Athletes - Harry Greb

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	Athletes - Harry Greb

Harry Greb (born Edward Henry Greb on June 6, 1894 in Pittsburgh; died October 22, 1926) to Pius and Annie Greb was a boxer. He was World Middleweight boxing Champion from 1923 to 1926 and North American Light Heavyweight title holder 1922 - 1923. He fought a recorded 299 times in his 13 year-career, against the best opposition the talent-rich 1920's could provide him, frequently squaring off against light-heavyweights and even heavyweights. He is believed by many ring historians to be among the greatest pound-for-pound fighters in history.

Though no film of Greb in action are known to exist, contemporary accounts describe a highly aggressive, tireless puncher, despite having neglectable punching power, having scored only has 48 KOs in 299 recorded bouts. His mile-a-minute punching output has earned him the nickname 'The Human Windmill'. Greb was also a master at dirty fighting, and made liberal use of it.

Biography

Greb began his pro career in 1913, fighting mostly around his hometown of Pittsburgh. By 1915, he was fighting world class opposition, notably hall of famer Tommy Gibbons and reigning middleweight champ George Chip, whom he faced twice during the years 1915-1916 in non-title fights. Greb would lose both fights by newspaper decision (at the time, the rendering of an official decision at the end of a fight was prohibited), losses he would later avenge.

Greb would fight 37 times in the sole year 1917, winning 34 of those fights either officially or unofficially. Among his victims that year were the reigning light heavyweight champion Battling Levinsky (in a non-title fight), former light heavyweight champion Jack Dillon, middleweight George Chip and heavyweight Willie Meehan, who had beaten future champ Jack Dempsey earlier in the year.

Despite all these great results, Greb was still denied a chance to fight for a title. A February 1918 newspaper loss to Mike O'Dowd, who would go on to win the middleweight title during the year, didn't help in his effort. After that setback though, Greb would go unbeaten for over two years. During that stretch, he would beat future light heavyweight champion Mike McTigue, heavyweight contenders Gunboat Smith, Billy Miske and Bill Brennan, and defeat Battling Levinsky no less than five times in newspaper decisions. Levinsky was still the reigning light heavyweight champion at the time.

In 1921, during a fight with a tough Black light heavyweight named Kid Norfolk, he was thumbed and suffered a detached retina, which permanently blinded him in his left eye. But Greb fought on, and he finally got a shot at a title.

On May 23rd, 1922, Harry Greb was matched with Gene Tunney, the undefeated American Light Heavyweight Champion (The World title was then in the hands of Frenchman Georges Carpentier). Greb was knocked down in Round 1, but got up to give the champion a sound trashing. At the end of fifteen rounds, Tunney was a bloody mess and Greb was champion.

After defending his title against Tommy Loughran, Greb granted Tunney a rematch. In a hotly-disputed battle, fought at Madison Square Garden in February 1923, Tunney regained his title by decision. The two men would meet three more times, all newspaper decisions (two for Tunney, one for Greb). Tunney would go on to beat Jack Dempsey for the heavyweight title. Greb remained the only man ever to have beaten Tunney, and the latter would be among the pall-bearers at Greb's funeral.

One month after losing his light heavyweight title to Tunney, Greb would face Johnny Wilson for the World Middleweight Title, with Greb winning a comfortable 15-round decision. Greb would defend the title four times, most notably against the reigning welterweight champion, Mickey Walker, whom he outpointed in July 1925. Walker, a tough scrapper who would win the middleweight title the following year, stumbled upon Greb at a nightclub after their fight, and according to the legend, fought an impromptu rematch here and there.

At age 32, Greb was beginning to slip when he was matched against tricky southpaw Tiger Flowers in Madison Square Garden in February 1926. Flowers, a defensive specialist, was able to avoid Greb's rushes and counter solidly, and won a decision after 15 rounds and walked off with Greb's middleweight title. Flowers would again beat Greb in a rematch six months later, in what was Greb's last fight.

Around that time, Greb had second thoughts about his career, and began to claim he had retired following the second Flowers loss. Having declined a $1000-a-day job as Jack Dempsey's sparring partner in preparation for Dempsey-Tunney I (Greb declaring: "I'd feel like a burglar taking Jack's money. Nobody can get him in good enough condition to whip Gene" -- And he was right), Greb checked into an Atlantic City clinic for surgery to repair damage to his nose and respiratory tracks caused by his ring career and several car crashes. However, several complications occurred and he died on October 22, 1926 of a hemorrhage.

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Athletes - Harry Greb

Biography

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