Cepeda again barely passed Farmer. Tevin surprised and with one hand

Injury prevented the American from showing more

On March 29, in Cancun, Mexico, a rematch took place between WBC interim lightweight champion William Zepeda (33–0, 27 KOs) and American Tevin Farmer (33–8–1, 8 KOs). Despite his victory, the first fight did not go well for Zepeda. Then, for the first time in his career, he was knocked down, after which he narrowly defeated the outsider by a split decision.

Retribution was expected in the rematch. However, it did not happen. Despite the good start

Farmer managed it this time too, although the conditions were much more difficult.

For the second fight, Tevin Farmer had to fly to Cancun, Mexico. The first fight took place in Saudi Arabia, and the American was unhappy with the refereeing. However, for the rematch, he had to enter the ring literally on his opponent's territory.

And the issue here is not only the refereeing, which could be more lenient towards the local fighter. But also the fact that there are Mexican fans around, this is a slightly different climate and conditions. However, the American agreed.

The problems did not end there. Already at the start of the fight, Tevin injured his left hand. A southpaw counterpuncher in the ring against such an aggressive opponent must have a weapon to stop attacks, but Farmer partially lost it at the beginning of the confrontation. Everything was going perfectly for Zepeda, because Tevin's problems were compounded by his work. William was pressing, pushing, punching to the body. Already in the 2nd round, it seemed that the American had broken down physically. He dropped his hands, tried to withstand blows to the body, which his opponent simply rained down. A knockdown and a knockout were about to happen.

However, Farmer held on and held on. He fought back, showed in the corner that his hand was sore, but continued boxing. Until the middle of the fight, Tevin was mostly suffering, although he occasionally threw an uppercut.

And then the picture changed. Farmer didn't break, and Cepeda slowed down. There were fewer punches, fewer attacks to the body. As soon as that happened, Tevin began to seize the initiative. To land more, more often. Even to combine punches so that the opponent's head swayed from them.

The second half of the match was competitive, to say the least. If not to say more: the underdog was in the lead for the most part. He traditionally defended himself well, eluded his opponent's attacks, and did not allow himself to be hit. And he counterattacked quite accurately and often, delivered his blows. Although it was not as zealous as Cepeda did at the start, it was accurate and tough.

The picture was somewhat spoiled by Farmer's defensive style, when he leaned too much or turned away from his opponent. It seemed like he was on the verge of taking a punch or getting into even more trouble. Although this was not the case – this is simply how Tevin usually boxes. However, if we take purely accuracy, in the second half of the fight Tevin was clearly superior to his opponent.

The 12th round was especially spectacular. It all started with Farmer's hits, who simply smashed his opponent from a distance. In one episode, he loaded a whole combination between the opponent's gloves. And then he added several hits.

After that, he hit the opponent so that he fell. However, the replay showed that Cepeda did not fall from the blow. Perhaps he was moved by the hit, but then Farmer pulled him to the ground.

And then the Mexican became more active. He didn't hit often, but his activity didn't allow Tevin to develop his success. And he ended the fight, actually attacking.

The judges were also in doubt this time. At first, they couldn't announce the scorecards for a long time. And then the decision was not one-sided again: 114-114 from one side and 116-112 and 115-113 from the other two. Two saw a victory for Cepeda, one – a draw.

Farmer was convinced he had won, so he was unhappy. He said afterwards that he had dominated most of the match. He has no complaints about his opponent, but he thinks the decision was bad.

What now?

Overall, these two fights and the meeting with Raymond Muratalla, to whom Farmer lost in a very close fight last year, confirmed his status. He is still in good shape, still an awkward opponent who can cause a lot of problems for many boxers.

However, circumstances did not allow him to go higher. It is quite possible that Tevin would have beaten Cepeda this time with his hands intact. However, we will never know. Perhaps he did not lose last time either. But the decision is already there. He was unlucky, although the American deserves more with his boxing.

He doesn't have any big championship challenges right now. However, he has the status and after such fights he can get even more interesting challenges. Maybe he will make a splash somewhere. Cepeda is aiming for Shakur Stevenson. William has the WBC interim belt, which makes him the most likely contender for the full champion from the USA.

The meeting of the American and the Mexican is a great show. And this is the fight that is needed not only by the challenger, but also by the champion. After all, Shakur's fans have a lot of questions about his performances and opponents.

Of course, it's not such a megafight anymore: Farmer spoiled the experience of Zepeda, who had previously only beaten the opposition. But it was still a good fight and stylistically the kind of boxer who would make Stevenson work.

It's time for promoters Oscar De La Hoya and Eddie Hearn to come to an agreement.