Raymond Murata isn't particularly watching the return of Tevin Farmer, nor does he expect to face the same man who won the world title in 2018.
For Muratalla, the fight with Farmer is just another obstacle on his way to his ultimate goal of winning a world title. The unbeaten lightweight challenger would take a big step toward that goal if he can defeat former world titleholder Farmer on Saturday at the Palms Casino Resort in Las Vegas, which will be broadcast as a double feature on the main card on ESPN, featuring Zanibek Alimkhanuri vs. Andrei Mikhailovic in a defense of his IBF and WBO middleweight titles.
The 27-year-old Muratala (20-0, 16 KOs) is ranked No. 2 by both the WBC and WBO and is looking to turn some heads.
“I think the first few rounds will be great, but I think he'll win the second half,” Muratala told BoxingScene.com. “I can take control, control the fight and maybe stop him. It could be a knockout, but I'm not going into the fight looking for that, but I have the strength for it.”
Muratala has knocked out four of his last five opponents, including a spectacular second-round TKO of Namibian slugger Jeremiah Nakatila in May 2023, while Philadelphia's Farmer is the higher-ranked fighter. A tricky southpaw, Farmer defended his IBF junior lightweight title four times before losing by decision to Joseph Diaz in January 2020.
Farmer (33-5-1, 8 KOs) doesn't fight until June 2023, defeating Avery Sparrow on points in the 10th round. He has won two more bouts since then, including a win over Sholisani Ndongeni in March. Even with Farmer's return in mind, Muratala remains confident in his own ability and preparation.
“To be honest, I haven't seen his last three fights, but I know how he competes,” Murata said. “I'm at a different level now and I'm focused on coming out on top, but I don't think he's ready for that at the moment.”
Murata, who is coached by Robert Garcia, said the camp was designed to prepare him for Farmer's left-handed style.
“Robert has fighters of all styles in his gym, and we're focusing on those styles in this camp,” Muratala said. “This camp has gone well, so I think I'll be well prepared. In preparation for the fight with Farmer, all the fighters I've fought so far have been southpaws. We have three or four southpaws in the gym.”
Murata believes the 33-year-old Farmer is in better form than ever and believes he is making a potentially career-ending mistake by playing against him.
“It's going to be a great night for me and for the fans,” Murata said. “I know he's not the same fighter he was and it wouldn't be good for him to come back against someone like me. We've been focusing on this style and I think we're ready. It's nothing we haven't seen before.”
Bernard Neequaye is a sports journalist specialising in boxing coverage. He wrote a boxing column titled “From The Ringside” for many years in his native Ghana. He can be reached at @BernardNeequaye on X (formerly Twitter), Bernard Neequaye on LinkedIn and bernardneequaye@gmail.com.
