Good post! :good Gainer preceded Burley by a number of years. By the time Burley broke into the ratings Gainer was already on his way out. Gainer began fighting in Pittsburgh in 1936 and had several fights there. Burley fought on two of Gainer's undercards, fighting on the Gainer-Red Bruce card on 6/24/1937 and fighting Fritzie Zivic on the Gainer-Teddy Yarosz card on 7/17/1939. In fact Burley, Billy Conn and Sammy Angott all cut their teeth on Gainer's undercards in Pittsburgh. Burley was just a young welterweight and Gainer a veteran light-heavy at the time Al was finishing his stint in the Smoky City, so I doubt they sparred. I'm sure Burley watched him in the gym though and had a healthy respect for him.
[FONT="]Billy Conn sure did. After watching Gainer lose a loudly protested decision to Joe Louis protégé Dave Clark in 1939, Conn said Ill take Clark- and how Ill take him. But you and them other guys can have that Gainer. Hes still a tough old man. [/FONT]
Didn't see the weights. If Burley is not giving up 20 pounds I think he can do what he did to Oakland Billy Smith.
