Welshman Tommy Farr, the first fighter to...

Welshman Tommy Farr, the first fighter to go the 15-round distance with former world heavyweight champion Joe Louis, died at his home Saturday, his wife said in London. He was 71.

Although he was the unbeaten British champion, Farr was not regarded as much of a threat when he fought Louis in New York in August 1937. When Farr was still standing at the end, he was hailed as a hero by boxing fans.

Some years later, Farr was quoted as saying: “At the end I thought I might have got it. If they had made it a draw, I would have been happy.”

In a professional career stretching from 1926-53, Farr won 80 of his 125 fights, losing 30 and drawing 13, with 2 ending in no decision.

Although the clash with Louis was his only world title fight, Farr fought two ex-champions, beating and then losing to Max Baer, and later losing to James J. Braddock.