By: Sean Crose
“Tevin Farmer will defend his IBF World Super-Featherweight title against Jono Carroll at the Liacouras Center in Philadelphia on Friday March 15, live on DAZN in the US and on Sky Sports in the UK.” The red hot 28-4-1 Farmer will be putting his IBF World Super Featherweight Title on the line when he meets Ireland’s 16-0-1 Carroll on Saint Patrick’s day weekend. “He’s got a World title shot on St Patrick’s weekend,” Farmer says. “He should be thanking me.”
The Philly native says his foe is “trying to get under my skin but it’s impossible to get under my skin. He’s making himself look bad and he’s stepping up to a whole different level with me. I’m A-level and he’s going to pay.” Carroll most certainly seems ready for war. “I’ll do what I want with Tevin,” the Irishman says. “He’s a tiny little child and I’m not afraid of him…when we meet, if he’s respectful of me, I’ll be respectful back as that’s how I’ve been brought up – but if comes talking rubbish then I’ll put him in his place.”
NEW YORK, NY – DECEMBER 15: IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer and Francisco Fonseca during their December 15, 2018 fight at Madison Square Garden in New York City. (Photo by Ed Mulholland/Matchroom Boxing USA)
“He says we both come from tough backgrounds, the hood,” Farmer says of the Dublin native. “That boy hasn’t come from any struggle, no hood. I’m going to show him when he comes to Philly, he’s going to eat his words. He’s trying to get his buzz up but there’s certain things that you don’t say. He’s made this personal and you don’t want to get personal with a Philly guy like me.” This will be Carroll’s first shot at a major world title. “He’s never met a man like me in his life,” Carroll says of Farmer. “He came from a rough background yes, but so did I. We’re both from crazy places but we’re in the limelight now, so we have to be grown-up and responsible as we’re going to have cameras around us.”
Farmer may not be crazy about Carroll, but he’s thrilled to be fighting in his hometown. “This is big for me, fighting as a World champion in Philly,” he says. “When does Philly hold big World championship shows? This is big – it’s a boxing town but this is as big a show as there’s been here for a long time.” This will be Farmer’s fourth fight in just over six months – a very high work rate for an established fighter, the kind preferred by Matchroom Boxing honcho Eddie Hearn, a man who, along with promoter Lou DiBella, Farmer has high praise for.
“I have to thank Eddie, Lou and DAZN,” he says, “for making this a reality, because often World champions don’t always get the chance to fight in their home city. It doesn’t happen, but it’s happening for me and that shows the level of respect that Eddie, Lou and I have for each other. It’s going to be a great night.”