Sugar Ray Robinson would have cut Greb to pieces

greb has all the right basic tools to do what the other guys that beat srr at 160 did; big, strong, good chin and stamina.

 

Greb would be a bum in the modern era, he had primitive skills.

 

How were Loughran and Tunney's skills?

 

I have seen the prime WW and MW Ray Robinson ringside several times and he was the greatest fighter I ever DID see. No Doubt.. But to judge a Harry Greb
in a film clip just discovered, sparring and playing around with a 53 year old Phil Jack O'Brien prepping Greb for his fight with the great Toy Bulldog Mickey Walker
is downright foolish. How would you treat your elderly trainer ??? Batter him ?
Hell no, you would do what Greb did abstain from hurting your trainer...
I have an original copy of the film discovered in a College archive and what
gives me a miniscule idea of what the great Greb was like in action was when he is playing handball and waiting for the ball to come to him, Grebs feet is
constantly on the move bouncing to and froe tirelessly and as Tunney said "never in the same spot for a half of second "..A few days later after this clip of Greb training he past his peak with well over 270 bouts under his belt kicked the living hell out of the prime great Mickey Walker. One year after this film Greb died undergoing an operation on his nose, and it was revealed Greb was fighting with but one failing eye for about 5 or so years. Astounding was the only description for the Iron City Express Harry Greb. We today can never truly know who would have won between a well rested two eyed Harry Greb and Ray Robinson H2H ?. BUT pondering this question for many years I conclude
this test...I am convinced that a prime Harry Greb would have surely whipped every ONE of Ray Robinson's opponents in his career, NO DOUBT.
And I am equally certain that Ray Robinson were he to have fought everyone of Greb's much larger HOF opponents such as Gene Tunney, Tommy gibbons,
Battling Levinsky, Jack Dillon, Kid Norfolk, Maxie Rosenbloom, Bill Brennan,
Tommy Loughran, Fat HW Willie Meehan etc, Robinson would have tasted defeat many times for sure...Ray Robinson great as he was only challenged one good lightheavyweight Joey Maxim who did not hit as hard as some middleweights, and Robbie an intelligent man KNEW his limitations avoiding the top LHs as Archie Moore, Lloyd Marshall, Harold Johnson, Ezzard Charles etc.
On the other hand Greb truly was FEARLESSS and knew no limitations as his
amazing 300 fight record PROVES...Two great fighters was Harry Greb and Ray Robinson. SRR was a great fighter classy as hell. Harry Greb's career was almost surreal and was a greater fighter IMO...

 

Doesn't change the fact that SRR would've likely won, and imo, that is the likely outcome here.

 

Personally think most middleweight champions from 1970 onwards would handle Greb easily

 

Skillful guys. Greb looks really poor technically from the limited footage though .

 

Carmen Basilio, a super active blown up welterweight, was able to overwhelm Robinson but a guy who beat 19 Hall of Famers couldn't? Is that what you are saying?

 

He's goofing around with a geriatric. Were expecting him to coldc*ck the guy and break his jaw?

That's like basing your estimation of Tyson solely on the footage of him sparring with that disabled kid.

 

I've always favored Greb here for the same reasons that Burt Bienstock listed. Just can't see Robinson ever beating Tunney, Loughran, or Kid Norfolk. I think even Mickey Walker at his best would've given Robinson a tough fight.

 

Boxing had gone through a monumental evolution from 1890-1940's.
I'm very much unimpressed with the likes of Dempsey on tape.
Greb's footage is an absolute comedy, but he's arguably GOAT. He obviously read the game in a way that others couldn't. He had *something* that was timeless, but all in all, we have no footage, just descriptions.

 

Darcy quit against jeff smith and "won" a 2 round "dq" when his managers brother laughably called one of the ckeanest stylists of the era a dirty fighter and turned down a career high payday to "walk through" Gibbons. Thats the reality of the situation which is a far cry from the fantasy Darcy fanboys espouse. Ive asked before, and never got an answer, if fighter made more money in Australia why did Darcy break several laws to get to the United States to make his fortune. Either fighters made more here (which is the reality) or Darcy was fleeing the draft. Neither scenario is acceptable to Darcy fanatics so they duck the question.

In regards to Robinson-Greb every fighter who beat Robinson or gave him problems anywhere near his prime had SOME of the qualities that made Greb special. Greb was bigger and better than all of them so you can draw your own conclusions. Could Robinson beat Greb? Absolutely. In a series hed win some. But id favor Greb over him more often than not. Too big, too fast, too durable, too many punches, too relentless, too strong, etc.