The IBF’s #3 ranked Billy Dib will square off against the organization’s 4th ranked Tevin Farmer for the vacant IBF super featherweight title on August 3, 2018, at the Technology Park in Sydney, Australia.
Dib is a former IBF featherweight titleholder who won the belt with a unanimous decision win over Jorge Lacierva on July 29, 2011. He successfully defended his title twice before losing the belt to Evgeny Gradovich on March 1, 2013. He faced Gradovich in a rematch later that year but suffered a 9th round knockout.
Dib then went on to challenge Takashi Miura for the WBC super featherweight crown on May 1, 2015 but lost again, this time by 3rd round technical knockout. Since losing to Miura, Dib has recorded an unbeaten 4-0 record with one no contest to get to this point. He will have home canvass edge when he faces Farmer on Friday. Dib is an undefeated 35-0 when fighting in his native Australia.
Tevin Farmer probably has one of the biggest career turnarounds we have ever seen. After starting his professional boxing career at a modest 7-4-1 record, the defensive master then racked up 18 consecutive victories before earning his first world title shot, for the IBF junior lightweight title on December 9, 2017.
Farmer dropped a split decision to Japanese Kenichi Ogawa that night but most ringside observers believed that Farmer should have gotten that decision. In a surprise turn of event, Ogawa later tested positive for a banned substance and the result of that fight was overturned into a no-contest.
Billy Dib vs Tevin Farmer
IBF Super Featherweight championship
Odds: Dib +300, Farmer -450
Odds from Bet365 as of 8/2/18
Billy Dib enters this title fight with a record of 43-4 with 24 wins via knockout. The Sydney native has lost just twice in his last nine bouts and is coming off a December 2017 win over little known Phum Kunmat. Dib has fought twice a year in five of the last six years but this will be his first bout in the previous 8 months.
32-year-old Billy The Kid is 5-7 with a reach of 70 inches and fights out of the orthodox stance. With his athleticism, speed, and quickness, Dib always likes to put a show, especially in front of his Aussie crowd. He has better than average boxing skills and throws nifty combinations when he lets his hands go.
Tevin Farmer heads to Sydney, Australia with a record of 24-5-1 with five wins via stoppage. Farmer has won five of his last six outings and in his most recent fight, he figured in a no-contest against Kenichi Ogawa. That was Farmer’s first defeat since losing to Jose Pedraza in 2012.
The 28-year-old Farmer stands 5-6 and has a 67-inch reach while fighting out of the southpaw stance. Most consider him a defensive genius inside the ring and he usually wins by outboxing and outsmarting his opponents. Farmer isn’t known for punching power as he only has 5 knockouts and none after 2015.
Farmer knows that this is a dangerous fight if it goes to the scorecards. We know what happened to Manny Pacquiao when he fought Jeff Horn in Australia last year. But we’re not saying that the only reason Dib wins this is because of the judges. The Aussie has superior speed over the American and has the better pop in his punches and those could very well be the difference in this fight.
But take away the angle of a hometown decision and forget where this fight is happening and you should have Farmer winning. He is by far the superior boxer who is the smarter fighter inside the squared circle. Farmer has really shown that he is above average and this is his chance to prove that he is even better, as an elite.
With his defensive skills, Farmer should be able to avoid Dib’s heavier hands and he should be able to dictate the pace of this fight with his shrewd tactics. If you’re expecting fireworks here, you might come out disappointed. Dib would love to put on a show in front of his countrymen but Farmer is going to foil him.
The American will win this fight with his pace and style and while you may hear plenty of boos from the crowd, it’s sweet science as they say and Farmer is a master of that. Billy Dib will have his moments but Tevid Farmer is walking away with this victory.
We’re picking Tevin Farmer to win by decision.
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