Boxing
Tevin Farmer thinks Gervonta Davis fight will never happen, wants Gary Russell Jr. next
The animosity between IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer and former two-time 130-pound titleholder Gervonta Davis runs deep.
The feud started in April 2017 after the conclusion of the Vasiliy Lomachenko-Jason Sosa fight in which Davis told Farmer in a face-to-face confrontation, “Why would I fight you? I’m the champion and you’ve got four losses.”
Farmer won the IBF belt in August 2018 and defends it for the fifth time on Thursday night against Joseph Diaz at Meridian at Island Gardens in Miami, as part of the Demetrius Andrade vs. Luke Keeler card live on DAZN. They had another run during the Shawn Porter-Danny Garcia fight, when Farmer asked Davis: "When are we gonna make it happen? You said get a belt. I gotta belt.”
The rivals appeared to be on a collision course after Davis (22-0, 21 KOs) pummeled Ricardo Nunez in two rounds back in July and said he wanted to take on Farmer. However, "Tank" shifted course and moved up to lightweight in late December, when he stopped Yuriorkis Gamboa in the 12th round to snatch the WBA "Regular" lightweight title.
"P—," a laughing Farmer told DAZN News about Davis moving to 135 pounds. "Punk ass."
Famer (30-4-1, 1 no-contest, 6 KOs) has stated during the buildup to his fight with Diaz that he will campaign one more year at 130 to attempt to get the other champions in the division to put up their belts. If he can’t do it, then it becomes pointless and he'll join Davis at lightweight. A fight with the kind of steam Davis and Farmer have generated would make it logical they would lock horns. The Philidelphia native isn't convinced Davis' team at Premier Boxing Champions wants it to happen out of fear that Farmer would hand the surging star his first defeat.
"No, he’s going to go to 140," Farmer said. "I’m just bulls—ing. But I don’t think we are ever going to fight because they (PBC) (are) protecting him."
With Davis out of sight and out of mind, Farmer has another name on his hit list that he'd like to fight next — if victorious over Diaz on Thursday night first.
"(WBC featherweight champion) Gary Russell (Jr.) talks too much," Farmer said. "He thinks everybody is scared of him, so I’ll invite him up to 130 to smoke his ass. He said he’ll make a stop at 130. He better be a man of his word because that’s who I want next. We will have both beaten "Jo Jo" Diaz after I beat him. So, that would be the fight."
Since 2014, Russell (30-1, 18 KOs) hasn't fought more than once a year. But he returns to the ring on Feb. 8 against Tugstsogt Nyambayar, so a second bout in 2020 could be in the cards. Russell's made it known that he's interested in squaring off with Farmer. The fact the Davis battle hasn't occurred isn't getting Farmer too excited at the possibility of Russell moving up to 130 pounds and stepping through the ropes to take him on.
"I don’t know to be honest," Farmer said. "There’s nothing realistic now these days. But that’s the fight I want next."
