Note I do not mean the most prolific fouler but the one that made the most inteligent and efective use of illegal tactics.
That was the first name that came to my mind. There wasn't a trick in the book that he couldn't exploit, or even improve on.
Good choice. In some ways Zivic get's a bad rap for being a dirty fighter. He didn't break the rules any more than most of his peers he just did it better. It was a bad idea to foul the Croat Comet because he would respond in kind and make a much better job of it than you.
Maxie Rosenbloom made a career out of slapping with an open glove, and his record speaks for itself. He could outpoint virtually everyone.
The obvious choice would be Golota.. The Classic choice would be George Foreman .. The one to look out for is Henry Akinwande.. His early career fights and Amateur bouts are full of sly elbows and headbuts. One i think you may all agree with is Lennox Lewis.. remember his knockout of Mike simuwelu , look at the finishing two shots , now rewind it and watch it slowed down.. the second to last shot to the face was actually a smashing elbow to the nose.. The elbow to the top of Levi Billups head in Las Vegas in 1991.. The Open palm of the glove in Frank Bruno's face near the end of thier Cardiff fight in 1993. His slamming shots in the clinch to the back of Jorge Dacolas head at the Royal Albert Hall in his first headlining fight around 1990.. Lennox i loved you to bits but you could be a cold callous ******* when you had to be.. Gary Mason found that out big time...... God bless y'all.....
I have to say that he is not the first person who comes to mind if we are talking about inteligent fouling. More an example of ill advised use of ilegal tactics.
Zivic is the obvious universal choice. He never lost a match by DQ. (Was Ali ever even docked a point for his head pulling?) Sammy Serrano was no choir boy. The Black Mamba only dethroned Serrano after El Torbellino nearly took Mayweather out with a well placed elbow. (Roger's lucky he didn't get his skull fractured.) Anybody remember how Sleazy Sam would begin a match by heading out to ring center, as if to touch gloves, only to belt his suckered opponent when he lowered his gloves in kind? (Hey Buddy, WBA rules. Come out fighting!) Marciano had an outstanding follow though on his rights, with his elbow! (It would have been poetic irony if Charles had won their rematch, by splitting Marciano's nose with Rocky's own favorite foul tactic.) Carnera used a superb backhand against Loughran, and took away Tommy's legs by stepping on his feet. Primo survived 11 rounds against Max Baer, in large part by pulling Baer down with him whenever Baer landed another KD punch. (Primo wasn't stupid. When Sharkey dropped him with a FOTC Frazier type hook in their first meeting, Carnera immediately got back up, then back down to one knee to take the benefit of a full count. The referee, losing his head, resumed the count all over at one, causing Sharkey to go ballistic at the referee, and buying Primo even more time.) Da Preem also won two decisions against Uzcudun, himself a HW contender so filthy that Dempsey gave him a 20 round verdict over Baer, on account of Paulino's superior fouling! Chuck Wepner. Legendary long-time New Jersey HW Champion inspired Stallone, in outfouling Ali without losing points. Took out contender Randy Neumann with a head butt in their rubber match, en route to his date with Ali. Like Zivic, never lost a bout by DQ. Finally retired by the combination of referee/Marciano elbow victim Jersey Joe Walcott, and filthy brawling Wepner idolizer, and heir to the NJ Throne, future Holmes challenger Scott Frank. Unlike Wepner with Ali, Frank failed to outfoul Larry. For that matter, neither did former Norton victimizer Scott LeDoux. (That would make Larry's record at least, :good:good - 0, and LeDoux's record only :good - :good.) As anybody who's ever attended the IBHOF induction ceremonies already knows, Gene Fullmer and Joey Giardello have been the very best of friends ever since their Dancing with the Stars ballroom performance draw in 1960. (Being fully mature adults, they've long since buried the hatchet over that fiasco......in each others heads!)
Yeah, I'm sure a lot of Greb's style relied on bending the rules of his day in order to get the upper hand.