Tevin Farmer says Shakur Stevenson has to "fight" William Zepeda to win because he throws too many punches to avoid them all.

WBC lightweight champion Shakur will fight Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) first in 2025, if he wins his title defense against Floyd Schofield on February 22nd in Riyadh. Shakur believes he can beat Zepeda, but Farmer has his doubts.

Zepeda's Volume Skill

He is sure that the type of strike-and-run that Stevenson uses will not stop Zepeda because he cuts the ring well and is willing to take shots to land his own. Shakur has no power and cannot escape Zepeda without running.

That won't work. He would look bad in front of Turki Alalshikh if ​​he tried that method against Zepeda in Riyadh.

With Zepeda landing 100+ punches per round, Farmer said Shakur (22-0, 10 KOs) should fight him like he did last month on November 16th. Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) tried to defend against Zepeda's multiple shots, but was ineffective.

Former IBF super featherweight champion Farmer fought hard and he couldn't keep up, especially in the knockout rounds.

Zepeda wore down Farmer with his physical punch and yardage to win a ten-round split decision. The scores were 95-95, 95-94 for Zepeda, and 95-94 for Farmer. I watched the fight and Zepeda won 8-2. The judges officiating the fight didn't seem to take into account the number of body shots Zepeda landed in each round. They just looked at the headshots, which Farmer paid attention to.

Had it been a twelve-round contest, he would have knocked Farmer out because the 34-year-old was tired in the ninth round and would not go twelve rounds without stopping.

"Golden Boy is willing to do it. The only way the rematch won't happen is if Zepeda's team says no," Tevin Farmer told the Talk about cigarettes channel for the rematch he wants against William Zepeda after losing to him on November 16th.

“Golden Boy wants a rematch. I can't say no one told me. I bet Golden Boy wants a rematch. I'm sure Turki wants to do it. It was a hell of a fight.

"Zepeda has to respect you, because if you don't, he's going to move on," Farmer said when asked how Shakur Stevenson would treat William Zepeda.

Farmer's hopes for a fight with Zepeda are a fantasy because Golden Boy is not pushing for such a fight. They know that a money fight, what Zepeda needs and wants, is a fight with Shakur. The Farmer had nothing to offer Zepeda. He is not a champion and has lost his last two fights.

Farmer had to go back down to super featherweight because he was not strong enough to beat the heavyweights. If he stayed in the 135-lb weight class, he would immediately lose and be kicked out of the game.

Shakur warned Zepeda

“Zepeda is a fighter and doesn't have many strikes; it's easy to pick someone like that,” said Farmer. “It's easy to pick someone who comes forward and doesn't throw a lot of punches. When someone comes forward and throws a lot of punches, how many punches can you miss, despite my defense?

“I'm one of the best fighters. I can stand there and not touch it if I want to. I know I can't do that because how many strokes will it cause? Yes, Shakur (Zepeda) had to fight. To me, Shakur is one of the best in the world, but he has to fight,” said Farmer.

Zepeda forced Farmer to fight him as he was cutting off the ring and had him on the ropes. As Farmer fought back, Zepeda knocked him down. The same goes for Shakur. Farmer has no power, strength or courage. There's no way Stevenson could have grabbed the kind of gun Farmer did to Zepeda without knocking, running and holding him.

“I'm not saying he should do what I do. I'm built differently. I got a chin, I can deliver, I can do everything. I'm not saying he (Shakur) doesn't, but he's going to fight,” Farmer said of how he's better than Stevenson because he stays in the pocket and likes to trade.

"I think I've got the win. With the loss, it's icing on the cake for me to be out. Everyone has their opinion, but I don't care," Farmer said of his belief. he was able to win against Zepeda.