Larry's Biography
Lawrence Samuel “Larry” Gains was born on December 12th, 1900, on Sumach Street in the Cabbagetown area of Toronto. He grew up in a working-class neighborhood in Toronto’s east end. His parents were called Emanuel Gains and Alice Henderson.
Larry’s maternal grandfather, Dave Henderson, had escaped enslavement in Virginia and made his way to Canada via the Underground Railroad. This legacy of resilience and determination would shape Larry’s own journey.
In 1913, when Larry was just 12 years old, he met Jack Johnson, the first Black Heavyweight World Champion. Larry went with his father to see him, and when Johnson shook his hand and smiled, the gold in his teeth caught the light. It was a striking image that stayed with Larry for the rest of his life. He already looked up to Johnson, but that moment gave him even more inspiration to become a boxer himself.
As a young man of twenty, Larry began boxing out of Toronto’s Praestamus Athletic Club, an organisation that supported Black athletes. He quickly made a name for himself with a highly successful amateur career.
In 1922, Larry met boxing legend Sam Langford in Toronto. A year later, in 1923, he left Canada for England aboard a cattle boat, a grueling six-week voyage in harsh conditions. Dedicated to his training, he worked out whenever possible on the boat. He had turned down a spot on the 1924 Canadian Olympic Team to pursue a professional boxing career.
Larry’s first professional bout took place in London, where he was billed as “The Toronto Terror.” Though he lost the match, it marked the beginning of a remarkable career. Soon after, he left England and headed to Paris to continue fighting professionally.
Many of Larry’s early fights were in France and Germany. It was in Paris, during a 1923 match against Pierre Aussenac, that he first met Ernest Hemingway, who was living in the city at the time and working as a foreign correspondent for the Toronto Star. Hemingway, a passionate boxing fan, and fellow Canadian writer Morley Callaghan befriended Larry during this formative period of his career.
In 1925, Larry scored a major victory by defeating the German boxer Max Schmeling. On February 28, 1927, he returned to Toronto and won the Canadian Heavyweight Championship, stopping Horace “Soldier” Jones in five rounds. He successfully defended his title against two of Canada’s top contenders at the time, Jack Renault and Charlie Belanger. Larry married his German wife, Lisa, on February 19, 1926.
In 1928, Larry won the World Coloured Heavyweight Championship by defeating the strong and skilled George Godfrey. This title was created as a separate world championship for Black fighters, who were often not allowed to compete for the official world title because of widespread racial discrimination at the time. Outside of boxing, Larry also followed his passion for singing, performing with a band called the Canadian Kings of Swing.
Over the course of his career, Larry boxed across Europe, Canada and had a few matches in United States. In the early 1930s, he returned to England, where he choose to settle in the town of Desborough. He trained at the George Hotel, alongside boxers like Reggie Meen, Ben Ford, and others. His promoter during this period was Jim Panter.
Later, Larry relocated to Leicester, where he would spend much of his fighting career in the years that followed. He trained at the Jolly Angler and frequently fought at Granby Halls, one of the city’s major boxing venues.
In the 1930s, Larry Gains revealed a more personal, artistic side of his character. He recorded two songs on gramophone records, rare and cherished artifacts that offer a glimpse into his love for music. One was a lively duet of “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love” performed with his close friend, Snowy. The other, “Dinah – Madonna (From ‘When Day Is Done’),” was a tender duet with his beloved wife, Lisa, highlighting their deep bond and shared joy in performance.
Larry’s success in the ring continued to grow. In 1931, he reached a major milestone by capturing the British Empire Heavyweight Championship. He knocked out Phil Scott in just two rounds before a crowd of more than 30,000 spectators at Welford Road Rugby Stadium in Leicester. A city that would soon embrace him as one of its own.
Despite this triumph, Larry still faced the harsh reality of the British boxing colour bar, which prevented Black athletes from competing for the official British Heavyweight Championship. It was a painful reminder that even the greatest achievements could be overshadowed by entrenched racial discrimination.
However, change was on the horizon. In 1932, the Royal Albert Hall lifted it’s colour bar, allowing non-white fighters to compete in its prestigious venue. Larry made history once again, becoming the first Black heavyweight to fight at the Royal Albert Hall, in a match against Don McCorkindale that ended in a draw. Fellow Black boxer Len Johnson also fought on the undercard that evening, underscoring the significance of the moment.
That same year, Larry delivered one of his most celebrated victories by defeating the towering Primo Carnera, a future world champion, in front of 70,000 spectators at White City Stadium, London. His return to Leicester was marked with a grand parade organised by the city’s mayor. Larry was hailed as a hero and named Guest of Honour at the Leicester Pageant, further cementing his bond with the city he affectionately called his second home.
Beyond his achievements in the ring, Larry played an active role in the Leicester community. He and Lisa raised four children, Betty, Harold, Anne, and Jack. He remained deeply engaged in local events, even organising a charity boxing match to support causes close to his heart.
In 1934, Larry lost the British Empire title to Len Harvey, and later that year, he was defeated by Jack Petersen in front of 64,000 fans at White City. But he remained undeterred. In 1935, he reclaimed glory by defeating Obie Walker at Welford Road to win the World Coloured Heavyweight Championship once again.
By 1939, Larry had made his home in Shoeburyness, near Southend-on-Sea, where he continued his training at the Shoeburyness Tavern. The venue attracted numerous world champions preparing for major bouts. While training himself, Larry also guided young fighters, sharing both his experience and love for the sport. When World War II broke out (1939 -1945), Larry enlisted in the Pioneer Corps of the British Army. Serving with distinction, he became a Physical Training Instructor, eventually rising to the rank of Sergeant Major. He played a key role in preparing troops for duty and completed a tour in the Middle East, contributing to the war effort through discipline and leadership.
Larry’s final bout came in June 1942, a charity match against Jack London held to raise funds for the RAF Benevolent Fund. Though the fight ended in defeat, it marked the end of a storied career. At the age of 40, Larry Gains retired from professional boxing.
In the 1950s, Larry worked as a labourer in Shoeburyness, Essex. Later, he pursued his love of music by performing as a singer and drummer in a hotel band in Southend-on-Sea. By the early 1960s, Larry was living near London, on Tooting Broadway, where he worked as a salvage collection merchant. He went on to work in car sales and also became a respected boxing trainer in Morden, near London.
From 1976 to 1983, Larry served as president of the London Ex-Boxers Association, supporting fellow retired fighters. In 1976, he published his autobiography, The Impossible Dream. Reflecting on his career, he said:
“For me, the world title was always the impossible dream, the unreachable star. The politics of the day was against it but I have no bitterness or regrets.”
Larry Gains passed away from a heart attack on July 26, 1983, while visiting family in Cologne, Germany. His body was brought back to the United Kingdom and cremated at Croydon Cemetery, honouring his deep connection to the country where he spent much of his boxing career and later life.