By Mark Eisner: 2012 U.S Olympian Joseph ‘Jo Jo’ Diaz Jr. (31-1, 15 KOs) pulled off a big upset in defeating IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer (30-5-1, 6 KOs) by a 12 round unanimous decision on Thursday night on DAZN at the Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, Florida.
Diaz fought well despite being cut badly over his left eye from a clash of heads in round 2. The cut leaked for the remainder of the contest, but Diaz didnt let it bother him. If anything, it caused him to fight harder, and take the fight to Farmer.
Diaz dominated with his combination punching
The scores were 116-112, 115-113, 115-113. Boxing News 24 had it for Diaz Jr. 117-111. Diaz outworked Farmer throughout the contest, and was the one landing the best shots.
From the 3rd round on, the fight was contested on the inside with Farmer attempting to smother Diaz’s power. It’s understandable why Farmer made the decision to fight in close, since he was getting pounded by Diaz when the two were on the outside. Diaz proved to be a far superior fighter in terms of his offense.
He was nailing Farmer with beautiful combinations with both hands. Diaz was favoring either hand. He was just unloading on Farmer, and hitting him repeatedly with short combinations to the head. In round 5,Diaz nailed Farmer with 4 consecutive right hooks to the head while he was covering up. It was brutal to watch the shots that Daz hitting Farmer with. The fight was supposed to be close, but it was all Diaz Jr. tonight. His amateur pedigree proved to be too much for Farmer, who took a major pounding by Diaz.
Tevin Farmer injured right hand in round 1
Farmer, 29, revealed after the fight that he injured his right hand in the 1st round, but he said that didn’t place a factor in his defeat. Additionally, during the fight Farmer was blinking constantly, looking like something was bothering his eyes. After the contest, Farmer’s promoter Lou DiBella said he was going to have him taken to the hospital to get examined to find out what was wrong with his eyes.
“I was disciplined and determined, and I got the victory,” said Diaz Jr. after beating Farmer. “It [the cut] didn’t change the outcome. I knew in the 2nd round it was bad. I’m a warrior. I didn’t want to change the game plan. I know my experience, and I got the win. Tevin Farmer is a hell of a fighter. I respect him, and I know we’re going to have a rematch. I was hoping I would win this,” said Diaz.
.@JosephDiazJr‘s reaction to the cut above his eye is GOLD. 🤣#MiamiFightNight pic.twitter.com/vK6Pul9Th1
— DAZN USA (@DAZN_USA) January 31, 2020
Farmer wants rematch with Diaz
“He put in a hell of a fight,” said Farmer about Diaz. “I did f— up my right hand in the first round. I couldn’t use my jab. We’re going to do it again. We got a rematch clause. Hopefully, we can do it in April or May,” said Farmer.
Jake Paul destroys AnEsonGib
Youtube star Jake Paul (1-0, 1 KOs) looked sensational in crushing AnEsonGib (0-1) by a 1st round knockout in his pro debut at cruiserweight. Paul dropped the over-matched AnEsonGib three times in the first before the fight was halted. The time of the stoppage was at 2:18.
Afterwards, Paul and KSI got into a heated verbal exchange inside the ring. The 23-year-old Paul called out KSI, and he accepted it. Jake wants to avenge his brother Logan Paul’s six round split decision defeat to KSI on November 9 last year.
Logan, 24, lacked the boxing ability and the overall talent that his brother Jake showed tonight. It was apples and oranges. Jake showed impressive ability tonight, and fought like a true professional boxer. KSI could have a lot of problems with Jake if the two mix it up. The way that Jake looked tonight, he might make short work of KSI just like he did with AnEsonGib.
What was interesting to watch was the accuracy with Jake’s shots. He was very accurate with his punches, and he showed none of the stamina problems that his brother Logan exhibited in his recent fight against KSI. Jake looked fresh at the end of the fight, and he looked like he didn’t fight to be over. Afterwards, Jake was disappointed in that he “showcase” all of his boxing skills, as he’s gotten addicted to the sport in training for the past six months with former world champion Shane Mosley.
