William Zepeda maintained his unbeaten record and took the interim crown, but was made to work hard for his win against Tevin Farmer. The scores were extremely close as two judges had it 95-94 for Zepeda, while a third official had it 95-94 for Farmer.
Zepeda was quickly picking up his pace as the farmers’ comfort zone was rapidly being invaded. Zepeda’s accuracy and consistency were paying off in round three as the real version finally came out. The farmer was beginning to look like a weary veteran.
The Philly fighter had a surprise up his sleeve in round four when Zepeda landed a flush left hand that ended up in ‘Cameron’ on his knees for the count. Replays showed a quality move from Farmer that caused the knock as he slipped out and hit the right shot that was crucial. From that moment on, the accuracy of a happy tune was causing frequent trouble for the fighting favorite.
Zapida’s head movement was out the window as the farmer’s step got an extra spring. The freshness of Zepeda, whose career is on the upswing, served him well in the seventh. The farmer was still happy to slide away from his lungs and fire back sharp shots. Referee Harvey Dock had little to say about the illegal tackle.
Turning up the heat in round nine, Zepeda was swinging with an air of desperation despite the fact that he looked likely to advance. Farmer’s single shots dried up a bit as the pace picked up.
Zepeda, 32-0 (27 KOs), walked away with the less tainted WBC interim lightweight title. It was a good chance to see how Zepeda might fare with Shakur Stevenson’s style if they meet next year as expected. Just like in the Raymond Muratla fight, Tevin Farmer, 33-7-1 (8 KOs), showed there is still some life left in the 34-year-old former world champion’s cracking frame.
“We always knew it was going to be a tough, strong fight,” said Zapida, who said he had things to work on going forward but was happy with his performance.
“He tried to push it, shut me down, and didn’t let me feel comfortable out there. We were happy with the rhythm we got into for the win.
Zepeda is now the number one contender for several 135 pound belts. He is eagerly waiting to receive a strong offer from Shakur Stevenson’s team.
