dempsey v greb questions

Here's a neat little piece from The Patriot, a newspaper out of Harrisburg, PA. December 10, 1921.

Harry Greb... will meet the superman of the ring, Jack Dempsey, about Feb 1, in Buffalo. This information reached here yesterday from Charlie Murray... who stated that he had Dempsey's promise...

"Dempsey was not overly anxious to meet Greb," declared Murray. "When I took up the matter of arranging for the fight, Jack asked me whom I had in mind, and I replied, Greb
"'Don't get Greb,' said Dempsey. 'I can take on Brennan without much training but for Greb I must be in the best of shape, for he is always jumping about and hitting away. He will outpoint me ten to one, and the only way I can whip him is by knocking him out.'"

 

Woulda been an interesting fight

 

T, sure would have been an "interesting" bout between 2 of my favorite
fighters alongst Joe Louis...Were they to have fought ,it would have been a
"no win" situation for Dempsey. If Jack won,people would exclaim," why don't Dempsey pick on someone his own size ". If Greb lasted the distance and beat Dempsey, there goes Tex Rickard and Jack Kearns's meal ticket...
Truly a bad "business " fight for the Dempsey camp...
P.S. As posted before I read where Greb revealed to a popular boxing writer
whose name now escapes me, " after 6 rounds or so Dempsey would kill me". Unquote...Dempsey never fought a cyclonic and frenetic fighter like Harry Greb, and Greb never hooked up with a bigger and as fast an animal that
the Dempsey, circa 1919-23 was...A match for the ages....

 

Exactly.

He beat a great smaller man.

 

Exacly Dempsey had no reason to take the fight he would lose either way, it something really great to try to imagine though wonder how Greb would try to deal with the young hungry Tiger Dempsey if he could.

 

The Greb vs Tommy Gibbons fight in 1922 was a HW Title Elminator and Greb dominated him. Gibbons lost and was given the title shot against Dempsey instead.

 

I agree with this.
Dempsey is extremely unlikely to beat Greb on points. He has to just keep the pressure on and go for a KO, even if it takes all night to weaken him and catch him. In the meantime Greb's going to be hitting him and being a ****ing nuisance.

 

Dempsey could not beat Greb on points and Greb couldnt knock out Dempsey, which equals an unbelievable fight Dempsey going for broke for the knockout and Greb knowing if he weathers the storm he can win on points both will not give up till the end thinking if they push that little bit extra they can win would be unbelievable !

 

I could see Greb beating the likes of a JOHN Ruiz like Jones did, we forget the weight gaining supplements were non -existent in Harry's day...dont think Roy has a chance in hell vs Dempsey and while Harry has a deeper resume against some big fellows, my favorite German does not have the fire power to move Jack whilst Jack can take Harry out with one shot and would have been trashed for fighting a middleweight to this day

 

Greb had already handled Dempsey in sparring in Michigan. Greb was a light heavy champion, not just a middleweight. Meanwhile, Dempsey defended against former flyweight George Carpentier who weighed 171 for their bout and multiple time victim of Greb, Tommy Gibbons who weighed in for 175 for his HW title match. Greb, a light heavy champ, often weighed in the 167-173 range. At this point in Harry's career and at this weight, it is not about him moving Jack, it is about him schooling him... which he was able to do the few times both shared the ring.

 

Sept. 2 1920
Duluth News-Tribune
"Harry Greb, the Pittsburgh lighheavyweight, gave a spectacular demonstration in his three rounds boxing with the champion. Dempsey had intended boxing only two rounds with Greb but the Pittsburgher showed him too many gloves so that he asked for another round"

Sept. 2.
Oregonian
"Harry Greb, though 25 pounds lighter made Dempsey miss with his famous left hooks and countered with swings to body and head."

The next day was more competitive...
Kansas City Star, Sept 3 1920
"The 3 round set to between Greb and Dempsey was more in the nature of a real fight instead of a training romp, as Greb staggered Dempsey twice in their workout yesterday and the champion was apparently eager to even up the score. He tore into the Pittsburgher with savage rights and lefts to the body and head and lifted him off the canvas with one right hander to the ribs."

Here an interestering bit from the following November in which Greb is calling for a Dempsey bout...

"Greb intimates very strongly that Jack Dempsey is afraid to box him. He claims that Jack ran out of a match in Milwaukei where he would have drawn down $60,000 for his end. He says that both the champion and Jack Kearns are trying to line him up as a sparring partner in order to arrive at an amicable understanding so that he will not be considered when future matches are booked.
"Harry says he doesn't want to be friendly with Dempsey. On the contrary, he desires to be considered hostile and let people know that it is his desire to knock Jack's head off and muss him up in good shape..."

 

Dempsey should have fought him, an people should stop excusing him for avoiding him. simple as that

 

there is no evidence that dempsey "avoided" him. Greb never met a puncher like dempsey in his life. Dempsey would have knocked the heck out of greb and people here would be accusing him of beating a middleweight.

 

If Dempsey beat Greb people on here would just say ''oh what? Dempsey beat a middleweight not much different from his sparring why dosent he fight a bigger guy''