I'm not going to attempt to cover Greb's fights, far too many of them, far too many legendary fights and accomplishments for this boxing novice to cover, but I will say that if you want the full picture of how truly great Greb was, I suggest you pick up a copy of this book written by boxing historian Stephen L. Compton, he is the foremost authority on Harry Greb, he knows more about Greb than anybody on this planet, and his book is the definitive work on Harry Greb, his career, life, and times.
Back to the Harry Greb photos, a couple photos of Greb with Jack Dempsey, not sure what year these were taken but Greb sparred with Dempsey, it was filmed but don't know if the film will ever surface. Greb supposedly gave Dempsey a pretty hard time, so much so that Dempsey's manager Jack Kearns 86'd Greb out of Dempsey's camp. If that doesn't tell you what a beast Greb was then nothing will, a middleweight roughing up one of the most feared, hardest punching, and dangerous heavyweights in boxing history, Dempsey was a savage heavyweight and the middleweight Greb roughed him up, just think about that. Look at the size difference between them.
Speaking of Harry Greb film, to this day no fight film has surfaced of Harry Greb, there is footage of him training but no actual fight footage of him. Boxing fans, historians, and experts like their fight footage and understandably so, it's one thing to have training footage, but we like to see how a fighter handles himself in an actual fight, that tells the complete story of a fighter, it has the final say and you can't get that from training footage. All we have to go on with Greb is his resume, newspaper accounts of his fights, and testimony from his opponents. He's such a mythical figure in boxing, he has the reputation of a Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, a mythical and elusive beast that we just can't seem to get a full glimpse of without fight footage. Here you have arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter that ever lived, has the best resume in boxing history, and we can't watch him fight, It's frustrating as hell to say the least.
We want to see Greb fight, we want to see everything we've heard about him, everything we've read, everything we've learned about him, his style, his abilities, his greatness, we want to see it with our own eyes. A few of his fights were supposedly filmed but nothing has surfaced as of yet. Time and history has a way of destroying old film, old film is very fragile and it's costly and it's high maintenance to store and preserve the film, so perhaps the footage was lost to time and the circumstances of life. I'll tell you one thing, if fight film of Harry Greb ever surfaces, it will turn the sport of boxing on it's head, it's the Holy Grail of this sport. But here is the footage of Greb training, and this is priceless itself. The boxer Greb is sparring with in the footage is Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, a Hall of Fame light heavyweight.
Watch that training footage of Harry Greb is really mesmerizing, it's like looking back in time and getting a glimpse at a Tyrannosaurus Rex taking a break from a hunt to get a drink of water from a river, but we want to see him on the hunt. And make no mistake about it, Greb was a T-Rex.
Let's get a few fight photos of Greb. This is from Greb vs Tunney 1, the fight in which Greb handed Tunney the only loss of his career. Take a close look at that last photo, you can see the blood under Tunney's broken nose and you can also see blood stains on the canvas. These photos are absolutely fascinating and mesmerizing, I hate to keep using the T-Rex analogy but it's like looking at photos of the legendary beast in action.
Ok, let's get this out of the way, the reason I keep bringing up Tyrannosaurus Rex is because I'm a big history buff, I love ancient time and I would love to go back in time and see what the world looked like thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions of years ago. It was so long ago and it's just fascinating. The Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for an incredibly long time, appearing around 230-245 million years ago (mya) and disappearing around 66 mya when a rock the size of Mt. Everest came in at 20,000 mph and slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula, releasing energy equivalent to billions of Hiroshima bombs, ending the Dinosaurs reign of about 165 to 180 million years. Humans will never sniff that kind of planetary dominance. It's fascinating stuff, and I'd love to go back in time and see that environment, see those creatures for myself, from a safe distance of course.
Anyway, back to Harry Greb, these are photos of Greb vs Johnny Wilson. Greb and Wilson had a famous rivalry, culminating in Greb winning the World Middleweight Title from Wilson in 1923, though the fight was controversial and led to rematches where Greb again proved superior. The photo on the bottom is Greb celebrating after winning the Middleweight title from Wilson in 1923.
Greb and Theodore Tiger Flowers, aka "The Georgia Deacon." Tiger Flowers fought Harry Greb twice with Flowers winning both controversial middleweight title bouts in 1926: the first on February 26 at Madison Square Garden to take the title, and the rematch six months later in August, with both fights ending in disputed decisions that enraged Greb's fans. These fights marked significant moments, with Flowers becoming the first Black middleweight champion, and Greb's final bouts before his own tragic death the following year. Tiger Flowers was nicknamed the "Georgia Deacon" because he was a deeply religious man from Georgia who served as a steward at his church and carried a Bible into the ring, often reading scripture before fights, embodying a pious, deacon-like character contrasting with typical fighters. Flowers was big middleweight with a high work rate, an all-time great.
Harry Greb and Mickey Walker, aka "The Toy Bulldog" fought in 1925, and Greb, despite being past his best, was still good enough to defeat the all-time pound-for-pound great Mickey Walker by unanimous decision to defend his Undisputed Middleweight Championship. It was an absolutely brutal fight, Greb's relentless pressure and strength overcame Walker's skill, but Walker's guts earned him immense respect. There's a famous story that goes along with this fight, Greb and Walker supposedly ended up at the same bar after the fight, both were drunk and got into a street fight outside the bar and Walker got the best of Greb. This story was made up by Walker and his manager Jack "Doc" Kearns and never actually happened. It is believed that Walker and Kearns made the story up because Walker lost to Greb in their fight and they wanted to save Walker's image. It's an entertaining story, Greb and Walker in a drunken street fight, but it never actually happened. Here is a photo of Greb and Walker with famous trainer and matchmaker Jimmy DeForest before their fight. DeForest trained such ring legends like George Dixon, Tommy Ryan, Stanley Ketchel, Kid McCoy, Jack Dempsey, Barbados Joe Walcott, Joe Gans, Jim Jeffries.
DeForest was the matchmaker of this bout between Walker and Greb.
The photo is a type 1 original photo that actually sold at a WorthPoint auction a while back.
Let's see what else we have in our Harry Greb photo files, love this image of Greb in the suit and hat. Funny thing, I have so many photos downloaded on my device that the device is actually slowing down and putting up a fight with me every time I try to visit a website, my device is copping an attitude, it's hissing at me.
Let's address the Elephant in the room, is Harry Greb really the greatest pound-for-pound fighter that ever lived? Different opinions exist on the subject of who the GOAT is, some people will pick Greb, some will choose Sugar Ray Robinson or Henry Armstrong, Sam Langford, opinions differ on the GOAT debate. I'll say this, if we go by resume alone, it has to be Harry Greb, his resume is the greatest in boxing history, nobody beat more Hall of Famers than Greb, and he did it across many weight divisions. Personally, it comes down to Greb and Robinson for me, I am interchangeable on the two, I don't really know who to pick in the end, I've seen the damage Robinson was capable of, it's hard to imagine any Middleweight in history beating the man I watched dismantle Jake LaMotta on February 14th, 1951, that Robinson was scary as hell, the speed, the explosiveness, throwing three or four hooks in rapid succession, the power behind his shots, Ray was a vicious puncher. I'll tell you what, this right here would probably be the greatest fight in boxing history, a wet dream of a matchup.
Nice sequence. Not sure what order these go in but it's obvious by his matching ring attire and the background environment that they were taken at the same photo shoot, I love piecing these together.
A great article about Harry Greb in the year 1922.
The Fight City
Boxiana
More Than A Century Ago: Harry Greb’s Incredible 1922 (Part One)
By: Kenneth Bridgham
At the dawn of 1922, Harry Greb, the rugged middleweight battler from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was riding high. He had not officially lost a fight since 1915, and in the year previous had scored wins over Joe Cox and future Hall of Famer Jeff Smith. In November of that same year, he made the most of his second appearance at New York’s Madison Square Garden by giving heavyweight contender Charley Weinert, who outweighed him by over fourteen pounds, a fifteen round thrashing, ending Weinert’s thirteen fight win streak. Greb’s reckless assault of opponents made him a fan favorite, not just in the Steel City but in any city that liked action-packed fisticuffs. Tex Rickard, promotional czar of boxing, had him scheduled to next meet Johnny Wilson on January 6th for the world middleweight championship.
The legendary Harry Greb.
They called Greb “The Human Windmill,” but “The Human Woodchipper” would have been a more accurate nomme de guerre. Greb’s opponents were not so much matched with him as fed to him like useless lumber, coming out the other side of their encounters with “The Smoke City Wildcat” nothing more than shredded and crushed piles of gore. Greb did not hit particularly hard, but he did not need to. With a bottomless supply of energy and punches flying from every angle, he simply tore away at his adversaries until there was nothing left.
But as the new year began, Harry Greb had a secret that threatened to derail his incredible success. On August 29, 1921, future Hall of Famer Kid Norfolk thumbed Harry in his right eye during a brutal clash at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. Research by noted Greb biographer Bill Paxton has given credence to the likelihood that the foul caused a tear in Harry’s retina which would eventually lead to blindness in the eye. The extent to which Harry’s vision was immediately affected is not clear. He kept his condition secret from the press, the public, boxing commissions, and even his wife for the remainder of his life. He fought on, but as 1922 dawned and his vision became worse, there had to be a nagging secret doubt in his mind as to how long he could last with fading eyesight in the brutal trade of prizefighting.
Norfolk and Greb.
On January 2, things seemed to get off to an easy enough start. Greb looked “fit as a stake horse” as he trounced light heavyweight Chuck Wiggins through ten rounds in front of a holiday crowd at the Elsinore Club in Cincinnati. To the audience’s delight, the contest was not lacking in action as “gloves were flying through the air all the time,” but Greb had the better of the bigger man throughout. Though official decisions were still outlawed in Ohio, The Cincinnati Enquirer praised Harry as the clear winner, and so did the crowd.
Harry had little time to celebrate the victory. With his long overdue shot at the middleweight title just four days away, he and his manager George Engle were preparing to board a train to New York City after the Wiggins bout when a telegram arrived indicating that Johnny Wilson had backed out of the title match, violating a signed contract. “It’s an outrage,” cried Engle. Tex Rickard was equally beside himself, and he influenced the New York State Athletic Commission to suspend Wilson. But that was little consolation to Harry, who had turned down other paying fights for the title opportunity.
February found Harry in the ring for no-decision bouts against overmatched Hugh Walker and the excellent Jeff Smith, the newspapers reporting that he deserved both wins. But it was not until March that he got to return to the Garden in New York, where he faced future Hall of Famer Tommy Gibbons for a fourth time. Their previous encounters had been no-decision affairs, but with judges’ verdicts recently legalized in New York State, the two stellar pugilists had a chance to officially settle the score. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Gibbons was by this time a light heavyweight. He was known as a slick and crafty boxer who had grown into a fearsome puncher, and he had also enjoyed a terrific 1921, scoring twenty-one KO wins, ten of them in the first round. Tex Rickard was telling the world that Gibbons would be matched against heavyweight kingpin Jack Dempsey for the world title, just as soon as he mowed down Greb. Bookmakers installed Tommy as a two-to-one favorite.
Greb and Gibbons shake hands.
Over thirteen thousand packed the house to watch the two top talents settle their rivalry and to support the New York Milk Fund charity to which a portion of the $117,500 in ticket sales would be donated. The writer for The New York Times noted that members of high society, banking, and politics had flocked to the event, leaving standing-room-only for less well-to-do spectators. Among them were hundreds of women, “a fair proportion in evening dress,” a rare sight for a boxing match in this period. Men and women with names like Astor and Vanderbilt were ringside to cheer on Greb and Gibbons.
While Greb weighed just over 163 pounds to Gibbons’s 171, from early on he proved himself Tommy’s master. His aggression allowed him to land more punches, and he used expert head movement to avoid the larger man’s heavy blows. When Tommy did make contact, Harry “proved that he could assimilate all that Gibbons had to offer.” Greb out-landed Gibbons two-to-one in most of the rounds and, most surprisingly, seemed to match Gibbons for punching power. The Times reporter felt that Greb won all but three of the fifteen rounds. Though neither went down, the final round was a thriller, with both standing toe-to-toe and unleashing their entire arsenals. As the seconds ticked down, Gibbons rocked Greb with a right to the head, while Greb left a visible impression on Gibbons’s ribs with his body attack.
Dempsey and Greb: oh, what might have been.
The unanimous decision went Harry’s way. And while all agreed with the outcome, and the action had been intense, much of the crowd felt disappointed. Gibbons had failed to prove himself worthy of his chance at Jack Dempsey’s crown, while Greb had failed to knock Gibbons out, despite being in firm control throughout. Afterwards someone spotted Dempsey filing out of the arena and asked, “How long would it take you to put either of them away?” The heavyweight king wordlessly responded with an amused grin. Enough said.
Ultimately, Dempsey chose Gibbons, not Greb, as his next challenger. On Independence Day, 1923, Jack turned in a lackluster performance in remote Shelby, Montana, and Tommy became the only man ever to last a full fifteen rounds with the rampaging champion, the decision going Dempsey’s way.
The upset victory over Gibbons opened various possibilities for Harry Greb. It was easily the greatest win of his career thus far and Engle was talking up a match with Dempsey for July 4th, while theater promoters were booking Harry for a vaudeville tour. Before that, though, he enjoyed a marvelous homecoming parade in Pittsburgh on the morning of March 20. Greeted at the train station by a brass band, he and his wife Mildred were driven in a motorcade consisting of hundreds of automobiles through a roaring crowd along Liberty and Fifth Avenues, reportedly “the greatest turnout ever in the history of the city.” Once the parade reached the City Council Building, fans lifted Harry on their shoulders and carried the hometown hero to a reception inside.
Tunney and Greb weigh-in.
By April, Greb had signed to meet undefeated Gene Tunney, light heavyweight champion of America, for Tunney’s title on May 23 in the Garden. While he waited for that match, Harry crushed heavyweight contender Al Roberts, scoring seven knockdowns before the referee stopped the one-sided beating in round six. Then Harry packed his bags for New York City. Mildred, who had been ringside for so many of his fights and had always entertained the press with the pride she exhibited in her husband, did not come with him. She was ill and stayed home to hear the contest on the radio.
Known as the “The Fighting Marine,” Gene Tunney was undefeated in 49 bouts. Most recently, he had stopped Jack Burke in nine rounds in Burke’s (and Greb’s) native Pittsburgh. Like Gibbons, Tunney was quick on his feet, was a master of boxing technique, and possessed a varied arsenal of powerful punches. But the consensus was, anything Gibbons could do, Tunney could do better (a notion Gene would later prove true by knocking Gibbons out in 1925). Plus, Tunney enjoyed every possible physical advantage over Greb: youth, height, reach, and weight. Tunney would also have home field advantage; he was raised in New York’s Greenwich Village. Despite all this, Greb’s stunning victory over Gibbons convinced the bookies to post three-to-one odds in Harry’s favor.
“The Fighting Marine” and “The Pittsburgh Windmill” mix it up in Madison Square.
Over nine thousand fans paid to see the first Greb vs Tunney battle, and if Harry had been relentless against Tommy Gibbons, he was downright savage against the light heavyweight titlist. All the New Yorker’s advantages in technique and physicality were immediately nullified by the Pittsburgher’s speed, stamina and aggression. “[Greb] rushed Tunney all about the ring and flayed the local boxer with a two-fisted attack,” reported The New York Times. “It was not within his scope to halt the human hurricane in front of him.” Before the end of the first round, the ex-Marine appeared completely baffled by Greb’s wild onslaught of punches, and that look never left his face for the rest of the night.
In time, Tunney was convinced that his only hope was to stand and trade with his foe. “Like Don Quixote of old, he kept tilting away at the windmill,” mused famed columnist Damon Runyon. But that only meant more punishment, not all of it legal. During the bout, Greb drew a warning from referee Kid McPartland for punching on the break, and a headbutt opened scar tissue above Tunney’s left eye. The crowd routinely booed the out-of-towner for holding and butting. In both the third and sixth rounds, Tunney almost fell through the ring ropes from the force of Greb’s attack and his the wrestling tactics.
Cartoon from The Evening World newspaper tells the story of Greb vs Tunney.
After fifteen rounds, Gene was a “bloody ruin,” reported The Brooklyn Standard Union. He bled profusely from cuts above both eyes as well as from his nose and mouth. The writer for The Times scored twelve rounds for Greb and thought Tunney deserved no better than a draw in the other three frames. “They say Greb cannot punch much,” wrote Runyon. “Tunney probably wonders how they get that way.” After announcer Joe Humphreys declared the foregone conclusion of a unanimous Greb victory, Tunney showed sportsmanship in shaking his conqueror’s hand, but would later criticize Harry’s dirty tactics.
The win over Tunney would go down as the crown jewel of Greb’s legacy, as “The Fighting Marine” would never lose another fight. Four years later, he scored a momentous upset over Dempsey to take the world heavyweight crown. (To Be Continued … )
A photo from Harry Greb's third fight with Tommy Loughran, I believe it's their third fight, I could be mistaken, I am a novice at this stuff, but regardless these are awesome photos. Tommy Loughran is an all-time great light heavyweight, he was nicknamed "The Philly Phantom'' because of his elusive, scientific boxing style, swift footwork, and brilliant defense that made him a World Light Heavyweight Champion in the 1920s. He was a master boxer known for precision rather than brute force, seeming to disappear and reappear in the ring, hence the nickname "Phantom."
Two great photos of Harry Greb vs Ted Moore, photo shows action in third round at Yankee Stadium Harry Greb, sidestepped Ted Moore and shot wicked a right to head. Greb won the verdict.
Just in case you were wondering how much of a bada$$ Harry Greb really was, this is a Christmas card he sent out to the world in 1925 in which he challenged any leading contenders from middleweight to heavyweight to meet him in the ring, at any notice. And he meant it.
Harry Greb and Gene Tunney, they fought an incredible five times, Greb won the first encounter, Tunney won three, and one was declared a draw. Tunney was a very scientific minded fighter, and he learned from the beating that Greb laid on him in their first fight. Greb was the only man to ever hand Gene Tunney a loss, Tunney retired with a career record of 61-1-1.
''I would say without qualifications that of all the fighters I met, Harry Greb was the least interested in the rules...
...Greb gave me a terrible whipping in the first. He broke my nose, maybe with a butt. He cut my eyes and ears, perhaps with his laces. But don't think he didn't hit me, either. My jaw was swollen from the right temple down the cheek, along under the chin and part way up the other side. The referee, the ring itself, was full of bIood. It happened to be me.
But it was in that fight, in which I lost my American light-heavyweight title, that I knew I had found a way to beat Harry eventually. I was fortunate, really. If boxing in those days had been afflicted with the commission doctors we have today - who are always poking their noses into the ring and examining superficial wounds - the first fight with Greb would have been stopped before I learned how to beat him. It's possible, even probable, that if this had happened I never would have been heard of thereafter.'"
That quote in the above post from Gene Tunney, about learning how to beat Greb from his loss in their first fight, every time I read that it always send chills up my spine, Tunney was one of the brainiest fighters in boxing history, he was the definition of the term "sweet science", ice cold stuff.
A couple of more quotes from Gene Tunney about Harry Greb, they had a deep respect for each other:
''He was never in one spot for more than half a second. All my punches were aimed and timed properly but they always wound up hitting empty air. He'd jump in and out, slamming me with a left and whirling me around with his right or the other way around. My arms were plastered with leather and although I jabbed, hooked and crossed, it was like fighting an octopus.''
''I categorically state that Harry Greb was not a foul fighter. In my first fight with him my nose was broken. My seconds said that Greb butted me with his head. This I do not accept as factual; and if his head was the weapon, rather than his fists, my head should not have been where it was.''
"He was the wildest tiger, not a boxer, not a puncher, he beat em with blazing speed, a pair of rubbery legs that never seemed to tire and had to had one of the most magnificent fighting hearts God ever put into a man. He was the nearest thing to perpetual motion that ever stepped into a ring, throwing punches ffrom all angles in a wicked tornado of ripping, tearing, jolting leather."
''I boxed Greb five times, and I believe I knew him and his fighting qualities as well as any man. On each of the five occasions I met him he displayed singular gameness. He was one of the greatest fighters who ever lived, certainly in my time.''
''I never have been seriously damaged by a single punch to the body. I would rather take them in the stomach than on the jaw.
Even Gene Tunney, though he wore me down with body punches in our Iast fight, did not hurt me with a single blow. It was his steady pounding that hurt me.
Everybody seems to have an idea that the way to beat me is to pound me in the ribs or stomach. But, as I said before, I would rather be hit in the body than on the chin.
They'll never beat me trying for the body; that is nobody but Tunney will. And he is different from the rest.''
One more good look at this photo of Kid Norfolk facing off with Harry Greb, it was against Kid Norfolk that Greb was thumbed in the right eye and lost his sight in that eye and fought half blind for the remainder of his career, he eventually lost the eye as well, he had the eye removed and replaced with a glass eye. Norfolk was an all-time great fighter, he's in the Hall of Fame. Man, what a beast of a photo this is.
Here are some more quotes about Harry Greb from other Legendary fighters:
“The toughest fight i’ve ever had was against Harry Greb; I had a very bad time that night, it was on the 22nd of May 1922. I had my nose broken in the first 10 seconds and both of my eyes opened in the 2nd and 3rd round. Ooh…... it was a pretty sorry affair”. - Gene Tunney
“Its almost impossible to set you up for a punch. You’re the fastest man I ever boxed.” - Jack Johnson, after an exhibition with Greb.
“Greb may have been the greatest fighter Pound-for-Pound who ever lived... At his peak he was unbeatable, defeating virtually every Middleweight, Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight of his generation, a great fighter.” - Eric Jorgensen
“Greb was the fastest fighter i ever saw. Hell, Greb is faster than Benny Leonard! (Lightweight champion).” - Jack Dempsey
“I wouldn’t say he was dirty so much as he was expedient. He was so eager to get the damage done that his head and shoulders went with a punch. He was a fast and furious man.” - Tommy Loughran
“Greb is fast and bounds like a kangaroo all over the ring, hitting from awkward positions. One can never tell when he is going to let fly a solid punch or a light tap….No matter how good a boxer may be he will have a hard time figuring out Greb.” - Mike Gibbons
“Greb doesn’t box. That’s why he can beat the boxers. They know what a boxer ought to do, and that’s just what Greb never does.” - Robert Edgren
“How can you make a good showing against a fella who does everything backwards?” - Jeff Smith
“The fastest fighter i ever saw in my life was that white boy from Pittsburgh, Harry Greb. And they called him windmill for a reason, the faster he went, the more he punched, and from all over!” - Sam Langford
“They say Harry Greb died when his heart failed, but i say no man on this living earth could ever question the fighting heart of Harry Greb.” - said Gene Tunney, with an audibly sad tone of voice.
Harry Greb believed in real estate as the best investment, so much so that he was often nicknamed in Pittsburgh newspapers the “Garfield Landlord.” As part of his training program, he often helped build his own houses, like this picture from 1923 demonstrates.
I guess I'll go ahead and wrap it up about Harry Greb, I didn't mean to go on so long about him but he is arguably the GOAT of boxing, he more than deserves it, all of these fighters deserve it, they were warriors, modern day Gladiators that risked their lives every time they stepped in the ring to do battle. You know, covering Greb these past few days, posting these photos of him the past few days, you start to feel close to him, like you're getting to know him or something, I can't explain it. For anyone reading this in the future, I apologize if some of the information on my thread is inaccurate, boxing is a complex sport to cover, it's history is rich and deep, you honestly could teach a college course on it, all of the fighters, the styles, the fights, their accomplishments, their lives, it's deep, and I try to be accurate but sometimes I find myself getting lost, there's just so much information and history. Like I said before, I'm a novice at this, I've only been into boxing for about six years. I try to find time outside of my personal life to study it, but personal life often gets in the way. If I'm reading up on a fighter and my elderly mother, whom I'm talking care of, wants a fried egg sandwich, the fried egg sandwich comes first. Anyway, a few more photos of Greb and I'll wrap it up. Good photo of Greb with his sisters.
You know, I originally intended for this thread to be a "photos only" thread, but it's just impossible to post pictures of these photos and not talk about them and the fighters. Another great photo of Greb, facing off with Albert "Buck" Crouse, Greb won this fight by knockout in round 2.
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Another one of my favorite shots of Greb, posing after a rainstorm.
I'm not going to attempt to cover Greb's fights, far too many of them, far too many legendary fights and accomplishments for this boxing novice to cover, but I will say that if you want the full picture of how truly great Greb was, I suggest you pick up a copy of this book written by boxing historian Stephen L. Compton, he is the foremost authority on Harry Greb, he knows more about Greb than anybody on this planet, and his book is the definitive work on Harry Greb, his career, life, and times.
Back to the Harry Greb photos, a couple photos of Greb with Jack Dempsey, not sure what year these were taken but Greb sparred with Dempsey, it was filmed but don't know if the film will ever surface. Greb supposedly gave Dempsey a pretty hard time, so much so that Dempsey's manager Jack Kearns 86'd Greb out of Dempsey's camp. If that doesn't tell you what a beast Greb was then nothing will, a middleweight roughing up one of the most feared, hardest punching, and dangerous heavyweights in boxing history, Dempsey was a savage heavyweight and the middleweight Greb roughed him up, just think about that. Look at the size difference between them.
Speaking of Harry Greb film, to this day no fight film has surfaced of Harry Greb, there is footage of him training but no actual fight footage of him. Boxing fans, historians, and experts like their fight footage and understandably so, it's one thing to have training footage, but we like to see how a fighter handles himself in an actual fight, that tells the complete story of a fighter, it has the final say and you can't get that from training footage. All we have to go on with Greb is his resume, newspaper accounts of his fights, and testimony from his opponents. He's such a mythical figure in boxing, he has the reputation of a Loch Ness Monster or Bigfoot, a mythical and elusive beast that we just can't seem to get a full glimpse of without fight footage. Here you have arguably the greatest pound-for-pound fighter that ever lived, has the best resume in boxing history, and we can't watch him fight, It's frustrating as hell to say the least.
We want to see Greb fight, we want to see everything we've heard about him, everything we've read, everything we've learned about him, his style, his abilities, his greatness, we want to see it with our own eyes. A few of his fights were supposedly filmed but nothing has surfaced as of yet. Time and history has a way of destroying old film, old film is very fragile and it's costly and it's high maintenance to store and preserve the film, so perhaps the footage was lost to time and the circumstances of life. I'll tell you one thing, if fight film of Harry Greb ever surfaces, it will turn the sport of boxing on it's head, it's the Holy Grail of this sport. But here is the footage of Greb training, and this is priceless itself. The boxer Greb is sparring with in the footage is Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, a Hall of Fame light heavyweight.
Watch that training footage of Harry Greb is really mesmerizing, it's like looking back in time and getting a glimpse at a Tyrannosaurus Rex taking a break from a hunt to get a drink of water from a river, but we want to see him on the hunt. And make no mistake about it, Greb was a T-Rex.
Let's get a few fight photos of Greb. This is from Greb vs Tunney 1, the fight in which Greb handed Tunney the only loss of his career. Take a close look at that last photo, you can see the blood under Tunney's broken nose and you can also see blood stains on the canvas. These photos are absolutely fascinating and mesmerizing, I hate to keep using the T-Rex analogy but it's like looking at photos of the legendary beast in action.
Ok, let's get this out of the way, the reason I keep bringing up Tyrannosaurus Rex is because I'm a big history buff, I love ancient time and I would love to go back in time and see what the world looked like thousands, tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, and millions of years ago. It was so long ago and it's just fascinating. The Dinosaurs roamed the Earth for an incredibly long time, appearing around 230-245 million years ago (mya) and disappearing around 66 mya when a rock the size of Mt. Everest came in at 20,000 mph and slammed into the Yucatan Peninsula, releasing energy equivalent to billions of Hiroshima bombs, ending the Dinosaurs reign of about 165 to 180 million years. Humans will never sniff that kind of planetary dominance. It's fascinating stuff, and I'd love to go back in time and see that environment, see those creatures for myself, from a safe distance of course.
The passage of time is a fascinating thing, and don't even get me started on space, wormholes, black holes, the universe.
Anyway, back to Harry Greb, these are photos of Greb vs Johnny Wilson. Greb and Wilson had a famous rivalry, culminating in Greb winning the World Middleweight Title from Wilson in 1923, though the fight was controversial and led to rematches where Greb again proved superior. The photo on the bottom is Greb celebrating after winning the Middleweight title from Wilson in 1923.
Greb and Theodore Tiger Flowers, aka "The Georgia Deacon." Tiger Flowers fought Harry Greb twice with Flowers winning both controversial middleweight title bouts in 1926: the first on February 26 at Madison Square Garden to take the title, and the rematch six months later in August, with both fights ending in disputed decisions that enraged Greb's fans. These fights marked significant moments, with Flowers becoming the first Black middleweight champion, and Greb's final bouts before his own tragic death the following year. Tiger Flowers was nicknamed the "Georgia Deacon" because he was a deeply religious man from Georgia who served as a steward at his church and carried a Bible into the ring, often reading scripture before fights, embodying a pious, deacon-like character contrasting with typical fighters. Flowers was big middleweight with a high work rate, an all-time great.
Harry Greb and Mickey Walker, aka "The Toy Bulldog" fought in 1925, and Greb, despite being past his best, was still good enough to defeat the all-time pound-for-pound great Mickey Walker by unanimous decision to defend his Undisputed Middleweight Championship. It was an absolutely brutal fight, Greb's relentless pressure and strength overcame Walker's skill, but Walker's guts earned him immense respect. There's a famous story that goes along with this fight, Greb and Walker supposedly ended up at the same bar after the fight, both were drunk and got into a street fight outside the bar and Walker got the best of Greb. This story was made up by Walker and his manager Jack "Doc" Kearns and never actually happened. It is believed that Walker and Kearns made the story up because Walker lost to Greb in their fight and they wanted to save Walker's image. It's an entertaining story, Greb and Walker in a drunken street fight, but it never actually happened. Here is a photo of Greb and Walker with famous trainer and matchmaker Jimmy DeForest before their fight. DeForest trained such ring legends like George Dixon, Tommy Ryan, Stanley Ketchel, Kid McCoy, Jack Dempsey, Barbados Joe Walcott, Joe Gans, Jim Jeffries.
DeForest was the matchmaker of this bout between Walker and Greb.
The photo is a type 1 original photo that actually sold at a WorthPoint auction a while back.
Here's another photo of Greb, Walker, and DeForest before their fight.
Here are some photos from the Greb-Walker fight in 1925. I will love to see this fight on film, two beasts, two all-time greats locking horns.
Let's see what else we have in our Harry Greb photo files, love this image of Greb in the suit and hat. Funny thing, I have so many photos downloaded on my device that the device is actually slowing down and putting up a fight with me every time I try to visit a website, my device is copping an attitude, it's hissing at me.
This is the image that was used on the 1948 Leaf Boxing Harry Greb card, cool stuff.
This is the image of Greb used on his 2012 Upper Deck Goodwin Champions card, sick card, sick image.
And one more, this is the image of Greb used on his 2010 Ringside Boxing Round 1 card.
Let's address the Elephant in the room, is Harry Greb really the greatest pound-for-pound fighter that ever lived? Different opinions exist on the subject of who the GOAT is, some people will pick Greb, some will choose Sugar Ray Robinson or Henry Armstrong, Sam Langford, opinions differ on the GOAT debate. I'll say this, if we go by resume alone, it has to be Harry Greb, his resume is the greatest in boxing history, nobody beat more Hall of Famers than Greb, and he did it across many weight divisions. Personally, it comes down to Greb and Robinson for me, I am interchangeable on the two, I don't really know who to pick in the end, I've seen the damage Robinson was capable of, it's hard to imagine any Middleweight in history beating the man I watched dismantle Jake LaMotta on February 14th, 1951, that Robinson was scary as hell, the speed, the explosiveness, throwing three or four hooks in rapid succession, the power behind his shots, Ray was a vicious puncher. I'll tell you what, this right here would probably be the greatest fight in boxing history, a wet dream of a matchup.
Back to the Greb photos, nice sequence of training photos.
Greb training for his first fight with Tiger Flowers. Cool shot, I love the top photo, way the room looks that he's training in.
Let's hope so.
This is the photo that was used on the cover of Compton's book.
Nice sequence. Not sure what order these go in but it's obvious by his matching ring attire and the background environment that they were taken at the same photo shoot, I love piecing these together.
Another nice sequence.
Prime Harry Greb, getting it done with one arm.
A great article about Harry Greb in the year 1922.
The Fight City
Boxiana
More Than A Century Ago: Harry Greb’s Incredible 1922 (Part One)
By: Kenneth Bridgham
At the dawn of 1922, Harry Greb, the rugged middleweight battler from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, was riding high. He had not officially lost a fight since 1915, and in the year previous had scored wins over Joe Cox and future Hall of Famer Jeff Smith. In November of that same year, he made the most of his second appearance at New York’s Madison Square Garden by giving heavyweight contender Charley Weinert, who outweighed him by over fourteen pounds, a fifteen round thrashing, ending Weinert’s thirteen fight win streak. Greb’s reckless assault of opponents made him a fan favorite, not just in the Steel City but in any city that liked action-packed fisticuffs. Tex Rickard, promotional czar of boxing, had him scheduled to next meet Johnny Wilson on January 6th for the world middleweight championship.
The legendary Harry Greb.
They called Greb “The Human Windmill,” but “The Human Woodchipper” would have been a more accurate nomme de guerre. Greb’s opponents were not so much matched with him as fed to him like useless lumber, coming out the other side of their encounters with “The Smoke City Wildcat” nothing more than shredded and crushed piles of gore. Greb did not hit particularly hard, but he did not need to. With a bottomless supply of energy and punches flying from every angle, he simply tore away at his adversaries until there was nothing left.
But as the new year began, Harry Greb had a secret that threatened to derail his incredible success. On August 29, 1921, future Hall of Famer Kid Norfolk thumbed Harry in his right eye during a brutal clash at Pittsburgh’s Forbes Field. Research by noted Greb biographer Bill Paxton has given credence to the likelihood that the foul caused a tear in Harry’s retina which would eventually lead to blindness in the eye. The extent to which Harry’s vision was immediately affected is not clear. He kept his condition secret from the press, the public, boxing commissions, and even his wife for the remainder of his life. He fought on, but as 1922 dawned and his vision became worse, there had to be a nagging secret doubt in his mind as to how long he could last with fading eyesight in the brutal trade of prizefighting.
Norfolk and Greb.
On January 2, things seemed to get off to an easy enough start. Greb looked “fit as a stake horse” as he trounced light heavyweight Chuck Wiggins through ten rounds in front of a holiday crowd at the Elsinore Club in Cincinnati. To the audience’s delight, the contest was not lacking in action as “gloves were flying through the air all the time,” but Greb had the better of the bigger man throughout. Though official decisions were still outlawed in Ohio, The Cincinnati Enquirer praised Harry as the clear winner, and so did the crowd.
Harry had little time to celebrate the victory. With his long overdue shot at the middleweight title just four days away, he and his manager George Engle were preparing to board a train to New York City after the Wiggins bout when a telegram arrived indicating that Johnny Wilson had backed out of the title match, violating a signed contract. “It’s an outrage,” cried Engle. Tex Rickard was equally beside himself, and he influenced the New York State Athletic Commission to suspend Wilson. But that was little consolation to Harry, who had turned down other paying fights for the title opportunity.
February found Harry in the ring for no-decision bouts against overmatched Hugh Walker and the excellent Jeff Smith, the newspapers reporting that he deserved both wins. But it was not until March that he got to return to the Garden in New York, where he faced future Hall of Famer Tommy Gibbons for a fourth time. Their previous encounters had been no-decision affairs, but with judges’ verdicts recently legalized in New York State, the two stellar pugilists had a chance to officially settle the score. Hailing from St. Paul, Minnesota, Gibbons was by this time a light heavyweight. He was known as a slick and crafty boxer who had grown into a fearsome puncher, and he had also enjoyed a terrific 1921, scoring twenty-one KO wins, ten of them in the first round. Tex Rickard was telling the world that Gibbons would be matched against heavyweight kingpin Jack Dempsey for the world title, just as soon as he mowed down Greb. Bookmakers installed Tommy as a two-to-one favorite.
Greb and Gibbons shake hands.
Over thirteen thousand packed the house to watch the two top talents settle their rivalry and to support the New York Milk Fund charity to which a portion of the $117,500 in ticket sales would be donated. The writer for The New York Times noted that members of high society, banking, and politics had flocked to the event, leaving standing-room-only for less well-to-do spectators. Among them were hundreds of women, “a fair proportion in evening dress,” a rare sight for a boxing match in this period. Men and women with names like Astor and Vanderbilt were ringside to cheer on Greb and Gibbons.
While Greb weighed just over 163 pounds to Gibbons’s 171, from early on he proved himself Tommy’s master. His aggression allowed him to land more punches, and he used expert head movement to avoid the larger man’s heavy blows. When Tommy did make contact, Harry “proved that he could assimilate all that Gibbons had to offer.” Greb out-landed Gibbons two-to-one in most of the rounds and, most surprisingly, seemed to match Gibbons for punching power. The Times reporter felt that Greb won all but three of the fifteen rounds. Though neither went down, the final round was a thriller, with both standing toe-to-toe and unleashing their entire arsenals. As the seconds ticked down, Gibbons rocked Greb with a right to the head, while Greb left a visible impression on Gibbons’s ribs with his body attack.
Dempsey and Greb: oh, what might have been.
The unanimous decision went Harry’s way. And while all agreed with the outcome, and the action had been intense, much of the crowd felt disappointed. Gibbons had failed to prove himself worthy of his chance at Jack Dempsey’s crown, while Greb had failed to knock Gibbons out, despite being in firm control throughout. Afterwards someone spotted Dempsey filing out of the arena and asked, “How long would it take you to put either of them away?” The heavyweight king wordlessly responded with an amused grin. Enough said.
Ultimately, Dempsey chose Gibbons, not Greb, as his next challenger. On Independence Day, 1923, Jack turned in a lackluster performance in remote Shelby, Montana, and Tommy became the only man ever to last a full fifteen rounds with the rampaging champion, the decision going Dempsey’s way.
The upset victory over Gibbons opened various possibilities for Harry Greb. It was easily the greatest win of his career thus far and Engle was talking up a match with Dempsey for July 4th, while theater promoters were booking Harry for a vaudeville tour. Before that, though, he enjoyed a marvelous homecoming parade in Pittsburgh on the morning of March 20. Greeted at the train station by a brass band, he and his wife Mildred were driven in a motorcade consisting of hundreds of automobiles through a roaring crowd along Liberty and Fifth Avenues, reportedly “the greatest turnout ever in the history of the city.” Once the parade reached the City Council Building, fans lifted Harry on their shoulders and carried the hometown hero to a reception inside.
Tunney and Greb weigh-in.
By April, Greb had signed to meet undefeated Gene Tunney, light heavyweight champion of America, for Tunney’s title on May 23 in the Garden. While he waited for that match, Harry crushed heavyweight contender Al Roberts, scoring seven knockdowns before the referee stopped the one-sided beating in round six. Then Harry packed his bags for New York City. Mildred, who had been ringside for so many of his fights and had always entertained the press with the pride she exhibited in her husband, did not come with him. She was ill and stayed home to hear the contest on the radio.
Known as the “The Fighting Marine,” Gene Tunney was undefeated in 49 bouts. Most recently, he had stopped Jack Burke in nine rounds in Burke’s (and Greb’s) native Pittsburgh. Like Gibbons, Tunney was quick on his feet, was a master of boxing technique, and possessed a varied arsenal of powerful punches. But the consensus was, anything Gibbons could do, Tunney could do better (a notion Gene would later prove true by knocking Gibbons out in 1925). Plus, Tunney enjoyed every possible physical advantage over Greb: youth, height, reach, and weight. Tunney would also have home field advantage; he was raised in New York’s Greenwich Village. Despite all this, Greb’s stunning victory over Gibbons convinced the bookies to post three-to-one odds in Harry’s favor.
“The Fighting Marine” and “The Pittsburgh Windmill” mix it up in Madison Square.
Over nine thousand fans paid to see the first Greb vs Tunney battle, and if Harry had been relentless against Tommy Gibbons, he was downright savage against the light heavyweight titlist. All the New Yorker’s advantages in technique and physicality were immediately nullified by the Pittsburgher’s speed, stamina and aggression. “[Greb] rushed Tunney all about the ring and flayed the local boxer with a two-fisted attack,” reported The New York Times. “It was not within his scope to halt the human hurricane in front of him.” Before the end of the first round, the ex-Marine appeared completely baffled by Greb’s wild onslaught of punches, and that look never left his face for the rest of the night.
In time, Tunney was convinced that his only hope was to stand and trade with his foe. “Like Don Quixote of old, he kept tilting away at the windmill,” mused famed columnist Damon Runyon. But that only meant more punishment, not all of it legal. During the bout, Greb drew a warning from referee Kid McPartland for punching on the break, and a headbutt opened scar tissue above Tunney’s left eye. The crowd routinely booed the out-of-towner for holding and butting. In both the third and sixth rounds, Tunney almost fell through the ring ropes from the force of Greb’s attack and his the wrestling tactics.
Cartoon from The Evening World newspaper tells the story of Greb vs Tunney.
After fifteen rounds, Gene was a “bloody ruin,” reported The Brooklyn Standard Union. He bled profusely from cuts above both eyes as well as from his nose and mouth. The writer for The Times scored twelve rounds for Greb and thought Tunney deserved no better than a draw in the other three frames. “They say Greb cannot punch much,” wrote Runyon. “Tunney probably wonders how they get that way.” After announcer Joe Humphreys declared the foregone conclusion of a unanimous Greb victory, Tunney showed sportsmanship in shaking his conqueror’s hand, but would later criticize Harry’s dirty tactics.
The win over Tunney would go down as the crown jewel of Greb’s legacy, as “The Fighting Marine” would never lose another fight. Four years later, he scored a momentous upset over Dempsey to take the world heavyweight crown. (To Be Continued … )
A photo from Harry Greb's third fight with Tommy Loughran, I believe it's their third fight, I could be mistaken, I am a novice at this stuff, but regardless these are awesome photos. Tommy Loughran is an all-time great light heavyweight, he was nicknamed "The Philly Phantom'' because of his elusive, scientific boxing style, swift footwork, and brilliant defense that made him a World Light Heavyweight Champion in the 1920s. He was a master boxer known for precision rather than brute force, seeming to disappear and reappear in the ring, hence the nickname "Phantom."
Man, looking at these Harry Greb fight photos is making me want to watch Greb fight film ten times worse, it hurts so much it burns.
Two great photos of Harry Greb vs Ted Moore, photo shows action in third round at Yankee Stadium Harry Greb, sidestepped Ted Moore and shot wicked a right to head. Greb won the verdict.
Just in case you were wondering how much of a bada$$ Harry Greb really was, this is a Christmas card he sent out to the world in 1925 in which he challenged any leading contenders from middleweight to heavyweight to meet him in the ring, at any notice. And he meant it.
Some more photos of Harry Greb with his family, his wife Mildred and daughter Dorothy.
Greb sparring with his daughter and showing her a few pointers about his profession.
Greb on the front porch with his family, and sparring with his wife.
Gene Tunney, Harry Greb, and Tommy Loughran, a lot of greatness in this photo.
Harry Greb and Gene Tunney, they fought an incredible five times, Greb won the first encounter, Tunney won three, and one was declared a draw. Tunney was a very scientific minded fighter, and he learned from the beating that Greb laid on him in their first fight. Greb was the only man to ever hand Gene Tunney a loss, Tunney retired with a career record of 61-1-1.
''I would say without qualifications that of all the fighters I met, Harry Greb was the least interested in the rules...
...Greb gave me a terrible whipping in the first. He broke my nose, maybe with a butt. He cut my eyes and ears, perhaps with his laces. But don't think he didn't hit me, either. My jaw was swollen from the right temple down the cheek, along under the chin and part way up the other side. The referee, the ring itself, was full of bIood. It happened to be me.
But it was in that fight, in which I lost my American light-heavyweight title, that I knew I had found a way to beat Harry eventually. I was fortunate, really. If boxing in those days had been afflicted with the commission doctors we have today - who are always poking their noses into the ring and examining superficial wounds - the first fight with Greb would have been stopped before I learned how to beat him. It's possible, even probable, that if this had happened I never would have been heard of thereafter.'"
That quote in the above post from Gene Tunney, about learning how to beat Greb from his loss in their first fight, every time I read that it always send chills up my spine, Tunney was one of the brainiest fighters in boxing history, he was the definition of the term "sweet science", ice cold stuff.
A couple of more quotes from Gene Tunney about Harry Greb, they had a deep respect for each other:
''He was never in one spot for more than half a second. All my punches were aimed and timed properly but they always wound up hitting empty air. He'd jump in and out, slamming me with a left and whirling me around with his right or the other way around. My arms were plastered with leather and although I jabbed, hooked and crossed, it was like fighting an octopus.''
''I categorically state that Harry Greb was not a foul fighter. In my first fight with him my nose was broken. My seconds said that Greb butted me with his head. This I do not accept as factual; and if his head was the weapon, rather than his fists, my head should not have been where it was.''
"He was the wildest tiger, not a boxer, not a puncher, he beat em with blazing speed, a pair of rubbery legs that never seemed to tire and had to had one of the most magnificent fighting hearts God ever put into a man. He was the nearest thing to perpetual motion that ever stepped into a ring, throwing punches ffrom all angles in a wicked tornado of ripping, tearing, jolting leather."
''I boxed Greb five times, and I believe I knew him and his fighting qualities as well as any man. On each of the five occasions I met him he displayed singular gameness. He was one of the greatest fighters who ever lived, certainly in my time.''
Here's a quote from Harry Greb about Gene Tunney:
''I never have been seriously damaged by a single punch to the body. I would rather take them in the stomach than on the jaw.
Even Gene Tunney, though he wore me down with body punches in our Iast fight, did not hurt me with a single blow. It was his steady pounding that hurt me.
Everybody seems to have an idea that the way to beat me is to pound me in the ribs or stomach. But, as I said before, I would rather be hit in the body than on the chin.
They'll never beat me trying for the body; that is nobody but Tunney will. And he is different from the rest.''
One more good look at this photo of Kid Norfolk facing off with Harry Greb, it was against Kid Norfolk that Greb was thumbed in the right eye and lost his sight in that eye and fought half blind for the remainder of his career, he eventually lost the eye as well, he had the eye removed and replaced with a glass eye. Norfolk was an all-time great fighter, he's in the Hall of Fame. Man, what a beast of a photo this is.
Here are some more quotes about Harry Greb from other Legendary fighters:
“The toughest fight i’ve ever had was against Harry Greb; I had a very bad time that night, it was on the 22nd of May 1922. I had my nose broken in the first 10 seconds and both of my eyes opened in the 2nd and 3rd round. Ooh…... it was a pretty sorry affair”. - Gene Tunney
“Its almost impossible to set you up for a punch. You’re the fastest man I ever boxed.” - Jack Johnson, after an exhibition with Greb.
“Greb may have been the greatest fighter Pound-for-Pound who ever lived... At his peak he was unbeatable, defeating virtually every Middleweight, Light-Heavyweight and Heavyweight of his generation, a great fighter.” - Eric Jorgensen
“Greb was the fastest fighter i ever saw. Hell, Greb is faster than Benny Leonard! (Lightweight champion).” - Jack Dempsey
“I wouldn’t say he was dirty so much as he was expedient. He was so eager to get the damage done that his head and shoulders went with a punch. He was a fast and furious man.” - Tommy Loughran
“Greb is fast and bounds like a kangaroo all over the ring, hitting from awkward positions. One can never tell when he is going to let fly a solid punch or a light tap….No matter how good a boxer may be he will have a hard time figuring out Greb.” - Mike Gibbons
“Greb doesn’t box. That’s why he can beat the boxers. They know what a boxer ought to do, and that’s just what Greb never does.” - Robert Edgren
“How can you make a good showing against a fella who does everything backwards?” - Jeff Smith
“The fastest fighter i ever saw in my life was that white boy from Pittsburgh, Harry Greb. And they called him windmill for a reason, the faster he went, the more he punched, and from all over!” - Sam Langford
“They say Harry Greb died when his heart failed, but i say no man on this living earth could ever question the fighting heart of Harry Greb.” - said Gene Tunney, with an audibly sad tone of voice.
Harry Greb Shaking hands with Mike Gibbons, "The St. Paul Phantom."
Sick studio portrait of Greb.
Modern boxing fans have no idea, they just don't know.
Harry Greb believed in real estate as the best investment, so much so that he was often nicknamed in Pittsburgh newspapers the “Garfield Landlord.” As part of his training program, he often helped build his own houses, like this picture from 1923 demonstrates.
I guess I'll go ahead and wrap it up about Harry Greb, I didn't mean to go on so long about him but he is arguably the GOAT of boxing, he more than deserves it, all of these fighters deserve it, they were warriors, modern day Gladiators that risked their lives every time they stepped in the ring to do battle. You know, covering Greb these past few days, posting these photos of him the past few days, you start to feel close to him, like you're getting to know him or something, I can't explain it. For anyone reading this in the future, I apologize if some of the information on my thread is inaccurate, boxing is a complex sport to cover, it's history is rich and deep, you honestly could teach a college course on it, all of the fighters, the styles, the fights, their accomplishments, their lives, it's deep, and I try to be accurate but sometimes I find myself getting lost, there's just so much information and history. Like I said before, I'm a novice at this, I've only been into boxing for about six years. I try to find time outside of my personal life to study it, but personal life often gets in the way. If I'm reading up on a fighter and my elderly mother, whom I'm talking care of, wants a fried egg sandwich, the fried egg sandwich comes first. Anyway, a few more photos of Greb and I'll wrap it up. Good photo of Greb with his sisters.
You know, I originally intended for this thread to be a "photos only" thread, but it's just impossible to post pictures of these photos and not talk about them and the fighters. Another great photo of Greb, facing off with Albert "Buck" Crouse, Greb won this fight by knockout in round 2.
Harry Greb with the headgear, sparring in the early 1920s.
Awesome shot Greb from a distance, standing in his corner with his head down.
Epic shot of Greb, love the way his eyes are off to his right, someone or something got his attention.
A few autographed photos of Harry Greb, man it would be awesome to have something he actually held in his hands and signed.