NOT Boxer v Fighter – Jono Carroll warns Tevin Farmer ahead of title clash

Jono Carroll [16(3)-0-1] has warned Tevin Farmer is he a bull with both intellect and flair.

It hasn’t taken long for most to surmise that the pair’s IBF super featherweight world title fight set for Philadelphia and the Liacouras Center on Friday March 15th will be your stereotypical matador versus bull bout.

The slick champion Farmer [28(6)-4(2)-1] is billed as the one who will be waving the red cloak in the battle of southpaws and ‘King Kong’ the aggressive animal trying to cause damage on the front foot.

Such opinions and fight style predictions have been borne out of the pair’s respective  performances in the pros so far – and, to be fair, for the most part, both have lived up the style billing to date.

However, the challenger is adamant that he is anything but a one-trick pony – or bull, in this case – and has warned ‘The American Idol’ that he is a versatile boxing chameleon.

Carroll has been the aggressor in the majority of his fights to date and, while it has proved a successful approach, he promises that he has other tricks up his sleeve.

The 26-year-old Dubliner notes how he was first and foremost a counter puncher, but elected against taking that approach in a bid to entertain the crowd.

Indeed, one only has to look at his opening Prizefighter contest in 2014 versus Stephen Foster Jr where he bamboozled the English stylist.

Carroll explained to TStreet how “I was a counter puncher as amateur, but then you’re against these journeymen and you have to come forward or it’s going to be a boring fight. I like to be in exciting fights so I adapted a different style and I started coming forward.”

Going into more detail, the Matchroom fighter revealed that, as an amateur under the guidance of his father Vernon, he not only learnt the value of being stylistically educated, but was trained to be multi-faceted.

As a result, Carroll has told the IBF super featherweight champ that he is an accomplished and skilled operator.

“I am a bit of everything. My Dad used to always say ‘if you are a one style fighter then you are beatable’ because someone will have a game plan to beat you. If you’re boxer you can come up against a better fighter or whatever way it may be, but my Dad thought me as an amateur to box every single way.”

“Now I can do all the fundamentals correctly and when you can do that you are a good fighter. I don’t believe I am a one trick pony. The great fighters can adapt no matter what the circumstances. The greats can adapt in the middle of a round and that’s what I believe I can do.”