Jono Carroll loses unanimous decision to Tevin Farmer

Jono Carroll failed in his brave bid to win a world title on his US debut after he lost a unanimous decision to IBF super featherweight champion Tevin Farmer in Philadelphia on Friday night.

Carroll attempted to take the fight to Farmer in his first world title attempt but the champion used his superior boxing skills to successfully claim a 117-111, 117-111 and 117-110 decision in the third defence of his title.

The American shaded the opening round after landing a couple of body shots and by the second the Irish challenger had a cut above his right eye.

Carroll tried to force the fight in the third and found some success working the body but Farmer was able to evade the head shots and finished the round with some decent hooks.

Farmer claimed a close-fought fourth round by landing combinations and then using his footwork to get away from danger.

The Dubliner had his gumshield knocked out in the fifth by an uppercut before being punished by a series of body shots.

By the seventh round, Farmer had built up a decent lead on the scorecards but the fight was turning into a thriller due to Carroll’s refusal to back down.

The challenger backed Farmer up on to the ropes in the ninth and dominated the champion for the first time in the fight.

However, Farmer landed two heavy punches in the tenth to reopen Carroll’s cut and rocked him in the final seconds of the penultimate round with a huge right.

Carroll survived the 11th round and continued battling to the final bell to receive well-deserved cheers for his efforts.