Did Harry Greb exist?

[janitor]

Originally Posted by cross_trainer

It's a little known fact that the world was created in 1892, with the invention of the Kinetoscope. The first human being was not, as common misconception has it, named Adam, but Fred Ott. His filmed sneeze is the first action in the universe to occur.

Boxers, vaudeville performers, and trained animals were created shortly thereafter. The dinosaurs arrived sometime in the 1920's.

Walking technique was perfected around the early 1930s. Film prior to this illustrates the primitive gaits of actors such as Buster Keaton and Charlie Chaplin.

[Vantage_West]

im just wondering why DIDNT they take a reel of him. he sounds an exiting fighter yet they chose to take film of gans, leonard,sullivan (in training) yet didnt take greb very odd

[Duodenum]

Originally Posted by Vantage_West

im just wondering why DIDNT they take a reel of him. he sounds an exiting fighter yet they chose to take film of gans, leonard,sullivan (in training) yet didnt take greb very odd

There are two pivotal dates in United States boxing cinematography which should forever live in infamy:

July 4, 1910 - Jack Johnson W TKO 15 Jim Jeffries. This outcome triggered riots all across the U.S., resulting in 25 deaths, and hundreds of injuries. Several states passed legislation banning the filming of Johnson's victories. The ultimate outcome of this match resulted in:

July 31, 1912 - The Sims Act, passed by the United States Congress, which made it unlawful "to bring or to cause to be brought into the United States from abroad, any film or other pictorial representation of any prize fight or encounter of pugilists under whatever name, which is designed to be used or may be used for purposes of public exhibition."

The Sims Act banned interstate traffic in fight films until 1940. Except for a handful of bouts in Canada, Harry Greb boxed his entire career exclusively in the U.S., and within the time frame the Sims Act was in effect. That we have footage of anybody competing in the U.S.A. between 1910 and 1940 is amazing. Generally, if a boxer wanted to be sure his performance would be preserved on film, he had to exit the
country. Mickey Walker did this when he traveled to London to defend his MW Title against Tommy Milligan in 1927, and that's probably the most widely seen footage of a Walker victory. If the Toy Bulldog had never sailed to the U.K., the only competition footage we might have of him would be Schmeling battering him about in New York. Most films that do exist from that period were of matches which took place in New York.

We are ridiculously fortunate that Schmeling-Stribling in Cleveland, or Carnera-Loughran in Miami exist today. (Schmeling-Stribling was probably smuggled into Canada, and Carnera-Loughran to a foreign port.)

I'm sure there are plenty of folks here at ESB who can expand on the impact of the Sims Act better than I. But if it wasn't for that law, we'd probably have dozens of hours of Greb fight footage today.

[Sizzle]

Originally Posted by cross_trainer

It's a little known fact that the world was created in 1892, with the invention of the Kinetoscope. The first human being was not, as common misconception has it, named Adam, but Fred Ott. His filmed sneeze is the first action in the universe to occur.

Boxers, vaudeville performers, and trained animals were created shortly thereafter. The dinosaurs arrived sometime in the 1920's.

That's an interesting theory.

My question is, with the world being created in 1892, should Greb not still hypothetically exist despite this outlandish but very possible (perhaps even probable) theory? The records show he boxed a number of times beyond this date.

I'd like to add to your theory and suggest that Greb was actually eaten by dinosaurs, as well all his fight footage. The film was toxic and that's why the dinosaurs are today extinct. It all makes sense now.

You have at least one follower my man

[mcvey]

Originally Posted by Sizzle

Or has someone at boxrec.com had a bit of fun and created an imaginary profile?

I have my doubts about his existence.

The only footage we have of "Harry Greb" looks like a version of ViciousBoxer shadowboxing in the 30's. Probably a descendant of ViciousBoxer... Not a worldclass pugilist.

It just seems odd to me all this footage is "locked away in the vaults", when there is much less important footage available out there...

Anyway, what do you guys think? Did Harry Greb exist or is a figment of some geek at boxrec.com's imagination? If the latter is true, they must be laughing right now at people rating him as the best boxer of all time

Of course not! And Joe Louis is a computer generated ,sepia tinged media creation,I cant beleive anyone could be so gullible!