Harborough sporting legend and former heavyweight champion will be honoured in town

A green plaque will be erected in the town to salute local hero Jack Gardner by next summer.

The sporting legend put Harborough on the map when he became heavyweight champion of Great Britain and the British Empire in 1950 at 24 after ending Bruce Woodcock’s five-year reign.

A Leicestershire County Council spokeswoman said: “We are still looking at a couple of locations for the plaque.

“The spot that we choose will have a close connection to Jack and his life.

“We hope to put the plaque up sooner rather than later and have some of his family there at the poignant ceremony.”

The famous Pathe cameras visited Harborough’s Symington factory in 1950 as Colonel Kenneth Symington hosted a celebration dinner for Jack.

The ruggedly-handsome boxer told cheering guests: “It’s a grand feeling to know that whoever you’re boxing, and where ever you’re boxing, that you’ve got a town that’s at the back of you, 100 per cent.”

Jack’s proud daughter Jackalyn Bradford-Turner, who still lives in Harborough, told the Harborough Mail in August 2018: “He was a good-looking man.

“And in those days boxers were almost household names.

I never saw him fight – I was just a baby.

“But having a dad who had been a boxing champion did give me kudos at school.”

Jack was born in Bath Street, Harborough, and grew up in Cross Street.

The brilliant fighter owned a farm just outside the town and had a sports hall named after him at Market Harborough Leisure Centre.

Born in 1926, he began his explosive boxing career as a teak-tough Grenadier Guard in the army.

Jack won the ABA Heavyweight title, as well as the Army and Imperial Services titles in 1948, and represented Great Britain in that year’s Olympic Games in London.

He turned professional after the Olympics and in a year had sensationally won his first 13 fights by knock-out.

His 1950 Great Britain and British Empire titles were followed by the European title in March 1951, when he beat Austrian Jo Weidin on points.

But boxing careers can be brutally short.

Just six months later Jack lost the European title to a 6ft 5ins German giant called Hein Ten Hoff.

In March 1952, he lost his other titles too, again over 15 shattering rounds, to Welshman Johnny Williams.

Jack, still only 25 and now married to Grace with baby daughter Jackalyn, bought Ash Tree Farm, between Harborough and The Langtons.

Part of the farm is still run by his son Jim Gardner.

“Neither dad nor mum had farmed before,” said Jackalyn.

“They must have woken up the next morning and thought ‘what have we done?’”

Jack boosted his income with a brief boxing comeback before taking second jobs as a car salesman, prison worker and lorry driver.

He’d met the rich and famous during his stellar shooting star boxing career, including the then Princess Elizabeth before she became Queen.

Jack died tragically early of a brain tumour in 1978 aged just 52.

His ashes are scattered beneath a Grenadier apple tree at his beloved farm.

For more oin the green plaques visit: https://www.leicestershire.gov.uk/leisure-and-community/history-and-heritage/the-green-plaque-awards