- Tevin Farmer has opened as the -455 favorite against Mickey Bey.
- Bey has opened with his longest odds ever as a prized fighter at +300 odds.
- Former world champions Farmer and Bey will meet on Friday night at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona.
Tevin Farmer has opened as the heavy betting favorite against Mickey Bey on Friday night in a showdown between former world champions at the Findlay Toyota Center in Prescott, Arizona.
Mickey Bey (+300)
Tevin Farmer (-455)https://t.co/I4Rbf3yStl— ProBoxingOdds (@ProBoxingOdds) August 9, 2022
Farmer and Bey were supposed to fight last May at the Accra Sports Center in Ghana last May 25th. But COVID-19 issues forced organizers to relocate the match to the Coca-Cola Arena in Dubai. But the bout ended up getting postponed after the untimely passing of United Arab Emirates President Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
Joseph Diaz Ends Tevin Farmer’s Super Featherweight Reign
Joseph Diaz ends Tevin Farmer’s super-featherweight reign
— Sky Sports Boxing (@SkySportsBoxing) January 31, 2020
Farmer has had one of the most bizarre careers in recent memory. As IBF super featherweight champion, he was considered one of the best fighters at 130 pounds and was once considered one of the toughest tests for Gervonta Davis. But after losing his belt to Joseph Diaz in January 2020, he suddenly disappeared from the limelight.
The 32-year-old southpaw won the IBF title by defeating Aussie Billy Dib in August 2018, traveling all the way to Australia to become world champion. Farmer then made four successful title defenses, including wins against Francisco Fonseca and Jono Carroll before losing the belt to Diaz. Overall, Farmer has a record of 30-5 with six wins by way of knockout.
In bouts recorded by the boxing website proboxingodds.com, Farmer has never opened nor closed as the betting underdog. He has been listed as a favorite of -400 in 11 of 12 bouts in the database and was the -235 betting favorite when he lost to Diaz in his most recent bout.
George Kambosos Outpoints Mickey Bey
boxingvideoscom: George Kambosos vs Mickey Bey | FREE FIGHT https://t.co/7NbnbNAobV pic.twitter.com/jdc0JrTYIE
— Boxing Rankings (@boxingrankings1) May 30, 2022
Meanwhile, Bey is also coming off a very long layoff. The former lightweight champion has not been seen since dropping a close 10-round split decision against George Kambosos at the Madison Square Garden in December 2019. In that bout, Kambosos dropped Bey in the final round to ensure victory.
The 39-year-old from Cleveland, Ohio won the IBF lightweight championship with a split decision win over Hector Velazquez in 2014. He vacated the belt one year later after failing to come to terms with a mandatory title defense against Denis Shafikov. Bey challenged for the same belt again two fights later but lost to Rances Barthelemy, also via split decision. Overall, Bey owns a record of 23-3 with 11 knockouts.
Bey will be the betting underdog for only the third time in his professional boxing career. He will also be facing his longest odds ever as a prized fighter. Bey closed at +200 when he fought Kambosos the last time out and was a bigger +285 betting underdog when he lost to Barthelemy in 2016.
