Barry unbeaten yet still has no gold

Press, 30 August 1984, Page 8

Barry unbeaten yet still has no gold

Kevin Barry, the Canterbury light-heavyweight amateur boxer, has the unique record of having been unbeaten at two big Games tournaments, yet circumstances have prevented him from competing for a gold medal.

At the Commonwealth Games in Brisbane in 1982 Barry was declared unfit to fight in the semi-finals because of a cut above an eye,

and had to settle for a bronze medal. Earlier this month, at the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, Barry beat the highly rated United States representative, Evander Holyfield, on a disqualification when the American punched Barry after the referee had called for the boxers to stop. But Holyfield’s incapacitating left hook after the referee’s command also

caused Barry to be counted out and under international rules he was not allowed to compete for the gold medal two days later. However, he did gain a silver medal to add to his Brisbane bronze. The Games golds might have eluded Barry, but in recent days he has been presented with two medals of that hue. Last week, before the Government reception to the Games athletes in Wellington, an Auckland pensioner, Mr John James, presented Barry with a gold Army medallion. Yesterday he received another medal from Mr E. P. Higginson, the general manager of the Fidelity Life Assurance Company. Mr Higginson discovered that several years ago Barry had taken out a policy'with his company, aptly named the “Gold Medal. Plan.” Mr Higginson travelled from Auckland to Christchurch yesterday to present Barry with a medal to mark the unusual coincidence.