A BRIDGE TOO FAR FOR TOMMY FARR by Ralph Oates
Farr was known as the Tonypandy Terror and over the years he duly cultivated his ring skills the hard way by meeting an assortment of tough opponents. Some he won, some he lost, this was all part of his ring education. There was no shortcut to the top, every step up the ladder had to be fought for.
There could be no doubt that when Tommy Farr was given the opportunity to challenge Joe Louis for the World Heavyweight Championship on the 30 August 1937 few gave him any chance of bringing the title home. It was a ‘bridge too far’ for Farr was the general consensus. The Welshman was going up against a man who appeared to be impossible to defeat. Louis was a fighter who at the time was lauded by many as one of the finest heavyweights in the history of the sport to have held the crown. He was in his prime, a perfect fighting machine. When looking at the resume of Louis it was hard to argue with the fact that the Welshman had little chance of victory. At the time of his meeting with Farr the American had a reported record of 33 bouts winning 32 with just one defeat to Germany’s former world heavyweight king Max Schmeling. That particular loss was a shock knockout in round 12 of 15 on the 19th of June 1936. This was merely considered a blip in the career of Louis, one he soon recovered from with him going on to win the world crown on the 22nd of June 1937. Louis duly ascended to the throne when he knocked out the then holder James J. Braddock in round 8 of a scheduled 15. The Welsh boxer was the first defence of the championship by Louis. Farr was aware of the task in front of him and the mountain he had to climb to succeed. The well-schooled American looked supreme in every department. When considering all the facts it was reasonable to assume that Louis looked a good bet not only to win but win in style by stopping his challenger long before the final bell. The fight was meant to be a showcase for Louis who would reveal his immense boxing skills against an outgunned opponent. Despite this Farr was showing every confidence prior to the bout. Farr had to travel to the USA to contest the title, this would be the first time that Farr had fought on American soil. In fact, it was the first time for Farr to box abroad during his professional career. The Welsh boxer was born on the 12th of March 1913 in Clydach Vale Rhondda and had his first professional contest on the 17 December 1926 against opponent Jack Jones whom he outpointed over six rounds.
34 CARDIFF TIMES
On the 4th of February 1935 he met Eddie Phillips for the vacant British light-heavyweight title, the venue being Pavillon, Mountain Ash. The contest ended in disappointment for Farr when he lost a 15 round point’s decision. However, Farr notched up a good win on the 15 January 1936 at the Royal Albert Hall in Kensington, London, outpointing former world light-heavyweight king Tommy Loughran of America over the duration of 10 rounds. On the 2nd of April 1936 the Welsh fighter returned to the Royal Albert Hall where he claimed the scalp of yet another former American world light-heavyweight king when he outpointed Bob Olin over 10 rounds. On the 14th of September 1936 he stepped into the square ring to challenge Jim Wilde for the Welsh heavyweight crown. The bout took place at the Vetch Field in Swansea. A new titleholder was crowned when Farr knocked out Wilde in the seventh of a contest scheduled for 15. It was apparent that Farr was a tough man and would not fold easily when things were going against him no matter who was opposing him. Leading up to the Louis fight Farr had captured the British and Commonwealth heavyweight titles on the 15th of March 1937 defeating Ben Foord on points over 15 rounds in a good, solid performance at the Harringay Stadium. The Welsh boxer was quickly back in the ring and on the 15th of April 1937 had what could be considered his best victory to date, outpointed former world heavyweight champion Max Baer of America over the duration of 12 rounds. When this bout was first made it seemed highly unlikely that Farr would leave the ring with a victory. However, the Welshman shone bright on the night and showed just how good he was. On the 15th of June 1937 Farr produced yet another good victory when he knocked out Germany’s highly regarded Walter Neusel in the third of a 12 round bout at the Harringay Arena. Now the scene was set for Farr’s challenge to Louis. On the night the venue was packed with fight enthusiasts who being truthful, thought that the American would duly dispose of Farr without too many problems and everyone would have an early night. Louis would then progress to the next defence of the title. Once the fight got underway at the Yankee Stadium, New York, it was apparent that Farr was no easy touch, no walkover, the man from the valleys was a serious contender and was not intimidated in any way by the reputation of the American who stood in front of him. It was very clear as the rounds passed that the spectators were becoming very impressed by the courage and determination of the Welshman. Both fighters used their left jab to good effect and showed good skills. Louis had the edge when they exchanged solid punches but to his credit, Farr stood his ground and fired back at every opportunity. The visitor from the UK knew that this was a chance in a million, a win
