Harry Greb vs. Sugar Ray Robinson

This is the lone voice of OBJECTIVE reasoning in this thread...ie. not having an agenda to push...Cheers McGrain, much appreciated.

 

bman,I was around those days, and it was common knowledge that Ray
Robinson,the biggest draw in boxing those days,could have fought ANY
fighter he chose...But wiusely clkever Ray chose not to fight the likes of Archie Moore, Ezzard Charles,Harold Johnson,Jimmy Bivins, Lloyd Marshall,
and other 175 pounders...Ray Robinson, great as he was, knew his limitations...How on ewarth can you say that " he was similar to Greb,
though he DIDN'T DO IT "?.Action speaks louder than words, wouldn't\you think ? Greb because of his unique style, stamina and strength,combined with an uncanny ability to bombard an opponent's face, made him able to
acquire his remarkable record...He in short was unique...

 

The ducking ****.

 

When Robby reviewed the Valentine's Day Massacre for Curt Gowdy's "The Way it Was" program on PBS with LaMotta during the late 1970s, Gowdy asked Ray near the conclusion if he would have gone after the heavyweight title after beating Maxim. SRR laughingly denied that he considered this idea. At that particular moment in 1952, the aging, but extremely dangerous and cagey Walcott had just defended it against Charles in unimpressive fashion. A quarter century later though, Ray may have been thinking about Marciano when he answered Gowdy's question, but I wouldn't blame him for not wanting to tackle Charles or Walcott at that stage. He wisely wanted no part of Moore either.

 

I agree with McGrain here. Certain types of fighter are simply better suited to tackling larger opponents, while it's also possible that those same fighters might not be as well suited to taking on the top technicians around their own weight. Styles make matchups. Take a look at a guy like Pacquiao for a modern day example. Do you think Marqueza would've been beating Cotto at Welterweight? I sure don't. Does it matter in a fight with Pacquiao at a lower weight? Obviously not. That kind of logic doesn't work.

 

I imagine Gavilan would be very competitive against Greb. He's sticking around for the 15, there's no doubt he'd have as much to baffle Greb as the Windmill would have to baffle him. Greb would clearly win in a great fight, if Greb is what I imagine him to be.

I think Greb vs Robinson is another great fight. I'd envision Greb sneaking a decision, his unorthodox style seeing him ship a few less punches and land a few more flurries. Close as Hell rounds, 9-6 Greb.

 

I also agree with this.

 

You imply I have an agenda to push...So please correct me..If I think that Harry Greb would have beaten Ray Robinson and had a more accomplished resume,that means I and others who share my opinion have an AGENDA. And conversely the posters who just as vigorously claim Ray
Robinson a better fighter are not painted with the same AGENDA label !
Doesn't make sense or fairness to me..
Please tell me with respect, what agenda are we pushing.? Please dont imply that I have a hidden motive in preferring Greb over Robinson..
His record speaks for itself as I and numerous posters sincerely believe...

 

I do not wish to demean the record of the best fighter I ever saw Ray Robinson.I regard Ray, and Greb,and Langford along with old Fitz,as the best P4P fighters for their skills and ability to beat larger men..Robinson
for his all around skills and Greb, Langford and Fitz for giving away weight
and prevailing....Right or wrong that is my "agenda"...

 

That's entirely possible. Certainly it's easier to say some things than it is to take action on them. Then, there's the entire issue of being quoted in print. I wanted to bring up what I did because this is something Robinson said on camera in response to a direct question about it. That doesn't mean he didn't say something different around 1950, but the diffident way he chuckled when asked does convey the sense that he considered the idea ludicrous, so much so that it's difficult to imagine he ever felt otherwise.

 

No way! It's foolish to think Greb gets ko'd in any way. I think Greb wins by decision in a good fight. But NOONE beats the **** out of Greb, never happened then, it wouldn't now. Greb was super fast and if you read the old newspaper articles, they said he got faster as the fight went. You might as well have said klistchko kos Ali/