This content is protected This content is protected John Garfield, Stonehands89, etc. Thoughts please. If only we could have had him around on the classic for any length of time.
I don't know much about the guy, but I think the HK on the hat is a good indicator of who he is. :good
Known far and wide as the world's foremost boxing historian, if there is a custodian of the legacy of the Sweet Science, a guardian of the sport's rich tradition, it is Hank Kaplan. From his vantage point as a former fighter, manager, promoter and publisher, he has seen and done it all. Possessor of a sharp wit and blistering recall, he's been boxing's preeminent information source for many years. Kaplan's archives are legendary, the most extensive in the world, totaling over a million documents and serving as the definitive chronicle of the sport's history, from the bare-knuckle period to the present day. In other words, he probably knows more about boxing than anyone who ever lived.
Kaplan's opinion on the greatest fighter who ever lived is expanded on somewhat. He doesn't give a straight forward awnser initially. And it seems as though he couldn't make his mind up who it was, which is understanable with so many greats to choose from. "Often asked to name the greatest boxers of all time, Kaplan preferred to describe particular qualities he admired. Louis, he said, was the finest boxing stylist; Marciano had the biggest heart; Robinson had the finest combination of skills; Ali was "the greatest innovator in the history of boxing." When pressed, Kaplan invariably cited a featherweight champion of the 1940s whose defensive skills allowed him to win 230 of 242 professional fights. "Willie Pep," Kaplan said, "was the greatest boxer ever. There's nobody even close to him today." Then................................. When asked for his opinion on who he thought the greatest fighter of all time was Kaplan answered, I suppose there is a definitive answer to that, but Id have to break it down this way. My personal favorite fighter is Joe Louis. But the greatest two-fisted fighter I have ever seen is Henry Armstrong. The most skilled fighter Ive ever seen is probably Sugar Ray Robinson. The most scientific boxer I have ever seen is Willie Pep, without a doubt. And the man I believe to the greatest fighter who ever lived is Harry Greb. Nobody before him or since him has done the things he did. He was merely a middleweight and he fought light-heavyweights and heavyweights all over the lot. And here is a guy with 300 fights.
If I was him I would say this to everyone I met. How old is Kaplan? From the looks it seems save to say he may be old enough to have seen prime Pep. Interesting that he goes with Greb as the greatest ever, of the usual 4 #1 choices (Robinson, Armstrong, Greb, and Langford), Greb seems to hold less #1 spots than the others on the lists I've seen. It is hard to look past the resume even without the footage. You know any of his opinions on more modern greats like Duran or Leonard or Whitaker?
He was old enough to have seen Ray and Pep in the amateurs (actually a tad older than either). No doubt about it he saw Pep, and a lot of him, at his very best. Hell, the Classic Forum's own John Garfield was fortunate enough to have done so as well.
You didn't need me Robbi, I see two fine posts of your own about Hank. I for one am happy to see someone step up and honor someone who wasn't a fighter or trainer (although he did have I think one professional fight and so retired undefeated), but who was the foremost archivist and historian of the Sweet Science.
