"I'm back October 14th in Philadelphia. I was originally set for December. I'm still going in December, but I told Lou DiBella I didn't want to wait that long, so we hopped on something local in Philly and we have a solid opponent...They just giving me time to get better and better, man. If I was them, I would fight me now. The longer they wait, the harder it gets. That's how I feel about it...I don't know if I'm talking too fast or being too cocky, but skill-wise, I'm one of the best pound-for-pound out there today; not my accomplishments, but skill-wise, I'm one of the best out there today," stated super featherweight contender Tevin Farmer, who talked about his future plans and more. Check it out!
PC: October 14th, you return to ring. Tell us about it, man.
TF: I'm back October 14th in Philadelphia. I was originally set for December. I'm still going in December, but I told Lou DiBella I didn't want to wait that long, so we hopped on something local in Philly and we have a solid opponent. I believe it's Orlando Rizo, who is 19-7. I know he's going to come to fight, but we're going to do what we do best and put it on him.
PC: You told me that you weren't opposed to taking fights like this to stay busy until something big opened up. It's great to keep your name out there because your name has been hot recently.
TF: Right! They just giving me time to get better and better, man. If I was them, I would fight me now. The longer they wait, the harder it gets. That's how I feel about it.
PC: That date is right around the corner. I take it you've been in the gym.
TF: Oh yeah! It's an 8-round fight. The most I've sparred so far is 6 rounds. I can spar more rounds, but we taking it light. We don't want to overwork. So we are sparring 6 rounds for the time being, but we are about to turn it up to 8 and then do a few 10's, but we're ready, man.
PC: This is a great fight for staying busy, but it can also be looked at as a trap fight. You're coming off of a big TV win and now you're taking a fight that's not as publicized. How do you avoid a letdown?
TF: I look at all of these fights as easy, even the big fights. I always train hard. That's just natural to me. Whether I'm fighting somebody that's supposed to be good or somebody that's supposed to be whack, I'm going to train hard anyway because that's just in my DNA. I'm approaching this like any other fight. I'm fighting in Philly for the first time, so I want to look good. I'm training hard to put on a show.
PC: How do you not let fighting in Philly for the first time be a major distraction for you?
TF: Well, for this fight particularly, I'm not selling any tickets for this fight. It's kind of easy on me, and for future fight dates, I'll have somebody handle it for me.
PC: You always want to look good, but obviously you really want to put on for your city. Is that added unwanted pressure or motivation for you?
TF: Nah, it's motivation. My style is entertaining, so I don't really have to try. I don't have to try and add extra flash because my style of fighting is flashy. It actually makes it easier for me.
PC: Is this fight back at 130 or a catchweight to work your way back down to 30?
TF: I haven't really looked at the contracted weight, but I think it'll be at 132, give or take. We'll do it that way; that way I'll come back to 130 easy. I just fought at 135, so we are going to take our time and do a fight at 32, give or take a pound, and then in December, defend my NABF title where I gotta be 130 flat. I'm #6 in the WBC and after I defend my NABF title, hopefully I can jump to #2 and fight an eliminator.
PC: You've always stated that you wanted all of the champions. Is the process of the waiting game getting frustrating to you at this point or is patience the key?
TF: It's crazy because before, it was and kind of overwhelming, but now, I think I have grown mentally over the last month. I'm actually enjoying the process and going along with the process. As long as Lou is keeping me busy and I'm fighting, I'm just working all around on trying to get better. I'm there all the way mentally. I'm just enjoying the process and all of the buzz that's going around. I'm enjoying every moment. I'm enjoying everything about it. I'm one of the hottest growing names in boxing right now. It feels good.
PC: I've watched your popularity grow over the last year and it's been crazy.
TF: Ah man, it's crazy. It's a beautiful feeling because just 2 years ago, nobody knew who I was and now the world know. It's crazy because I have people that are not even boxing fans now. I'm growing on to regular people. That's a major thing. When boxing fans know you, that's one thing, but when you got non-boxing fans know you, it's another thing. I think that's why Floyd passed everybody as far as success. People that don't really even watch boxing watch his fights. That's where I feel I'm getting to, that level right now. It's a lot of people that don't even watch boxing that will watch me fight. It's a beautiful feeling. I'm enjoying the moment and just going to keep doing what I'm doing; staying active on social media and staying on FightHype and going out there and performing my butt off. I'll do whatever it takes.
PC: I remember awhile back, L.L. Cool J even put up your highlights and captioned it "Skills" or "Talent" or something like that.
TF: Oh yeah, yeah, yeah! That's a real good look. I got the world on lock right now as far as boxing goes. If they mention the top guys in the game without a title, skill-wise, they will mention my name. Anybody that knows boxing will mention Tevin Farmer, guaranteed. You can put me in the category of Chocolatito, Lomachenko, or Rigondeaux. The difference is this, people won't add me to a lot of categories because I don't have a title. That's the only thing holding me back. I don't know if I'm talking too fast or being too cocky, but skill-wise, I'm one of the best pound-for-pound out there today; not my accomplishments, but skill-wise, I'm one of the best out there today. Skill-wise, I've been to 126 and did what I had to do, I came to 130 and killed 130, my last fight I went up to 135 and did the same exact thing, and if I wanted to, I could do 140. That's what pound-for-pound means. If I was a 54-pounder, I would probably be the best at 54 in the division. If I was a 60-pounder, I would probably be the best in the 60-pound division. That's the definition of pound-for-pound.
PC: I appreciate the time as always. Best of luck my man. Anything before I let you go?
TF: I'm one of the best pound-for-pound fighters in the world and we going to keep working to get these titles, and when I get these titles, I'm going to be good enough to keep them and rack them all up. I have a big fan base, so I think I'll be able to make a lot of money.
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]