How good was Dempsey's title reign?

Here are just a few articles from a few journalists of many. I found these with just a very quick search and without even going into my own files:

This is from an article from Philadelphia Evening Ledger dated July 9 1919
With the line break titling it "Greb Contender"


Greb is after a meeting with Demp
sey. If Greb pulls a Dempsey and stops
Levinsky on Monday night his chances
will be bright.
Defi to Dempsey
The following letter was received'
yesterday from James M. (Reddy) Ma
son, manager of Greb :
Pittsburgh, July 7.
"We just got back from Tulsa, where
Greb beat Brennnn ; and, while it
was a great fight, Greb beat Brennan
all the way. Brennan was in great
shape and took a good beating ; much
worse, in fact, than Willard did with
Dempsey at Toledo.
"Harry is ready for Levinsky. I also
received another offer for Greb to box
Jamaica Kid, Dempsey's sparring part
ner, in your city. I wish to state that
Greb will meet that other dark-skinned
fellow that was trained by the Jamaica
Kid. I mean Jack Dempsey.
"We are open for engagements any
time with that wonderful puncher, who,
according to his own gang, hit Jess sev
enty-seven times, and then the circus
man had to toss in the towel as a token
of defeat. Any time Dempsey wants a
fight with Greb he can have it, and he
will find that it won't be with a jelly
fish like Willard.
,"Greb gave away thirty-five pounds
to Brennan. That's almost as much as
Dempsey gave away to Willard. But,
take it from me, we're ready for Dempsey."

Billy Evans syndicated column from April 1922:

QUERIES
OF ALL SORTS
ABOUT SPORT
BY BILLY EVANS.
What chance would Harry Greb have
against Jack Dempsey'' Was Greb's
defeat of Tommy Gibbons a decisive
one? Of Greb or Gibbons which would
make the best showing against Demp
I sey in your opinion? R D G
Greb would have an outside chanco
in a bout with Jack Dempsey. After
the Gibbons fight I talked such a
match with Greb, and he expressed the
belief that he would be able to out
point Dempsey in 12 to 15 rounds as
decisively as be did Gibbons.
"Unless Jack should rock me to
sleep before the finish," Is the way
Greb put it
Giving away from 20 to 30 pounds,
as Greb would be forced to In a match
with Dempsey, there would always be
the danger of the big fellow putting
over the knockout punch.


Billy Evans from June 1922:

HARRY GREB CONFIDENT HE HAS GOOD CHANCE TO OUTPOINT DEMPSEY

By BILLY EVANSj
harry Greb the Pittsburg "Giant
Killer." doesn't bar any fighter in the
business.
After his bout with Tommy Gibbons
last winter I asked Greb what he
thought about a match with Cham
pion Jack Dempsey.
"I know it is going to make some
people laugh." he replied, "but I am
positive I can defeat Dempsey in a 12
or 15-round decision bout.
"Of course I wouldn't expect to
knock Dempsey out. My biggest
thought would be to keep from get
ting knocked out.
That is all I would have to do in
order to win a decision bout with
Dempsey, who is no harder to hit than
Gibbons, and who I feel sure, would
have as much trouble reaching me as
Gibbons did.

Bob Edgren syndicated column June 1922:

Greb is a very Good American Champion.
He can make the middleweight limit, yet he fights the heavyweights.
He even longs for a fight with Dempsey, which puts him in a class by himself.
Anyone else might want to meet Dempsey fo the money there'd be in it, but Greb
would go into a cellar with Jack to see what might happen. Hes curious you know.
He may get a match with Dempsey later on.

Bob Edgren speaking to Greb's manager George Engel in May of 1922:

Greb has one Idea fixed
in his head. It's that he can whip
Dempsey over any route from 15
rounds up or a shorter route If
Jack Insists on It. He has helped
Dempsey train several times, and he
knows every move Dempsey makes.
Dempsey never has been able to
hold Greb off, and he couldn't do
it In a fight.
" 'The way to beat Dempsey,' Greb
says, 'Is to keep him on his heels.
Don't let him set for a punch. Stay
on top of him and never stop hit
ting, and he can't do a thing.'
"If Greb gets on with Dempsey
the world Is going to see the busiest
15 rounds, If it goes that far, ever
pulled off in a ring,'


Billy Evans March 1922:

BY BILLY EVANS.
NEW YORK, March 18. Prior
to the fight with Harry Greb. Tommy
Gibbons was considered the logical
contender for a bout with Champion
Jackk Dempsey for the heavyweight
title.
Harry Greb for the time being at
least, has definately removed Gibbons
from the picture. Tommy must start
all again
It was figured that Greb was al
most a setup for Gibbons. As a mat
ter of fact preliminary arrangements
had been made for a bout between
Gibbons and Dempsey.
In order lo strengthen his claim
for such a bout, it was believed that
a decisive victory over Grob would
greatly Increase Tommy's popularity
and create interest in a match with Dempsey
ONLY MIDDLEWEIGHT.
Gibbons staked everything on the
bout with Greb and lost. His defeat
at the hands of a fighter who is re
ally only a middleweight has com
pletely erased Tommy as a logical
contender.
Since Harry Greb decisively defeat
the man picked to meet Dempsey.
It would seem that such a victory
should give him tho right to a cham
pionship bout.
Greb is certainly entitled to a
chance with Jack Dempsey. If Gib
bons had decisively defeated Greb.
he would have been hailed as the
next opponent for Jack
Now that Greb has proved his com
plete mastery over Gibbons, the Pitts
burg whirlwind looms up as the logical
contender.
GREB HADE GREAT SHOWING.
Already some of the experts are
insisting that Greb should first meet
Tunney. the American light
heavyweight champion. Should he
be victorious he should then take on
Georges Carpenteer. champion light
heavyweight of the world.
Possibly Greb would prove no match
for Dempsey, However. I am posi
tive that he would make a much better
showing than did Carpentier.
There is no real reason that can be
offered why Greb. ln order to be en
titled to a fight with Dempsey. should
be forced to eliminate a number of others
who think they are of championship
caliber.
Greb. by his showing against Gib
bons, has established his right to a
Dempsey bout
The decisive manner in which he
defeated the much touted Tommy
Gibbons has won him that consideration.

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Those articles refute your ascertion that Greb was never a contender (ludicrous) and that he only wanted a short bout with Dempsey, and that there was never any support for such a match outside of Pittsurgh (which wouldnt matter anyway as a purse is a purse).

 

Greb did not avoid Fulton. He refused to fight Fulton for (literally) nothing. Big difference. Besides, Dempsey fought Fulton BEFORE he was a champion.

Dempsey had to fight Willard for the championship. We are talking about defenses here, not what predates his title reign. Furthermore, Willard was one of Grebs biggest supporters and stated several times he thought Greb had the best chance of defeating Dempsey.

Firpo absolutely avoided Greb at the urging of Jimmy Deforest. DeForest knew Firpos limitations and that he was fast tracked for a financial bonanza with Dempsey. His job was to make sure Firpo didnt get beat.

 

Im still waiting for you to explain to me how one loss, one robbery, one win, one loss, and another win are examples of Tunney decisively defeating Greb three times over five years (which would put Tunneys last victory in May 1927... not spring of 1925) :-(

 

no they do not refute my alegation "Greb was a middleweight not a Heavyweight"

 

That is your view of the events but my view as i have said many times id that Tunney beat Greb easier each time he fought him with their final bout being a landslide with Tunney having completely worked-out Greb's style... you are reading from one book and i am reading from another.

 

put up links or your lying

 

you just ignore Greb's defeats to Loughran and Tunney

 

Two words : OLD FOGEY. Discussion over, troll alert!

 

at least McGrain & klompton have put a very strong case forward with their view that Dempsey ducked Greb, but your only imput has been your usual schoolboy skits as you know nothing about boxing to be able to debate it. and whenever you do try to make any kind of contribution to a debate it is alway's a ridiculous one like how Tommy Morrison is up there with the all time greats of the sport your a laughing-stock JAB whose entire boxing knowledge comes from 2 books your mum bought you and your Morrison career set

 

your wrong again.. i have been on this site since 2002 not one month like you claim.. your imput on this and every other topic is zero. you ain't posted nothing on this topic other than to trash the link i posted yet that link is the trump card wether you like it or not it tells exactly what sports writers thought of Harry Grebs chances against Dempsey... all other links posted are from Pittsburg points of view in an attempt to promote a fight with the Heavyweight Champ and Kearns was never going to alow others to steal his cashcow... you trashed my link but don't even know who wrote it and it is proof that Greb posed no threat whatsoever to Dempsey so why would Dempsey want to fight him... its like Gipsy Joe Harris kicking Joe Fraziers ass in sparring with Frazier unable to put a glove on Gipsy Joe or Pernell Whitaker kicking Evander Holyfields ass in sparring and Holyfield unable to put a glove on him... no one wanted to see Greb fight Dempsey because they knew he could not hurt Dempsey. The only one wanting the fight was the Pittsburg promoters who wanted a huge payday at Kearns & Dempsey's expense

 

it is the time of Grebs defeats to Loughran & Tunney they was right in the time of his challenge to Dempsey... you never change, your always trashing old fighters claiming they ducked Langford & Greb or Burley which you have never ever been able to prove... There is footage of Burley, & Langford available and that footage does not back-up what you claim nor does that sparring footage of Harry Greb which is available. i can recall having this same debate awhile back with you & McGrain when you both claimed Ray Robinson had no chance against Greb. ffs