AFTER losing to Joe Louis for the world heavyweight title in 1937, Tommy Farr lost his next four contests, all by decision, to James J Braddock, Max Baer, Lou Nova and Red Burman. Tommy is rightly remembered for his very game stand against Louis and was revered in the valleys of South Wales, where he was a boxing hero.
Farr won his next four fights but, in 1940, aged 26, and with a World War raging, it looked all over for Tommy’s career. He had started out as a professional in 1926 when, at the age of 12, he won his first contest at Tonypandy, his birthplace, when as ‘Kid Farr’ he outpointed Jack Jones from nearby Clydach Vale.
Throughout the 1930s, Tommy was one of the toughest of fighters, winning the Welsh light-heavyweight and heavyweight titles and then the British and Empire heavyweight titles. He boxed at every weight from fly to heavy and his bout with Louis, when he was a 23-year-old veteran of 150 contests, represented the pinnacle of his career. It came as a surprise, therefore, when he announced in 1950, after a 10-year ring absence, that he was to make a comeback at the age of 36. In those days, 36 was no age to be getting into a boxing ring, most fighters retired before the age of 30.
Over in the United States, Farr’s old rival Joe Louis had himself retired from the ring. He had held the world heavyweight title for 11 years and defended it 25 times, the first of which was against Farr. Louis also announced that he would make a ring comeback and, like Farr, he announced this in August 1950. Joe had tax problems and needed to fight again to settle his debts.
Tommy, on the other hand, wanted to return because he didn’t rate the current crop of heavyweights and he still liked the game. Farr regained his licence without difficulty and then stated that he would fight on a bill in early September for promoter Albert Davies at Pontypridd. The contest was then put back three weeks to September 27.
Remarkably, this was the same night that Joe Louis was also to make his return to the ring. He was matched to fight the current champion, Ezzard Charles, in a 15-rounder for the world heavyweight title at the Yankee Stadium, New York City. No other bout would have sufficed for Joe, who was one of the all-time great heavyweight champions, and many thought that he would beat Ezzard without too much difficulty.
Tommy’s comeback was a somewhat quieter affair as he was matched against Jan Klein, an unheralded Dutchman with a patchy record. Twenty thousand turned up in the open air, in the rain, to see Tommy flatten Klein in six rounds at Ynysangharad Park, Pontypridd. In New York, a few hours later, 22,000 fans watched on as father time, through the hands of Ezzard Charles, administered a clear 15-round beating to the great man.
Many cried as the decision was announced and Joe should have left the ring for good afterwards. Like Tommy, however, Louis continued to ply his trade throughout 1951 and the two men both suffered brutal knockouts that year.
In March 1951, Frank Bell, from Barnoldswick in Lancashire, took only two rounds to demolish Farr in a contest at the Rhondda Transport Company garage in Porth. This unlikely venue was a sad place for Tommy to receive such a beating. For Joe, his defeat was a much more public affair. Rocky Marciano slaughtered him in eight rounds at Madison Square Garden.
Marciano was on the way up at that time and was the hottest property in boxing. His victory over Louis reminds me a little of Ali’s demise at the hands of Larry Holmes and it was just as sad. Louis never fought again but Tommy soldiered on until 1953, losing his last fight to Don Cockell, who in turn got hammered by Rocky Marciano just two years later.
