Harry Greb vs Sam Langford

As much as I admire what Greb accomplished in the ring, I think Langford would have been too much for Greb to handle.

(Incidently, I think Dempsey would have been too much for Greb to handle, too, despite what seemed to be happening in their sparring sessions.)

 

When Sam fought Jack Johnson 1906 Chelsea Mass he weighed 158!

 

156lbs to Johnson's 185.

 

I think powerpuncher had a point. This fight involves way too much speculation for any worthwhile analysis to actually take place.

 

It's an alltime match up but I favor Langford.

Sam lost to much bigger men , later in his career (post 30) who kept him on the outside with a fine jab, good speed and power. Men like Wills, Fulton or Smith. Sam's strength was men who came to him. Bad for Greb.

Of course I would imagine Harry being lightning fast, coming at all angles and very difficult to catch. However at 168 or 175, Sam would not be fighting some 190 or 200 plus guy hanging all over him in clinches weighing him down and tiring him out.

I just think Langford was way too strong and hardhitting. The way he cracked out huge guys, his exceptional power , his own terrific speed and inside fighting ability would be too much.

 

langford at either weight they fight , be that 160 , 175 or 154 .
langford could make 160 till the end of his career.
making weight does not even mean you need to walk at this weight everyday , somehow people here don't understand it.
losing fat is not that hard.
he was fat above 160 , real fat above 175.
young langford weighing 156 went the distance with jack johnson.
not that johnson is at my top20 hw.
langford fought BIG men , he fought real SHWs , he did lose to most of them , at most occasions , but i don't think greb could equal his record , albeit a losing one , against them , that is called losing with respect.
sometimes losses like this are more impressing than foreman stopping frazier for example.

 

Can we though, i personally struggle, from what i've read of greb the closest modern fighter i would imagine to be calzaghe. But i'm not happy with that, just look at his record and the fighters he beat, he must have far more in his locker than joe.

Just for example imagine you'd never seen duran and only had read reports on him, i think it would be impossible to be able to properly envisage the way he was able to put together seemlessly defence and offense almost simultanusly for instance. It was unique, there will be large parts of greb style which i believe where total unique to him, things that perhaps we are not even aware of.

I have no issue ranking greb on a P4P list, his record is possibly the best in history but a discussion on how he does in a direct h2h is extremly difficult, fantasy matches at the best of time are subjective but without any footage of him, its impossible IMO

 

Yours is a very reasonable point of view. If they could fight 10 times, I'm sure Greb would win a decision in some of those fights, and I'm equally sure Sam would knock Greb out in some of them. I just think Sam would win most of those 10 fights, that's all.

Interesting matchup, for sure! :good