The rematch between Zepeda and Farmer 2 will end on March 29

Interim WBC Lightweight Champion William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer are finalizing negotiations for a rematch on March 29 in Cancun, Mexico.

Farmer (33-7-1, 8 KOs) will get a rematch after losing to Zepeda (32-0, 27 KOs) via a 10-round split decision on Nov. 16 in Riyadh on the Latino Night card.

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Tevin complained bitterly after that they should have given him the decision. It didn’t seem like it, but it’s understandable why he would be unhappy. Now, he gets another payday, but his chances of winning the rematch are non-existent.

The scores

95-94 – Zepeda
95-94 – Farmer
95-94 – Farmer

Some boxing fans saw it as a controversial decision, as they felt the 34-year-old Farmer deserved the win. Farmer scored a knockout in the fourth round and mostly landed shots to the head.

“They are close to finalizing the rematch between William Zepeda and Tevin Farmer for March 29 in Cancun. The fight will now be 12 rounds for the interim lightweight championship (for the WBC),” Salvador Rodríguez told X.

Zepeda focused almost entirely on Farmer’s body, nailing him with powerful shots that should have resulted in a wide decision.

The score reflected what this set of judges felt was important to them. Many would have marked him out for Zepeda based on his punishing body work. It wasn’t close.

I had 9-1 for Zepeda. Farmer won the fourth due to his quick takedown of Zepeda, but other than that round, it was one-sided. Zepeda pounded Farmer’s body in every round of the fight and had him looking worn down by the eighth round.

Farmer looked the same as Zepeda’s other opponents when they have taken too much punishment and need to be retired for their own good. It was brave of Farmer to hang in there but he hasn’t been competitive since the eighth round. It was hard to see the old veteran beat himself up like that.

Former IBF super featherweight champion Tevin was gone and was the equivalent of a punching bag in the last three rounds. Had this been a 12-round fight, Farmer would have been knocked out because he was taking terrible punishment in the last two rounds.

It was similar when Farmer fought Raymond Muratalla on July 13, 2024. Farmer was competitive for seven rounds, but took a beating starting in the eighth round and was lucky to see the final bell.

In the final two rounds, Zepeda threw more than 100 punches per round, and Farmer looked like a working victim. Surprisingly, the judges had this mismatch closed. A rematch isn’t necessary, but it would appease fans who felt Farmer had been robbed.

Zepeda needs to win this fight and look good to mount a title challenge against WBC lightweight champion Shakur Stevenson, as long as he is victorious in his February 22 fight against Floyd Schofield.