Leo Gates

Name: Leo Gates
Alias: Young Clay Turner
Birth Name: Arthur Leo Barrier
Hometown: New York, New York, USA
Birthplace: North Adams, Massachusetts, USA
Died: 1957-10-07 (Age:57)
Height: 188cm
Pro Boxer: Record
Amateur Boxer: Record


Arthur Leo Barrier was a Native American heavyweight. He started his career around 1918 fighting first as Young Bill Gates, then as Young Clay Turner in North Adams, Mass. Barrier became best known as Leo Gates; the name he adopted upon moving to New York in 1922. His younger brothers Louis, fighting as Young Nelson, Eddie and Bernie, were also professional fighters. The Everlast Boxing Record Book series lists him as beginning his career in 1920 and reports the following additional fights (dates and locations not indicated).

• 1920: Young Purcell, W ko 4
• 1920: Kid Marsh, W ko 7
• 1920: Silent Mike, W ko 8
• 1920: Silent Mike, W Points 6 (a second time)
• 1920: Young Landry, W Points 4
• 1920: Billy Rush, D 6
• 1920: Silent Mike, D 8
• 1920: Jack Jones, D 10

These fights likely occurred in or near North Adams Mass. As several of the fights the Everlast Boxing Record Book reports for 1920 occurred earlier, these fights too might have occurred in other years. In addition, there are several fights on Gates's published records that can't be verified and indeed the opponents not identifiable.

These are:

• 10/30/23, Mike Thompson, in Canada, W ko 3
• 11/6/23, Art Depaus, in Canada, W ko 5
• 10/19/25, Pete Parree, Staten Island NY, W ko 2 (almost certainly an error.
• 4/11/27, Babe Moha, Union City NJ, W ko 6

The Parree fight has been omitted here.