Tevin Farmer vs James Tennyson Preview Oct. 20th
IBF Super Featherweight Champion Tevin Farmer of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania defends his title for the first time as he takes on James Tennyson of Lisburn, Northern Ireland at the TD Garden in Boston, Massachusetts this Saturday, October 20th. The 12 round bout can be seen live on DAZN in North America and on Sky Sports in the UK. Farmer won the vacant title in his last outing in August when he beat former champion Billy Dib by a unanimous decision down in Australia. Tennyson last fought in May when he stopped Martin Joseph Ward in the fifth round.
Farmer vs Tennyson Betting Odds
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- James Tennyson +243
- Tevin Farmer -288
My Pick
The 28-year-old Farmer originally ought for the vacant title last December, but suffered an upset when he dropped a split decision to Kenichi Ogawa. Many fans and experts thought Farmer had done enough to win and the bout was later changed to a no-contest when Ogawa failed a drug test. Farmer stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 67-inch reach. He had only 16 amateur fights and went 12-4 before turning pro in 2011, and he’s boxed 223 rounds since then. He enters the bout with a record of 26-4-1 with just 5 Kos to his name.
Farmer lost his pro debut as he was stopped in four rounds by Oscar Santana. He then dropped a four-round unanimous decision to Josh Bowles eight months later and drew Frank De Alba in his next fight. Three fights later, Farmer lost an eight-round decision to Kamil Laszcyk and was then stopped by Jose Pedraza in eight rounds in 2012. He didn’t give up though despite losing and drawing one of his first 12 fights and Farmer is now riding a 19-fight winning streak. He hasn’t fought many contenders though with his best wins being over Dib, Ivan Redkach, Emanuel Gonzalez and Gamaliel Diaz.
With a current knockout ratio of just 16 per cent it appears Farmer doesn’t have much at all in the way of power, but Tennyson can’t take him lightly because he has fine boxing skills and a lot of hand speed. He’s improved a lot over the years and his chin isn’t that bad even though he’s been stopped twice. Farmer’s lost some points in his career though for bending the rules from time to time and isn’t averse to landing low blows. He’s now getting a chance at proving his talent, but needs to take on tougher opposition if he hopes to be recognized as a legitimate champion.
Tennyson is just 25 years old and will climb into the ring with a record of 22-2 along with 18 Kos under his belt. He turned pro back in 2012 and has boxed 77 rounds since. He has a questionable chin since he’s been stopped in both of his losses. Pavels Senkovs stopped him in the second round back in 2013 and Ryan Walsh halted him in the fifth round in April of 2016. Perhaps he’s lucky Farmer is such a light hitter with a 16 per cent knockout ratio, but he definitely can’t underestimate the champion. As for his own power, Tennyson has plenty of it with a current knockout ratio of 75 per cent.
Tennyson has captured the Irish, Commonwealth, European, and WBA International Super Featherweight Titles since turning pro and was a five-time Irish champ as an amateur, but to be honest he hasn’t really faced any top level opposition. In fact, When Senkovs stopped him five years ago Senkovs had a record of 2-64-5. In addition, just 10 of Tennyson’s 24 pro opponents have entered the ring with winning records. His biggest wins have been against the likes of Ward, Darren Traynor, Ryan Doyle and Declan Geraghty. Tennyson stands 5-feet-8-inches tall so he has a two-inch advantage over Farmer, but his reach is unlisted.
Prediction…
Farmer’s speed, skills and punch output should be too much for Tennyson. However, the challenger does have a puncher’s chance. Even so, I don’t believe Tennyson has what it takes to lift Farmer’s title.
Farmer’s too quick and skilled for Tennyson.
Play: Farmer -288 @ BetOnline.ag
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James Tennyson betting • Tevin Farmer betting