Tommy Farr

Born in The Rhondda Valleys in South Wales, Tommy Farr started life working as a miner but gave that up when quite young in order to box. Young men then boxed in "boxing booths" where they were paid small amounts of money to fight all comers. It was a tough start to what was a very tough career. He lost a lot of fights early on, but then he began to win some and eventually, became British and Empire Heavyweight Champion.
But he wanted to be world champion, so after fighting Max Bear and beating him he took on Joe Louis, The Brown Bomber, heavyweight champion of the world.
It is said the whole of Wales stayed up listening to the radio to hear the fight. Most of my friends did. I am not sure if I did or not - I heard and talked about about the fight so much that I may only have imagined I had stayed up in the early hours to hear it.
Tommy Farr was expected to be defeated in a few rounds by Louis but instead he came out aggressive and attacking and took Louis to 15 rounds, losing on points. Most people in Wales thought he should have won but, as was always said at the time, "you only win in America if you knock your opponent out."
When he retired Tommy Farr became the proprietor of a pub but also used to be called on by BBC commentators to talk about fights; and he was a superb analyst of fights and fighters.
They made a documentary film of the life of Joe Louis showing his rise from rags to riches and showing all his great fights along the way. All, that is, except one - the one which he nearly lost against Tommy Farr, and which everyone in Wales said he had lost.