Tevin Farmer vs Avery Sparrow Preview June 24th, 2023
After almost three-and-a-half-years out of the ring, former IBF Super Featherweight Champion Tevin Farmer returns this Saturday, June 4th as he takes on Avery Sparrow in a 10-round lightweight battle. The fight takes place in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which happens to be the hometown of both boxers. Farmer’s last outing came back in January, 2020 when he lost his title in his fifth defence by unanimous decision to Joseph Diaz Jr. Sparrow last saw action in July when he dropped an eight-round unanimous decision to William Foster III. Farmer had a couple of fights scheduled against Mickey Bey in the past three years but they fell through for one reason or another. .
FARMER VS SPARROW BETTING ODDS
Here are the betting odds from online sportsbook BetOnline.ag (full review here).
- Avery Sparrow +275
- Tevin Farmer -375
MY PICK
The 32-year-old Farmer won the vacant IBF Super Featherweight title in August, 2018 via a unanimous decision over Billy Dib. He defended it against James Tennyson by fifth-round stoppage in October, by unanimous decision over Francisco Fonseca in December and by unanimous decision over Jono Carroll in March, 2019 before beating Guillame Frenois by unanimous decision. He then lost the belt to Diaz six months later.
Farmer originally fought for the vacant title in December, 2017, but dropped a split decision to Kenichi Ogawa. Many fans and experts thought Farmer had done enough to win and the bout was later changed to a no-contest when Ogawa failed a drug test. Farmer stands 5-feet-6-inches tall with a 67-inch reach. He had only 16 amateur fights and went 12-4 before turning pro in 2011. Since then he’s boxed 276 rounds and enters the bout with a record of 30-5-1 with just 6 Ko’s to his name.
Farmer lost his pro debut when he was stopped in four rounds by Oscar Santana. He then dropped a four-round unanimous decision to Josh Bowles eight months later and drew Frank De Alba in his next fight. Three fights later, Farmer lost an eight-round decision to Kamil Laszcyk before being stopped by Jose Pedraza in eight rounds in 2012. He didn’t give up though despite losing four and drawing one of his first 12 fights.
Farmer then went on a 23-fight winning streak before losing to Diaz. He hasn’t fought many world class contenders though with his best wins being over Tennyson, Billy Dib, Ivan Redkach, Emanuel Gonzalez and Gamaliel Diaz. With a current knockout ratio of just 16.2 per cent it appears Farmer doesn’t have much in the way of power, but Sparrow can’t take him lightly because he possesses fine boxing skills and a lot of hand speed. He’s improved a lot over the years and his chin isn’t bad at all even though he’s been stopped twice.
The 29-year-old Sparrow climbs through the ropes with a mark of 11-4 with 4 Ko’s and has boxed 96 rounds since making his pro debut in 2014 following a pretty good amateur career which saw him reach the 2010 USA Junior National Championships Quarter-Final. Sparrow stands 5-feet-7-inches tall with a 72-inch reach which gives him a one-inch height advantage over Farmer as well as a five-inch edge in reach. He doesn’t possess much in the way of knockout power either as his current ratio is 25 per cent.
Sparrow’s first pro loss came at the hands of Jerome Rodriguez in 2015 when he was disqualified in the sixth and final round. He dropped a 10-round unanimous decision to Abraham Nova in June, 2020 and was stopped in the seventh round by Rolando Romero in his next outing seventh months later. He was also beaten by Foster III in his last fight in July and has now lost three of his last four contests..Sparrow’s biggest wins have been against Matt Conway by 10th-round stoppage in January, 2022 for the Pennsylvania, and the vacant IBA Super Featherweight titles and over Henry Lundy via a 10-round majority decision in 2019.
PREDICTION……
Both Farmer and Sparrow are highly-skilled boxers who lack power and Farmer will have a lot of ring rust to get through. He can’t afford to get off to a slow start though as the fight is scheduled for just 10 rounds. Sparrow has the size advantage and is five years younger but both boxers should have their moments. I think Farmer’s superior skills will lead to him to a close victory here.
A close call but Farmer’s experience and skills should be the difference
Play: Farmer -375 @ BetOnline.ag
Check out my recent boxing betting picks to see my current form.
Avery Sparrow betting • Tevin Farmer betting