Greb and the Heavyweights- Tommy Gibbons

Fair question, even the writers who were there and writers who saw the two fight live, almost all agreed that Greb would give Dempsey problems in a short fight, but over the long haul, that was the question mark. I am glad you brought that up cos, in sparring they used heavy training gloves but Greb must have felt the pop, cos he had a healthy respect for it and said so. Even the greatest puncher who ever lived cant score a ko everytime they spar.

 

This:
GREB IS AFTER JACK DEMPSEY
The Washington times. (Washington [D.C.]), June 17, 1922
By Damon Runyan
"the Pittsburgh Windmill." light heavyweight
champion of America, desires a limited go at Jack Dempsey, heavyweight champion of the world.
George Engel, manager of Greb, so informed the writer yesterday. "Harry will bet his end of the purse that Dempsey cannot stop him in eight or ten rounds," said Engel. However, the match is by no means ridiculous Over a long route, yes. As a sprint, no.
If any fighter Dempsey's size had Just taken decisions over Charley Weinert, Tom Gibbons and Gene Tunney, he would be generally accorded a chance against Jack for the championship. The fact that Greb is comparatively small seems to cause many persons to think Dempsey would have an easy time with him. Yet it must be remembered that Greb's specialty is licking big men, and
that it is the men smaller than himself who have given Dempsey the most trouble.
Fistic World Guffawed.
WHEN little Charley Mitchell was matched against
big John L. Sullivan the fistic world no doubt guffawed.
Yet Mitchell gave Sullivan a thundering battle and carried him to thirty nine rounds for a draw at Chantllly, France.
Old-timers claim that Sullivan one of the greatest fighters
that ever lived. He weighed 196 pounds and was 5 feet 10 1/2 inches tall. Mitchell weighed 165 pounds and was 5 feet 9 inches tall. Here is at least one case where
the old ring adage that a good big man can always beat a good little man was set at naught And Greb has certainly proved three times hand-running that the bigger they are the higher he can climb on them. Greb is an inch shorter than Mitchell and weighs between 162 and 164 pounds. Dempsey is six feet one and a half inches tall
and his best fighting weight is probably a little above 190 pounds.
Dempsey gave away to Willard fully as much difference in size as there is between himself and Greb.
Took Him Twelve Round
STANLEY KETCHEL once attempted to concede Jack Johnson much more in point of size than Greb would be giving to Dempsey, and it took Johnson twelve rounds to cut him down. The lamented middleweight champion, one of the greatest hitters of all time, was five feet
nine and three-quarters inches tall, and never weighed mors than 158 pounds. Johnson weighed 210 pounds, and was six feet and one half inch tall. If Greb could hit like Ketchel he would have a chance against two Dempseys in the ring at the same time. But it is the difference, in strength and hitting ability that Harry ls apt to be at greatest disadvantage with the heavyweight champion, because he has nothing in which to stop Jack from coming on, not even the threat. Tommy Burns sawed off to five feet seven Inches, and weighing 185 pounds, got a hand hold on heavyweight title by out smacking Marvin Hart, five feet eleven and one quarter inches and weighing 190 pounds, but somehow we believe Greb could have done the same thing.
We Worked With Dempsey
GREB has worked with Dempsey in the gymnasium. Perhaps it is on his personal knowledge of the champion's style that Harry bases his belief that he can travel a short route with him. Engel claims that Dempsey a
noted knocker-out of sparring partners, could do nothing with Greb in the gym. George says the Pittsburgher smothered Jack's attack the same as he blanketed
Welnert, Gibbons and Tunney. I don't pretend to believe that Greb would have any chance with
Dempsey in fifteen rounds," said George, "and Harry has no illusions on that point. But an eight or ten-round gallop is a different proposition Jack would never catch Greb In that distance.

 

I didn't say Dempsey was the hardest puncher ever, I said even the hardest puncher in the world couldn't ko everybody in sparring.

 

Coke will do wonders for a fighter's career. I don't understand why Buddy I? In relation to scar tissue??