"The fight that I want is Orlando Salido. They trying to make Salido the co-feature on HBO for the Canelo-Chavez Jr. card. They looking for opponents and they said they'll fight anybody. They said they will fight anybody; I'm the perfect guy. They say they want to fight Loma again. Okay, I'm lefty and I'm here. You want to face Loma, okay, use me. I'm ranked #3 by the WBC, he's ranked #2 by the WBC. Why can't we make this fight happen," stated super featherweight contender Tevin Farmer, who talked about his future plans and much more. Check it out!
PC: You're out in Puerto Rico helping Jason Sosa prepare for Vasyl Lomachenko. How is it going out there?
TF: He still got a lot of time left, but he's looking good right now. I can only imagine how much better he'll look as camp progresses and on fight night.
PC: How are you able to take advantage of a situation like this? Obviously you are out there to give him a look and give him work, but how can you make it beneficial to you as well?
TF: I get a chance to stay in shape. I came to help him because I want him to win, but I can also use it to stay in shape. I'll be fighting soon. I can get a call any day.
PC: It looks like it's really nice out there in Puerto Rico right now. Is it difficult to stay focused on the task at hand?
TF: Nah! I'm a professional and this is what I'm out here to do. If I go somewhere for something, then that's what I'm going for; nothing more or nothing less. It's easy for me. I don't really have to go away for camp in order to be focused. I can train anywhere. We just decided to go with him because he wanted to go away.
PC: Your promoter, Lou DiBella, threw a challenge out to Felix Verdejo and his team saying you would fight him for free because he would pay your purse. Anything ever come from that situation?
TF: It never even got talked about. You can wash that down the drain. That's not going to happen at all. The fight that I want is Orlando Salido. They trying to make Salido the co-feature on HBO for the Canelo-Chavez Jr. card. They looking for opponents and they said they'll fight anybody. They said they will fight anybody; I'm the perfect guy. They say they want to fight Loma again. Okay, I'm lefty and I'm here. You want to face Loma, okay, use me. I'm ranked #3 by the WBC, he's ranked #2 by the WBC. Why can't we make this fight happen?
PC: It does sound like the perfect case scenario for both sides. He wants to fight Loma again, you're in camp preparing someone to face Loma, your a southpaw like Loma, and you guys are #2 and #3 by the WBC. I like this fight.
TF: Exactly! It makes sense and if you look at the article, him and his manager say they will fight anybody. There is not a better person right now he can fight than me. Other than the world champions, there is nobody he can beat where he would get more credit for than beating me. I don't care what nobody say, if he beats me, he gets a lot of credit. Of course I'm going to be the B-side, but on the charts, I may not even be the underdog.
PC: When you hear a fighter say he's willing to face anybody, is that almost a metaphor at this point?
TF: It's bullshit! It's all bullshit. They don't really mean it. They just talking to be talking to hear themselves talk. If all fighters say they will fight anybody, then why aren't we all fighting each other? Why are these fights so hard to make if everybody is willing to fight everybody? Let's be real. If your trainer and your manager think you're the best, then why are they protecting you? I know my trainers, Raul Rivas and Rashiem Jefferson, believe in me. My trainers and my promoter, Lou DiBella, will put me in with anybody because they know we win. Even when I become a world champion, I'll be willing to fight everybody. I just want my shot and in the meantime, I'm willing to take a step up fight with Salido. If I gotta prove myself one more time, let me prove it against somebody that's rugged and still beating people and still winning. I'll prove myself against him.
PC: He is a rugged and aggressive guy that depends on breaking opponents down. How do you see a fight between you and Salido playing out?
TF: It'll play out like all my other fights. I'm too smart. I'm too smart and I come in shape. A guy with the smarts and in shape, it's hard to beat guys like that and that's Tevin Farmer! I just think I'm ahead of my time. I feel like I'm too advanced for these boys.
PC: Even though things are slow for you at times as far as getting guys to fight you, everyone that I speak with about you says how hard of a worker you are.
TF: Oh yeah! I don't stop. I always work hard. The grind don't stop. This is just the beginning for me. My career's just starting. The grind don't stop. When I become world champion, I'm almost sure I'll become 10 times better on the spot.
PC: You were hoping this would be your breakout year. Is that still the goal? Do you just want to get busy? Where are you at right now?
TF: First of all, I hate to say this, but I gotta say this, man, Lou DiBella doing everything he can for me, but he gotta put the money up. That's not me bashing Lou DiBella because he's a hell of a promoter and I know he's doing what's best for me. But at the end of the day, he gotta put the money up. If he believes in me the way he say he does, and he said he does 1000%, then he's gotta put the money up. It's all a business.
PC: When I see certain guys get their shots, there is no reason Tevin Farmer shouldn't be either getting his shot or at least be in the talks. I think that's what aggravates me is that you're not even in the talks. You're getting the Marvin Hagler treatment.
TF: Exactly! It's like how are all of these dudes coming up and getting shots before me? Even Soliman, the WBC President, said I should get a shot this year. I don't know, man, I'm trying to see how it's going to play out because the guy that just won the championship already got a mandatory, and after that mandatory, he gets a voluntary defense, so how does that play out? Where do I fit into that plan? You're talking at the very least a year down the line.
PC: Gervonta Davis just picked up a title. You just eluded to the WBC champion. When you look around the division, do you see any of these champions that would be willing to face you under any circumstance?
TF: None! I gotta get it out of the mud like I'm doing or Lou gotta put the money up! Lou may have to put the big money up if he believes in me. That's the bottom line because I don't see no champions just fighting me. The sanctioning bodies are going to have to force them to fight me. They'll have to make that happen. They are the only ones that can make that happen.
PC: Is the goal to fight 3 times this year still?
TF: If I don't have no belt, I still want 4 fights. I'm not holding no belt. I want 4 fights still. The more fights I have, the better shot I have at getting a title. The less fights I have, the less chance I have at getting a title.
PC: You have the floor. Tell everyone what you want my man.
TF: Orlando Salido, May 6th on the Canelo-Chavez card, let's do it! He's the guy I want. Please headline this interview with this, Salido said he'll face anybody, Tevin Farmer wants him! That's what I want!
[ Follow Percy Crawford on Twitter @MrLouis1ana ]