I knew very little of him except that he fought Joe Louis when Joe was in his prime and it was a close points wins for Louis. Reading the book Man of Courage by Bob Longhurst, it appears that Farr was a solid heavy for the day but no world beater. Perhaps better than the majority of Joe Louis's opponents but not good enough to beat Braddock or Burman, and he went 1 - 1 with Max Baer. Am I missing anything?
Not really he was a solid contender ,durable with boxing ability ,he lacked power and never won fight in the US. He was an intelligent man and very good company ,could sing too.
He was on the wrong end of a couple bad decisions. Many people thought that he beat Braddock and Burman. He was the best British heavyweight between Fitzsimmons and Lewis, by a very significant margin. Maybe, just maybe, he could have been champion if he had come along a few years earlier.
He told my Dad he beat Braddock,he never pretended he deserved the nod against Louis,I don't think he mentioned Burman and I don't know if he was robbed in that one. On a good night if Sharkey or Baer were off he could theoretically have won the title,imo.
He was robbed in the USA. Farr won 6 rounds or so vs Joe Louis and stunned him. He could box, and took a solid punch, but like you said he lacked power, which makes one wonder how he stunned Joe Louis.
