BEST ENGLISH CHAMPION

Evening Post, Volume CXXIV, Issue 87, 9 October 1937, Page 23

BEST ENGLISH CHAMPION

SENT IN PURSUIT OF TITLE

TOMMY FARR NOT A "HORIZONTAL" BOXER

There' were excellent reasons for the British sports rating Tommy Farr as the best English champion sent in pursuit of the world's heavyweight title since the distant days when Charlie Mitchell challenged the supremacy of the great John L. Sullivan, wrote George Tickell in the "Ring."' Because, in addition to his fine boxing skill, Farr proved conclusively in all European battles that he was not stamped with the "horizontal" fighting brand which for a decade gained such unenviable notoriety for English heavyweights in general.

In many battles he not only flashed a left hand that travelled straight to its target with lightning speed, Taut showed that he could also unleash a lethal right piunch at the proper moment, and he was not averse to a slugging bee when occasion demanded. In slang parlance, he could "take it" and never shrink from the test of endurance under fire when bent on a knock-out. The masterly fashion in which he disposed of Max Baer, Ben Foord, Neusel, Loughran, and Olin marked him as a scientist par excellence, and the British had ample reason for feeling proud of him. Also, it is worth while remembering that while it took Max Schmeling, conqueror of Louis, nine rounds to knock out Neusel, Farr stopped Neusel in three rounds. yfith such a record to his credit it is no winder that the British foresaw something more than a mere possibility of Farr reviving the ancient glories of the English ring as regards its heavyweight division, and were excited when he was matched with Joe Louis for the title. THREE FAILURES IN AMERICA. Especially when they recollected bitterly what happened to three of their top-notch heavyweight invaders' of America during the. period extending from 1812 to 1930, the same, being Bombardier Billy Wells, Tom Cowler, and Phil Scott; Of this trio, Wells proved "the greatest disappointment to his countrymen, because he appeared to be such a brilliant prospect. As a boxer Wells ranked very high in his profession, but his physical shortcomings proved an impassable barrier for him on the trail of the world's championship honours, Cowler, who went to America in 1915, scaled 15st 101 bars stood over six feet. He boxed well,, although not with the dazzling brilliancy of Wells, and was a hard puncher. He made a good impression in his first year's work, scoring several knock-outs and holding his own in no-decision bouts with such men as Gunboat Smith, Ley'insky, and Flynn. He failed to live up to ttte prophecy of Jim Corbett, who predicted a great future for him.' ■ ' As regards Phil Scott, his performances are still fresh enough in the public memory to render it unnecessary to discuss them in detail. When the going was rough it was Scott's habit to claim a foul and quit, so! much so that he earned the name of 'Tainting Phil." FIRST FOR TWENTY-NINE YEARS. The Joe Louis-Tommy Farr battle was the first time since 1908 that an English champion was given a shot at the world's heavyweight crown. In that year Btirns knocked out the then English champion, Jack Palmer, in London. Furthermore, it was the first occasion since 1894 that an English champion fought for the world's heavyweight title on American soil. The contestants at that time were Jim Gorbett and Charlie Mitchell, the latter being knocked out in the third round. No English heavyweight has held the world's heavyweight title since Jem Mace reigned as cock of the international pugilistic roost in the bareknuckle days. Bob Fitzsimmons won the title, of course, but although born in England, he left that country when an infant and was brought up in the Antipodes. Since the Charlie Mitchell era thei English sportsmen have measured the,! abilities of their succeeding heavy-1 weight champions by comparison with him, but until the coming of Tommy Farr none showed the "class" as fighting men that distinguished the great little fighter who held big John L. Sullivan to a 39-rourid draw with bare knuckles when John was in his prime. It is this fact which raised the hopes of the Britons to the zenith when Farr was given a world's heavyweight title match.

TITLE BOUT

"REFEREE'S EXPLANATION

■ When Arthur Donovan entered Mike Jacobs's offices recently to pick up nis cheque for refereeing the Joe LouisTommy Farr fight, I led him into a neutral corner and asked him. about .that score card he turned in, wrote Henry McLemore in an American exchange.

Donovan's tally sheet gave Louis thirteen rounds, with one to Farr. and one even. His scoring brought down much criticism on his head and I wanted to. find out if he thought; any of it was justified. ■.'■■■

' He didn't He wasn't sore about itjust amazed that anyone could have seen it any different.

MLouis won in a breeze, in a walk. He never took a deep breath from start to finish," Donovan said. "Farr won just one round in that fight—the first one—and I'll stake my . reputation as a referee on it.

i "I couldn't believe my ears when I heard those boos, because it was so

obvious from where I was that Jo* never had a, second's trouble defending his title." But Donovan had an explanation for the crowd's reaction, and to me it makes sense. "I imagine the customers had redd toe much about how Farr was a poor title prospect," stated Donovan. "They expected to see him belted out.ot there in thirty seconds, and when he still was in there, round after round, they got so excited and so amazed by his gameness, that they couldn't see, any other, punches but his. The same sort of thing happened the night Bob Pastor stayed ten rounds. Louis won that fight by a mile, yet at the end of the last round, everybody forgot about him ii. yelling for Bob. "Why, in that fight, I heard the crowd, yell lots ofttimes for punches that didn't even land on any part of Louis. And the crowd was always screaming and shouting for punches that Joe caught oil his elbows or glove» or shoulders. I've been around boxing a.long time, as a fighter and then a*

a referee, and if Louis didn't hit Farr fifteen times to one, then I'm crazy. Yet I hear that the man at the radio had Farr winning. That's ridiculous. Farr never had a chance of licking Louis. You know all the Welshman showed me? I'll tell you—the toughest jaw ani. the gamest spirit I ever saw in any fighter. You'know those left jahs Farr took for fifteen full rounds? Well, they were the same ones that ruined Baer in two heats. That's how tough Tommy is."

JOE FRANKLIN

RETURN FROM SOUTH AFRICA " The former New Zealand lightweight boxing champion Joe Franklin! has arrived back in Australia from South Africa. Frdhklin, who can make tiie featherweight limit, has signed up with Stadiums, Ltd., Melbourne. "I earned a lot of money in Johannesburg, and was treated splendidly by the Transvaal Boxing Club people. They are wonderful sportsmen," said Franklin in an interview in Sydney. In Johannesburg he had 11 fights, of which he won seyen, lost three, and one was drawn. His principal battles were with,. Laurie Stevens, Aide* Spoldo, and "Babe" Smith and Kid Oliver.' Stevens defeated Franklin on points, but the New Zealander was conceding him half a stone weight. Franklin also lost to Spoldo, a highlyrated Italian, but defeated him in a return battle.... Joe knocked out the. South Africanfeatherweight champion, "Babe" Smith and outpointed the well-performed Englishman, Kid Oliver. For the Stevens fight he received £480. The Spoldo battles netted him £900, and his "cut" was £275 jvith Oliver. A GREAT FIGHT Gordon Bridge, of the Tartan Boxing Club, turned on the best performance at the Wellington amateur championships, when he defeated Tommy Hansen, of Hedberg's school, in the final of the senior featherweight division. Hansen, the night before, had beaten the New Zealand featherweight champion, Gerryon. points,., and the general opinion was . that with his strongerphysique he would be too tough a handful for Bridge. Bridge entered the ring with his left eye plastered up, but before the fight ended both his eyes presented a sorry spectacle. A powerful left swing was Hansen's most dangerous punch and he was definitely on top' in the first round. The general opinion was that Bridge would'be unable to weather the storm, but he came back in the last two rounds to fight his ma» toe-to-tOe, and in the finish it was hi# superior science that got him the decision. The match was the high' light of the tournament.