Did he really drink colored water for hours acting drunk hoping for news to get around to Wilson for a fight to happen. Did he do anything else like this if it was true?
Harry Greb was seen by several boxing writers outside Lindy's restaurant on Bwy staggering to enter a cab with a bevy of hot chicks. He appeared sloshed to the gills just before a bout with a fighter in New York... Most probably Greb did his "drunk act " to get better odds to bet on himself...Sly old fox Harry Greb, who lived life to the hilt... Tough ? Think of this : A day before his bout with the great Mickey Walker then in his prime, the 31 year old faded Greb with about 285 bouts,was several pounds over the 160 pound MW limit. So Greb on a 100 degrees July broiling sun, RAN around Central Park TWICE, with only sips of cheap orange punch to sustain him, and lo and behold Greb weighed in at 158 pounds. Two pounds below the MW limit. He then proceeded to thrash the Toy Bulldog, finishing stronger than he started in the 15th round...One year later Harry Greb died on an operating table...His like we will never see again...
Wilson was friends with a lot of mobsters (including Al Capone if the story is true). So maybe Greb had to do it in order to relax Johnny's "friends" and get them to OK the fight as Greb's manager, Red Mason, was well known for telling the mob to shove it where the ocean breeze don't blow. So maybe Harry and Red devised this strategy to get the Wilson camp to buckle under the pressure that the boxing public was putting on them to face Greb.
Well when you're in your 20s you can get away with drinking and boxing, in your 30s you can't. I think some bare knuckled guys used to sip whisky between rounds.
