m thrilled to be headlining at Liacouras Center,” said Farmer, who is a great, great nephew of legendary lightweight champion Joe Gans. “It’s near where I grew up; I even went to summer camp there as a kid, so I definitely plan to put on a spectacular performance Saturday night. Fans will see me be very aggressive and offensive-minded against Reyes. I’ll make him miss, make him pay, and if I see he’s hurt, I’ll take him out. Great Philadelphia fighters like Bernard Hopkins, Danny Garcia and Steve Cunningham have fought at Liacouras Center, and now my name can be added to that list.”
Following just a handful of amateur bouts and a 7-4-1 start as a pro, Farmer rededicated himself. Since his last defeat in 2012 to former IBF junior lightweight champion Jose Pedraza, Farmer has won 17 bouts in a row. In 2014, Farmer signed with DiBella Entertainment (DBE).
“Tevin Farmer continues to work hard to achieve his dream of winning a world title. His career transformation and current winning streak is remarkable,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “Fighting at Liacouras Center is a big deal for any Philly fighter and Tevin has another opportunity to demonstrate his world class talent in front of hometown fans. A win on Saturday moves Farmer a step closer toward a world title shot and I anticipate 2017 to be a banner year for him.”
Farmer made his New York debut last year on a DBE Broadway Boxing card in March to capture the NABF junior lightweight title. Four months later, on July 30, 2016, he secured his biggest victory thus far with a 10-round unanimous decision versus 19-1 lightweight contender Ivan Redkach, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn, in a bout televised by Showtime Extreme. He ended 2016 with back-to-back unanimous decision wins against Orlando Rizo and Dardan Zenunaj at 2300 Arena in Philadelphia.
As his profile has risen, Farmer’s contemporaries have praised his talent and ability. Light heavyweight champion and top pound-for-pound fighter Andre Ward lauded Farmer in an interview with FightHype.com, saying, “The young boy from Philly, Tevin Farmer, they sleeping on him. You better watch out for Tevin. He can do it all.”
Ranked #3 by the WBC, #6 by the IBF, and #10 by the WBO, Farmer is on the cusp of a world title opportunity. He recently had a chance encounter with IBF junior lightweight champion Gervonta Davis in the lobby of the MGM National Harbor, in Oxon Hill, MD, when both were attending the Vasyl Lomachenko vs. Jason Sosa WBO junior lightweight championship on April 8. A social media war of words had been brewing between the two before they finally met in person and tensions escalated.
“Gervonta Davis and I had been taunting each other on social media for a while, but we met in person for the first time at the Lomachenko-Sosa fight. I was there to support my friend and stable mate, Sosa,” said Farmer. “We confronted each other in the MGM hotel lobby and things got pretty heated. I let him know that I’m coming for his belt. He pointed out my losses and had the nerve to say I haven’t proven myself. C’mon man, my losses came early on and I’ve been proving myself ever since. Davis can mouth off all he wants, but he is easy work for me, easy money. If Davis takes care of business against Liam Walsh in England, let’s make it happen!”
“I don’t think Gervonta Davis is just playing,” said DiBella. “Davis versus Farmer will be a big draw in the Baltimore area.”
Tickets for tomorrow’s “Night at the Fights” at Liacouras Center on the campus of Temple University in Philadelphia, PA, headlined by Farmer vs. Reyes, promoted by Hard Hitting Promotions, can be purchased by visiting www.ulpfightingforphilly.org.
