The World’s Unluckiest Boxer

By Keith Miller

Throughout the 1920s and 1930s, Larry Gains was one of the best heavyweight fighters in world boxing.  However, whilst he should be recognised now as a household name who left behind an incredible legacy, the name will remain unfamiliar to many.

So, what makes his story so important?

Lawrence Samuel Gains was born in Toronto’s Cabbagetown in 1900.  His family arrived in Canada after his grandfather escaped enslavement in Virginia, and it was a chance encounter that led him into boxing.  At the age of 12 he met Jack Johnson – the first black boxer to win the World Heavyweight Title – a meeting that shaped his future.  However, it wasn’t until Gains was 20 that he took up boxing seriously, sparring out of the city’s Praestamus Club, a black boxing organisation.

Facing racial discrimination, Gains passed up the opportunity to fight at the1924 Paris Olympics after a successful amateur career and instead moved to the UK to turn professional in 1923.  His early career saw him fighting frequently throughout Europe, and particularly France, where he befriended Ernest Hemingway.  A little over two years later, the “Toronto Terror” knocked out tough future World Champion Max Schmeling in the second round of their fight in Cologne in 1925.

The following year, he returned to North America but lost his title fight for the vacant World Coloured Heavyweight Title (the only World Title that he would be eligible for at the time) to George Godfrey in New York.  This controversial title division was created after the outrage caused by Jack Jonhson’s world title win in 1908, with the emphasis then being placed on a Great White Hope to restore “normal” transmission.

This meant that whilst Gains fought, and often defeated, many legitimate contenders, he was never allowed to compete for the Heavyweight Boxing titles based solely on his skin colour.  He went on to win the Canada Heavyweight Title in 1927, and then in 1931 the Commonwealth Heavyweight Title.

In 1932, Larry Gains fought the future World Heavyweight Champion Primo Carnera.  The gigantic Carnera, whose own story is quite remarkable, won 72 fights via knockout, but Gains’ left hook and dogged defence saw him bewilder his opponent and take the decision on points.  In theory, that should have been the instigator for a Heavyweight Championship challenge, but it was not to be.  Regardless of how good he was, Gains would never be given the opportunity to take out the ultimate accolade.

A black boxer did not successfully win the World Title again until Joe Louis did so in 1937, which at this late stage of Gains’ career would likely have been a step too far.    At that point, the World Coloured Heavyweight Title then became extinct, with Gains the holder (for the second time) since 1935.

After 18 years as a professional fighter, Larry Gains retired at the age of 41, losing 5 of his last 7 fights (3 of those to the formidable Jack London).  His overall record was an astonishing 117 wins from 139 fights.  Whilst travelling to Cologne to visit family, Gains suffered a heart attack and died in 1983, and from all accounts held no bitterness over his treatment.

Whilst it took some time for the dignified Larry Gains to receive the recognition he so richly deserved, his constant battle for his right to fight at the top was not forgotten.  In 2015 he was inducted into Canada’s Sports Hall of Fame in 2015, and also received commendation as a National Historic Person from the Canadian Government in 2023, complete with a plaque unveiling ceremony at the Cabbagetown Boxing Club in Toronto.

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