Is Willie Pep 'The Greatest'?

It's an excuse plain and simple. After the plane crash, Pep fought 10 times that same year. Winning all of them. Having a bit of a hard time in a couple matches. That may have happened anyway, even a talent has an off night here or there. No way to prove it. He had several more fights before facing Saddler and being KO'd in the fourth.

 

Messed up the quote ,,, fixed and reposted

 

Greb’s most famous victory is his win against Gene Tunney for the American light heavyweight title. Greb handed Tunney the only official defeat of his career in their first meeting. The May 24, 1922 NY Times reported, “Greb, a human perpetual motion machine if there ever was one received the decision of the judges Tommy Shortem and Eddie Hurley and Referee Billy McPartland.” The Times reported, “Tunney tried with every ounce of strength and every trick of the trade to offset the speed and remarkable ability of his rival. But the defending champion could find no defense for the rain of blows which met him at every turn.”
Grantland Rice, one of the top sportswriters of the time wrote, “Harry handled Gene like a butcher hammering a Swiss steak. How Gene survived 15 rounds I will never know.” Tunney himself said, “Greb gave me a terrible whipping. My jaw was swollen from the right temple down the cheek, along the chin and part way up the other side. The referee, the ring itself, was full of my blood. If boxing was afflicted with the commission doctors that we have now, the first fight probably would have been stopped and no one would have heard of me today.”
Greb and Tunney fought 4 more times and they were all good competitive closely contested fights and one must remember that Tunney was the naturally bigger fighter in all of these contests. Their second fight was highly controversial. Tunney won the decision in their rematch which many called the worst decision in New York history. Some sportswriters at the time declared that it called for an investigation. William Muldoon, NY State Athletic Commissioner, said in the Feb 24, 1923 NY Times “The verdict was unjust” and “(Muldoon) declares that Pittsburgh boxer (Greb) should have received decision.” According to historian Steve Compton Gene Tunney won the the rubbermatch fair and square. The fourth bout in Cleveland was cast for Greb by 2 of 3 Cleveland papers with the third calling it a draw, and the fifth bout went to Tunney.


Back to the thread topic Pep is in the top 10.

 

Lol, an excuse? How many athletes come back from something like that the same as they were before? That he could come back and keep winning just shows how great he is. Sounds to me like you're just bitter hes held in higher regard than Saddler. Tsk, tsk!

 

Pep did suffer from abit of a loss of talent after that crash, no one is the same after breaking their back, especially back in those days. But the thing that launched pep into being considered a possibly great fighter was his first title win, over Chalkey Wright. He was known as excellent contender, but he performed so great that night boxing writers were impressed, and started labeling him possible great

Pep also may have been one of the greatest amateur boxers ever, having over 50 fights before turning pro, one supposedly a loss to Ray Robinson.

 

Probably Harry Greb is the GoAT.

 

You don't judge a fighter...or assess his greatness, by the way he looked when he sparred.

 

Roberto Duran is the greatest complete fighter ever.

 

Pep is great in his own right a top 10 atg but there is only one greatest of all time.

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Pep is probably the greatest pure boxer ever as for the best of all time its H.Greb who has the best resume of all time.

 

Not even close.

 

Never said he was ****boi. You have no class now isn't the time for this. We just lost a legend and you want troll.

 

He isn't even top 10 ATG

 

From the film available, I agree. But talking strictly accomplishments, nobody beats Sam Langford. He fought great fighters from lightweight to heavyweight. Some of them widely regarded as top 10 ATGs in their respective weight divisions.

Joe Gans - top 10 LW
Joe Walcott - top 10 WW
Stanley Ketchel - top 10 MW
Philadelphia Jack O'Brien - very good LHW.

And his record at heavyweight, especially from 1906 until 1915-ish is insane.