The nice Joe Louis, already one thing of a legend, made his first protection as heavyweight champion in opposition to Welshman Tommy Farr simply 9 weeks after his title-winning knockout over James J. Braddock. Few thought Farr able to troubling Louis, not to mention profitable, however the challenger’s stubborn preventing type, coupled with Louis’s lethargy, supplied for an extended and fascinating combat by which each males could be harm and a controversial choice rendered. The announcement that Louis had retained his title was met not by a Bronx cheer however unabashed booing, as many felt the courageous Welshman had been robbed.
Farr, son of a bare-knuckled battler, started his skilled boxing profession on the exceptional age of 13 and by the point he met Louis he had already fought over 100 bouts. Against this, Louis had solely 33 professional fights, managing in that house to smash his method by means of the rankings and develop into champion. His solely defeat, an enormous upset, was to Germany’s Max Schmeling a yr earlier at Yankee Stadium, a stain that—to his nice vexation—he nonetheless hadn’t acquired a possibility to avenge. Louis had prodigious energy and eight of his final 9 victories had come through stoppage. Most believed that as quickly as Louis’ fists made contact with Farr’s chin the Welshman could be retired, leaving Louis to pursue the extra vital enterprise of a return bout with Schmeling and the reclaiming of his, and America’s, sense of pugilistic superiority.
True warriors like Farr, nevertheless, have an excessive amount of spirit to ever be so casually dismissed, since their identities are indistinguishable from, and principally predicated on, how they carry out in fight. From the opening bell Farr attacked with verve, reaching the champ with laborious physique pictures. He continued the tempo within the second, touchdown some harmful hooks, after which started coming excessive with the precise hand. Nonetheless, the motion was not one-sided, as by this level one of many champion’s blows had opened a nasty gash on Farr’s face which his nook scrambled to take care of.
Preventing irrepressibly, Farr continued attacking, weathering a troublesome fifth spherical and profitable the sixth. Within the seventh, Louis hammered Farr with a collection of uppercuts however the challenger remained undaunted and bipedal. In maybe his finest second, the Welshman hit Louis with a fantastic left hand within the eighth, sending the gang right into a shocked frenzy. For the primary time within the combat, Louis appeared weak however the champion reclaimed the bout within the tenth and eleventh rounds when his good jab asserted itself. Farr’s exercise decreased over the combat’s closing rounds, however every time it appeared as if his mounting fatigue would possibly result in a stoppage, the challenger, his eyes ever extra veiled by his personal blood, responded with a vigorous assault.
Farr fought valiantly within the closing spherical as he sensed solely a knockout may unseat the champion. Too clever to be drawn right into a probably disastrous brawl, Joe’s counter-punching ensured he emerged from the spherical unscathed and from the competition together with his world title intact. Along with the gang’s displeasure with the choice, there was some confusion when the decision was introduced because the referee mistakenly raised the challenger’s hand.
Farr although was gentlemanly in defeat and neither protested nor appeared notably aggrieved. Whereas he misplaced the combat, he gained widespread acclaim. He had given a splendid account of himself whereas giving “The Brown Bomber” considered one of his hardest fights. As Louis went on to develop into essentially the most dominant champion in heavyweight historical past, this stands as a significant accomplishment all by itself.
— Eliott McCormick
