On Thursday, it was announced to the public that Tevin Farmer (25-4-1, 5 KO’s) would face Kenichi Ogawa (22-1, 17 KO’s) for the vacant IBF Super Featherweight World Championship.This agreement removed the necessity for a purse bid scheduled to occur on October twenty-fourth.
While unknown to a vast majority of casual boxing fans, Tevin Farmer is an exceptionally skilled pugilist, related to the legendary boxer Joe Gans himself. Andre Ward has warned the public that Farmer is being “slept on” and declared him amongst the future faces of boxing.
His opponent, Kenichi Ogawa, is an unknown fighter with seemingly little to offer a potentially world class opponent in Farmer. His sole loss was to a 9-2-2 fighter by way of fifth round TKO. The fight will be his first outside of his native Japan, likely occurring as a fixture of the undercard for the Berchelt (32-1, 28 KO’s) Salido (44-13-4, 31 KO’s) matchup. This fight should be considered a stepping stone towards a defense against Gervonta Davis (19-0, 18 KO’s). The fight already is procuring buildup, evident by Davis’ tweet yesterday demanding the winner of the matchup. That fight is one that has been gaining traction since Davis was still champion. Mayweather denied him the opportunity, demanding Farmer win a title first. Finally, Farmer has that chance against a “good puncher and a tough guy,” according to Lou DiBella.
His feeble attempts to hype up the matchup don’t seem to change the facts behind it. From the tape I have been able to observe, Ogawa seems soft – a sign of poor preparation and low stamina. Furthermore, he looks like a stationary opponent that is relatively easy to hit. Although bearing little power, Tevin Farmer should win this fight by a wide margin. The match may be a sham, but Farmer is not. The manifestation of a Farmer – Davis matchup looks to augment 2018’s ever increasing repertoire of intriguing clashes and solidify a conceivable star to cement the future at 130 and beyond.