Joseph Diaz Ready to Dethrone Tevin Farmer
Come January 30, super featherweight boxer Joseph “Jo-Jo” Diaz (30-1, 15 KO’s) understands that he has no room to squander this title shot. When Jo-Jo slides through the ropes to challenge Tevin “American Idol” Farmer (30-4-1, 6 KO’s) for his IBF world super featherweight belt, it will stand as his third attempt at a world title.
Diaz previously lost by unanimous decision to WBC world featherweight champion “Mr.” Gary Russell Jr (30-1, 18 KO’s). Although he beat then-WBA world featherweight champion Jesus Rojas, Diaz lost the opportunity to claim the title on the scales.
This is why the hard-hitting Californian is well aware that if he is unsuccessful this time, it will be awfully difficult to obtain another title bid. So Diaz has no intention on leaving the event empty-handed!
RESPECT FOR FARMER
For hardcore boxing fans, the on-going public rivalry between Farmer and Diaz has been entertaining for quite some time now. Being that both are prideful, take-no backward-steps type of individuals, they have exchanged quite a few words on-line and in person. Yet, putting the verbal vitriol to the side, Jo-Jo makes it plainly clear when speaking with Fight Hub TV that he harbors a great deal of respect for the American Idol.
“Tevin Farmer is a hell of a fighter. Don’t get me wrong, he’s a champion for a reason. He knows how to win, he’s a great boxer, he’s a great defensive fighter, he knows how to dodge and miss and he knows how to win the rounds. But he’s never fought a guy as tough as me and I feel like he has never fought opposition as tough as me.
His title fight defenses were against tough fighters, but none against the level that I’m in. I feel like I’m at elite level. I feel like I am on championship level and championship pedigree and it’ll show Thursday night. Tevin Farmer, I rate him as one of my toughest fights but at the end of the day, that’s what I want. I don’t want to fight any easy fights.
I could have chosen an easier route and fought Rene Alvarado again. That’s what Golden Boy Promotions wanted, they wanted me to go fight either Andrew Cancio or Rene Alvarado and take that bout and become champion that way, but that wouldn’t satisfy me. I want to go out there and prove to everybody that I’m willing to fight the best. I want to be the champion by defeating the best and I feel that Tevin Farmer is the best at 130.”
STAND ON YOUR WORD!
Yet, just because Diaz has a healthy respect for his skillset, this does not mean he will cut him any slack or assume he’ll be a monster in the ring. In fact, Jo-Jo is earnestly hoping that the IBF champ comes to the ring ready to show all his abilities and stand on all his tough talk.
“I’m very, very confident I will dethrone Tevin Farmer no matter what he brings to the table. Like I said, if he wants to move around, box around, I’ll be ready for that. If he wants to come banging, it’s going to be his mistake but I’m gonna be ready for that as well…
He’s been talking a lot of shit, I hope he’s not a little punk-bitch! I mean I hope he backs up his shit man because he’s been talking a lot of bullshit and I don’t want him to be talking all this bullshit and then eventually run the whole fucking night! Man, that’s just what you call pussy right there. So I really hope that he backs up his word and comes and brings it.”
When all the dust settles though, Diaz just wants no controversy and one definitive winner regardless of who’s hand gets raised.
“Like I said, let the best man win. I don’t want to have no excuse at the end of the night. I’m not going to give no excuses and I don’t want him to give any excuses, I don’t want no excuses, I just want the best man to win and I want the other person to acknowledge that and to appreciate the winner that night.”
By: Bakari Simpson
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