Evening star., 1938-03-22
Fdrr Fine Investment, Despite Defeats
GAME WELSHMAN
RINGS HANDY MAN
Tommy Fills In to Brace
Boxing--Apt to Be Tester
of Young Heavies.
BY FRANCIS ]. POWERS.

BY FRANCIS ]. POWERS.
CHICAGO, March 22.-If Tommy
Farr only could punch a little bit,
what fighter he would be! The
Welsh miner has absorbed all that
Joe Louis. Jim Braddock and Max
Baer could throw without quitting.
He lathered Braddock and Baer with
innumerable blows, but where his
Jaw was strong his punches were
weak.
Farr deserves a lot of credit. if
only for being different from Phil
Scott, Joe Beckett and other British
heavyweights of the last generation.
Thomas has plenty of the old moxie
and doesn't scare at all Although he
has lost all of his American fights,
Farr is a handy fellow for Mike
Jacobs to have around. In fact, he
has been one of the best investments
the Broadway baron of boxing ever
made.
Farr Good for Tests.
English boxing writer's, over for the
Louis-Braddock fight of last summer,
had no high regard for Fairs ability.
Jacobs first idea in importing Thomas
was to get him out of Great Britain
and thereby prevent any possibility
OF his fighting Schmeling for one of
the London promoters. The prevalent
idea when Thomas landed on this
side was that he would be quickly
belted over and removed from cir
Cllation.
Farr failed to fall and Jacobs has
had three good fights from him, at
time when the heavyweight business
normally would be rather dull. Tom
mys future now is questionable, but
Jacobs can afford to keep him around
as tester for any young heavies who
may develop large ideas. The man
seems immune to knockouts. for. il
Louis and Baer could not keep him
down, there is no one else at the mo-
ment with sufficient kick to do the
job.
Baer's Stamina Amazing.
BY his victory over Farr, Max Baer
again becomes of some Importance in
the heavyweight field. The Cali
fornlan's performance was not sensa-
uonal, but good enough, considering
the length of time he had been out
OF competition and measured against
his last efforts. Baer still is quite a
clown in the ring, but he showed
some tendency toward new serious
ness for his work
That his timing and punching
should be erratic was to be expected.
The amazing part of his showing was
the stamina displayed over the IS
rounds. Given couple more bouts,
and Baer again may become a chal-
lenger for the championship. In fact,
he will be about the only counter
attraction in sight to meet the winner
of the Louis-Schmeling match, which
seems certain to be held in Chicago
or Detroit next June, with the Windy
City having the call.
Training Bout for Louis.
Champion Joe Louis will 90 into
action again on April /, when he
meets Harry Thomas in the Chicago
Stadium. Thomas took a hard beat
ing from schmeling not long ago, so
cannot be expected to give Louis much
opposition. However, the bout will
serve to keep Joe in fighting trim and
the heavyweight cauldron hot in pub
lie interest.
Louis and Thomas are training for
what is billed as a 15-round bout
but probably will stop at two or three.
This show may give Mike Jacobs the
wedge he needs to obtain the promo
tional rights to the Chicago Stadium,
which has been dark, so far as fistic
shows are concerned, for these many
months.