Tevin Farmer vs. Jono Carroll – preview & prediction

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Tonight`s events will be broadcasted live on DAZN with coverage beginning at 7 pm ET and main card starting at 9 pm ET – *** Join DAZN and watch Farmer vs Carroll & undercard live on DAZN ***

By Mike Smith: IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer says he’s going to hurt #4 IBF Jono Carroll tonight in their fight on DAZN at the Liacouras Center, in Philadelphia, PA. The two fighters have had blood since the fight was first signed, but it’s gotten as of this week.

Farmer, 28, and Carroll had to be separated at the weigh-in on Thursday after the two got in each other’s face and started jawing back and forth. Farmer 28-4-1, 6 KOs) was waiving his hands and pointing his finger into the face of Ireland’s Carroll (16-0-1, 3 KOs), letting him know that he plans on hurting him. Farmer maintains that Carroll disrespected him with his trash talk, and because of that, he’s got to cut his beard. Farmer says he didn’t have to give Carroll this title shot, as this was a voluntary defense for him. Farmer chose to give Carroll the opportunity anyway, and now it appears he regrets going it due to the way that he’s acted.

At Thursday’s weigh-in, Farmer weighed in at 129 3/4 pounds. For his part, Carroll came in at 129 1/4 lbs. At Friday’s International Boxing Federation mandated check-weight this morning, Farmer weighed in at 138.7 lbs, whereas Carroll came in at 138.5 lbs. Both were within the IBF’s 10 lb rehydration limit of 140 lbs.

“In his last fight a couple of months ago, he got a draw. Everybody thought he lost the fight. I thought he lost the fight,” Farmer said about Carroll’s fight against Guillaume Frenois last December. “I gave him an opportunity, and he still disrespected me. I gave you the opportunity. I had a voluntary defense, and I could have done whatever I wanted to. Yeah, he got to cut that beard. I want him to cut it. I want to hurt him. Nobody ever got it, because nobody ever brought it out of me. I’m from Philadelphia, and we were raised like that. If you respect me, I respect you. But if you don’t respect me, then f–k you,” Farmer said.

Farmer isn’t likely going to get his way as far as Carroll cutting his beard. Farmer will have to deal with it, and be careful when the two are in close so that he doesn’t have the beard rubbed into his eyes in a clinch.

Carroll comes into the fight after having fought to a controversial 12 round draw against France’s Guillaume Frenois (46-1-1, 12 KOs) last year on December 8 at the Sheffield Arena in Sheffield, England. The judges score the fight 115-113 former Frenois, 115-113 for Carroll and 114-114. Boxing News 24 had Frenois edging Carroll by a 115-113 score. It was a close enough fight for it to go either way, but Frenois looked like he had done enough to just barely win the fight.

This is Farmer’s third defense of his IBF title he won last August in beating Billy Dib by a 12 round unanimous decision. Matchroom Boxing USA have been matching Farmer soft since he captured the IBF title, putting him in with James Tennyson and Francisco Fonseca, both of which he easily beat. Tonight’s fight with Carroll is more of the same for Farmer being matched against a guy that’s not a big threat to beating him. What’s interesting is Matchroom boss Eddie Hearn has been pushing so hard for a unification fight between Farmer and WBA Super World champion Gervonta ‘Tank’ Davis. That’s a fight that Hearn really wants in the worst way. Most boxing fans give the light hitting Farmer next to no chance of beating Tank Davis, which makes you wonder whether Hearn is serious about wanting to make the Farmer vs. Gervonta Davis fight or if he’s merely name dropping to get attention for his fighter. If the fight does take place, it’s likely going to end badly for Farmer. But he can come again by going after one of the other world champions at super featherweight like WBA ‘regular’ 135 lb champion Andrew Cancio.

“I have to be smart in there and show that there’s a lot to my game too. I cannot be a one-trick pony that just comes forward,” Carroll said. “I didn’t box to my ability against Frenois…ll have to be smart. There’s loads of things that I will need to do, but I know I am capable of doing them and I feel that this shot has come at the right time,” Carroll said.

Carroll has got to try and outbox Farmer, because that’s his only way of winning. This is a boxing match from start to finish. Carroll has a chance of winning based on Farmer not being a big puncher. Farmer has lost in the past in defeats against Kamil Laszczyk, Jose Pedraza, Josh Bowles and Oscar Santana. Unfortunately for Carroll, Farmer hasn’t lost a fight in seven years since his defeat to Pedraza in 2012. What that means is unless Carroll up his game to another level, he’s going to wind up on the losing end of a 12 round decision. Carroll was selected for a reason by Matchroom as Farmer’s opponent. They know he can’t punch, so he’s the perfect guy for the equally light hitting Farmer to be fighting tonight.

Prediction

The southpaw Farmer is the better fighter of the two, and he should be able to cruise to a fairly lopsided 12 round unanimous decision over Farmer. Neither guy can punch to any great extent. Farmer and Carroll both have a KO percentage of 18. The likelihood of a knockout is remote at best. If there’s a stoppage, it’ll likely be an injury stoppage. Farmer should have no problems winning a wide 12 round unanimous decision.

Also on tonight’s Farmer vs. Carroll card on DAZN are the following fights:

– Katie Taylor vs. Rose Volante
– Gabriel Rosado vs. Maciej Sulecki
– Hank Lundy vs. Avery Sparrow