New York, NY (10/14/16) – Fighting in his hometown of Philadelphia for the first time in three years, junior lightweight contender Tevin Farmer (22-4-1, 5 KOs) will challenge Orlando Rizo (19-7, 11 KOs) this evening in a battle of southpaws at 2300 Arena.
Following a handful of amateur bouts and a 7-4-1 start as a pro, Farmer’s career prospects looked dim. However, he rededicated himself after his last defeat in 2012 to Jose Pedraza, now the IBF junior lightweight champion, and has since won 15 bouts in a row, consistently beating the odds, while signing with DiBella Entertainment (DBE) in 2014. Farmer made his New York debut this year on a DBE Broadway Boxing event in March to win the NABF junior lightweight title and, four months later, secured his biggest victory thus far with a 10-round unanimous decision over 19-1 lightweight contender Ivan Redkach on July 30, at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. Currently ranked #5 by the WBC and #9 by the IBF, Farmer, a great, great nephew of legendary lightweight champion Joe Gans, is on the cusp of a world title opportunity. He is determined to secure a dominant win over Rizo tonight as he works his way toward that goal.
A Nicaraguan now living in Puerto Rico, Rizo is a former interim WBC FECARBOX and Nicaraguan junior featherweight champion, and has only been stopped once in his career.
On Sunday, October 16, Farmer will be honored at the Ninth Annual Briscoe Awards, held at XFINITY Live! in Philadelphia for his 2015 winning performance against the 30-2 former world title challenger Daulis Prescott. On August 8 last year, Farmer dropped Prescott three times over eight frames to earn a knockout victory, in a bout televised by HBO Latino. The Briscoe Awards previously recognized Farmer as the “Breakout Fighter of the Year” in 2013 at the outset of his career transformation.
“I’m happy to be fighting in front of my fans, friends and family and those in Philadelphia who may have never seen me live before,” said Farmer. “Three years ago, I was a club fighter and now I am a world class contender. I can’t wait to show my city how much I have improved. I love my city and my city loves me.
“I’m honored to be receiving the Briscoe Award on Sunday for my fight against Prescott,” Farmer continued. “There were a lot of great performances by Philadelphians last year. Prescott was a tough fighter. I demonstrated my skills early on then showed that I could knock people out in the later rounds.”
“Tevin Farmer’s story is an inspiring one,” said Lou DiBella, President of DiBella Entertainment. “To bring himself from journeyman status to now being considered a potential world title challenger is truly remarkable. Tonight, he will show his hometown fans how far he has come in the last three years, and I will continue to work hard to make his world title dream a reality.”
