Alf Harper won the Midlands featherweight title four years in succession, 1934-37, and in trying to regain it in 1939, had to withdraw after failing to make the weight at the last minute. Beaten by Jack Treadaway in the 1936 ABA featherweight final, Harper was selected as one of the reserves for the Berlin Olympics, but did not take part. Harper eventually won the ABA title in 1937 when he beat Welshman Tommy McGrath, who was disqualified in the second round. A member of the Aston Boxing Club in Birmingham, Harper took part in the 1938 British Empire Games in Sydney where he beat the Australian champion L. Schulter in the first round before losing to Scotland’s James Watson. Harper withdrew from his third-placed match against the New Zealand champion Kenneth Moran.
Great Britain