Harry Greb the truth?

I didnt say that he predates sports films, you are right he was filmed several times and the fights were actually billed as being filmed but tell me how I am wrong.

 

There is no footage in existence that we know of, however it is possible that footage will be discovered in the future, for example during the 70s and 60s there was no known footage in existence fighting or training but footage of him training was discovered and it is on YouTube to watch now

 

Believe it or not he actually got way more credit back then than what he gets now, personally I rate him the greatest fighter of all time pound for pound but there is many people who have never even heard of him but back then he was one of the main sports idols. At the time Dempsey was the most popular but Greb was very popular as well.

 

If you notice I directed my comment about sports films to Rhino, not you.

Well first and foremost he did not refuse to press charges against the five men out of the kindness of his heart. There were conflicting reports of the nature of this event ranging from a drunken brawl that
Greb happened upon to actual ambush that Greb was the intended victim of. Reports give the impression that there was much more to this story behind the scenes that we will never understand.

The Walker streetfight was totally bunk, made up by Walker nearly a decade later to save face because he couldnt accept that Greb beat him at his best. In reality Walker was taken to Polyclinic hospital immediately after the fight to have his cuts stitched then he went back to his hotel where his sparring partners took turns applying ice packs to his face and body all night. Greb's handlers to a man denied Walkers story and stated they didnt see him after the fight. They ran into Jimmy Slattery who was knocked out on the undercard but that was it. Youd have to be pretty gullible to logically believe that Walker, being the smaller man who had just taken a hellacious beating in a venue where he had a referee to keep Greb off of him and had recently required medical attention just hsppened to reemerge to fight Greb on the street... its nonsense.

Finally, Greb never burst into Kearns office demanding a fight. Frankly why would he? He had a manager to do that. Greb wanted a fight with Dempsey and did his part to justify it by fighting potential Dempsey victims and beating them but negotiations were the work of promoters and managers, not fighters. Furthermore Kearns was based in Los Angeles. Greb was in LA once at a point when he had no leverage to demand a fight with Dempsey. Simply didnt happen.

 

The five men getting beat up by Greb is definetly true as it was logged in police files
The walker Greb street fight was not made up by walker as you said, the author of "the fearless Harry Greb" did some serious research into this story and the story I said is his conclusion, also there were witnesses to the street fight that later described how it happened. Finally it is true that Dempsey went into Dempseys managers office demanding a fight with jack because Dempseys manager said it himself, say what you want but you were not there but Dempseys manager was, anyway why would do you think Greb would just let his manager do it, don't put anything past Greb because he was a maniac

 

Most films from that era have not survived. Something like 85 percent of all film predating WW2 have been lost.

 

I never said the "fight" was made up. I said the way you characterized it was incorrect and that indeed the details are murky.

The Walker street fight was indeed made up and can be documented. Bill Paxton's book has mistakes on nearly every page.

I think Ill stand on my own research before I argue with some nobody whose sources seem to he limited to Kearns, Walker, and Paxton, whose own book largely draws from James Fairs largely fictionalized work.

 

I've no wish to interrupt a personal argument ,but I think you should know Klompton is the author of a very favourably reviewed biography of Greb, mentioned in the reviews is the exhaustive research he did in bringing the book ,and Greb to life..I think we can take it that he knows his subject.

 

Stan Weston, who I had the pleasure of knowing, was five years old in 1925 when that fight supposedly happened in the early morning hours outside of a prohibition speakeasy... care to add any other reputable eye witnesses to back up this long debunked myth.

Its just anothet B.S. story that some fans cant let go of, like Papke punching Ketchel in the throat before their fight to gain the victory or Pep winning a round without throwing a punch. Fans love these stories and hate to have them exploded.

 

Lol, you obviously dont know who you are talking to.

 

Good interview

 

You may want to pick another fighter to argue about with Klompton