Planet of the Damned

Brion has just won the Twenties, a global competition to test achievements in 20 categories of human activities -- but before he can enjoy his victory he's forced to leave his homeworld to help salvage Dis, the most hellish planet in the galaxy. "What can one man possibly do against a fleet loaded with H-bombs?"
Quite a lot if he's brawny Brion Brandd, Winner of Anvhar. Harrison adds some biology to his fast-moving action, but this is a typical space opera of the 1950s and '60s, complete with romantic interest (restrained enough not to offend the teenage boys who were likely its main audience) and intrepid hero, fighting dauntlessly against all odds.