The Washington times., 1937-08-12

W. N'NS US' w SSSSN'<
BY ARTIE McGOVERN
written Exclusively for International
News sOrviee)
LONG BRANCH, N. j., Aug. IL.
During the past thirty years I have
watched all the boxing champions
train, and I was anxious to see
Just how an English heavyweight
champion prepared for q contest.
Tom Evans, Tommy Farr's trainer,
invited me to spend the day at the
camp. I arrived at 6 a. m. after
being stopped by several police
men. The only thing that saved
me from being manhandled when
I arrived at Farr's quarters was
the fact that my good friend, the
former great English feather
weight, Danny FruSh, stuck his
head out of a window and said
I was o. k.
My arrival seemed to disturb
everyone except Tommy Farr, who
is another Joe Louis as far as
sleeping Is concerned. It took
Evans, FruSh and another camp
assistant all Of ten minutes to
arouse the English heavyweight
champ. The most effective means
Of waking him up was the cold
water acknowledgement his
face with a cold towel.
Farr has the best system Of
stretching calisthenics I ever saw
Or might I call them yawning
exercises. "Oh, how he hates to
get up in the morning."
HEAVY UNDERWEAR
He gets into his running COS
tune which consists of heavy
underwear, heavy shoes, pants
and sweat shirt. To be sure that
he is wide awake Evans, his
trainer, puts him through a series
Of abdominal exercises. They're
all set for the road work or, as it
happens to be IN Farr's case, the
track. There is a quarter mile
track outside Farr's door and at
$40 he and his retinue start run
ming. Evans sets the pace, and as
he was quite a noted sprinter it
is quite difficult for Farr to keep
up with him.
It seems to me that it is a bor'
ing way to do road work-no colln.
try roads, just a flat track and
Farr goes round and round and
round! The average American
fighter doing road work combines
shadow boxing, sidestepping, feint-
ing, ducking and jumping about
while on the road, but Farr merely
runs and walks. Sixteen laps
around the track are completed,
making a total Of four miles.
Farr goes to his training quar-
ters-is covered up with blankets
and allowed to perspire for about
twenty minutes. He then has his
shower and a good rundown. After
which, taking a leaf out OF Gene
Tunney's book, he drinks three
glasses Of milk. He is wide awake
now and kidding, whistling and
singing. He certainly is in much
better spirits than he was when
he was awakened.
BREAKFAST AT 10
At ten O'Clock breakfast is an
nounced. Our friend, Tommy Farr,
proves to be an expert trencher-
man. His first course is a large
glass Of orange juice. He then has
a bowl Of cold cereal with sliced
peaches, milk and cream. While
he is waiting for the main course
he has a piece Of honeydew melon.
Though his chef, Kenneth
Barker, might have been personal
chef to King George and served
in the kitchen Of famous New
York hotels, there is nothing petit
about the way food is served to
the British heavyweight champion.
In comes a platter with one-haf
dozen fried eggs-another platter
with bacon-and another with a
stack of toast-butter, marmalade
and tea.
It seems to me they are going
to feed an army, but it is just
Farr's regular breakfast. The
theory in Farr'S camp seems to
be that the more he eats the
stronger he'll be. I hope so. One
of the pet stories Of the camp is
that last Tuesday Farr ate beef
steak weighing 3A pounds. If he
keeps it up doubt If he will get
down to the 1876 lbs. which he
claims is his best fighting weight.
At present he weighs 207 lbs.
when Farr started training he
weighed 212. Tommy seems to be
carrying about IL lbs. Of super
fluous weight around the hips,
thighs and waist. After break
fast he lollS around talking