LEN HARVEY TO MEET LARRY GAINS.

Auckland Star, Volume LXX, Issue 28, 3 February 1939, Page 13

LEN HARVEY TO MEET LARRY GAINS.

I EN HARVEY will have his Li first fight in defence of the British heavy-weight championship on March 16, having been matched with Larry Gains, the coloured Canadian. It' was to meet Gains in an elimination contest for the championship that the New Zealander Maurice Strickland went to England at the end of last year and could not find a promoter to put up a purse. Meantime;; . Harvey beat Eddie Phillips' in November last and ■became the! champion.

In February, ;1934, Harvey beat Gains at the Albert Hall. Three months earlier . the/boxing world by taking the heavy-weight title from Jack PeterSeh;"

Most boxing; enthusiasts .-were prepared fo. accept the that Gains.had lost his-: position among the top-liners just over tivo years ago; but-he made a remarkable comeback. He is undefeated' since'.'April/1936, ; when he beat- Maurice Strickland, the New' Zealander.

Gains crashed back into the headlines ;a month. or two ago, when he confounded the critics by • handing out a convincing, beating to the Welsh champion, young George James.

The Harvey-Gains contest, for which the purse has-not-been revealed, will be the feature of the first tournament arranged by. Johnny Best in his. capacity as matchmaker at Harringay. He will take over the-duties from Sydney Hulls next month.

It is worthy of note that the Cornishmam has collected a title on his only two appearances in the Harringay ring. He took the cruiser-weight crown from McAvoy last spring, and then became heavy-weight champion when' he beat Phillip's on a disqualification a few weeks ago. - — ■

If he repeats his four-year-old victory over ■ Gains he will establish something of a record in securing three champion-.ehips-m.successive fights.at Harringay.