Sport: Louis v. Farr

Without the slightest evidence of fear Tommy Farr bounced out of his corner aimed two left jabs at the stolid face of Joe Louis, hit his dark opponent with a ft and right, mussed his own hair Thus last week began a prize fight that was to have a surprise ending. After one of Farr’s blows had bounced him off the ropes Louis learned to watch for hard punches ducking, taking them on his arms, or rolling away. Louis soon found the range with left jabs, opened cuts under Farr’s eves. After more of this Farr’s face was badly marked. In the seventh round Louis landed a halt-dozen punishing blows in as many seconds, but the flurry passed. In the 15th and last round, Louis, having tried everything else, tried a right uppercut to the body. It missed. The final gong rang.

After collecting the judges’ votes Referee Arthur Donovan announced that Louis had won the fight on points. The crowd of 50,000 in New York City’s Yankee Stadium, amazed that Farr had not been knocked out or even knocked down booed the decision. But Negro Joe Louis, 23, made $75,000 and successfully if not brilliantly defended the heavyweight championship of the world which he won two months ago by knocking out James J Braddock (TIME, July 5). And Thomas George Paul John Farr, 23, who grew up as a colliery boy in Wales, who once was a “booth fighter” earning five shillings a week boxing with yokels at country fairs, earned $50,000 in an evening.

Champion Louis had entered the ring a favorite at odds ranging from 5-to-1 to 7-to-1, and the odds generally quoted that he would win by a knockout were 5-to-2. Most sportswriters had reasoned that, although Louis was vulnerable, especially to a right to the jaw, an opponent to stand up against him had to be able to hit hard and must not be afraid of him. Braddock had not been afraid but he had not been able to hit hard, so he was knocked out. Before the fight, Farr’s stock reached almost zero level with the prizefight public when he posed for a picture with onetime Champion Braddock, onetime Champion Max Baer, onetime Contender Harry Wills, as his “advisers” (see cut). In the fight,’ however, Joe Louis did not hit as hard or as accurately as the experts thought he would and Farr hit harder. Speaking over the radio after the fight, Louis admitted (that he had been hurt twice. Said Farr: [Ve got plenty of guts—that’s old Tommy Farr, you know. I’m a Welshman.”