Rather than jump into other threads that only brush on this topic, I wanted to confine all of my griping to this one. Harry Greb's reputation and career record is reasonably well-known amongst the Classic forum regulars, so no need to rehash as an introduction. No, I'm going to cut right to the chase: IT IS NOTHING SHORT OF TRAGIC THAT WE HAVE NO GREB FIGHTS ON FILM. Oh yes, we have all of Greb's contemporaries amply documented for review - 5 or 6 Gene Tunney fights, almost a dozen of Mickey Walker, several of Tommy Gibbons and one or two of brother Mike, lots of Loughran, and so on and so forth. We have ample footage of lesser fighters from an even earlier era - Jack Root, George Gardinier, Bill Lang, Gunnar Moir, Billy Wells, Kid Herman. We have footage of almost all of the great champions from the dawn of film - every heavyweight champion since Corbett, more than two full hours of Joe Gans alone, Ad Wolgast, Abe Attell, Philadelphia Jack O'Brien, Terry McGovern. But for the Great Greb, he of the 300 career fights? Are we to seriously believe that not a single minute of in-ring footage survives? We know that his 1925 win over Mickey Walker was filmed. We know one of the Tunney bouts was filmed. Why, we even know there was a camera running in 1920 when Greb went a few rounds with Jack Dempsey in training camp! But what do we have to show for it? Nuttin! There is a boxing footage trader out there whose "list" includes Greb sparring with Dempsey, but when you query him he plays coy. There are rumors of surviving copies of Greb vs Walker held by a private collector who will occasionally screen it for friends, but you'd have better luck tracking down Keiser Soze. As serious boxing historians it is no less than our DUTY to be vigilant in seeking this Holy Grail of boxing footage. And so I implore you: - See a bush? Beat it! - See a rock? Look under it! - Find a hole in the wall? Stick your head in and cry out, "I WANT GREB!" As serious boxing historians, can we do any less and still consider ourselves worthy of that designation? I say not.
You never understand, seeing Ali fights is all the God you need. I understand UpwithEvil's pled. A dozen or so Walker fights? I was sure there was 5 or 6 out?? But not 12? You have them dont you UpWithEvil lol. I have have Loughran fight, Hudking, Schmeling, and the Milligan fight. Sooner or later, I WILL track down the Sharkey fight though. So what are the other so called film Walker fights? That one can get?
Walker vs Sharkey exists, although I don't have it (which is weird, because I like both fighters and have about 10 Sharkey fights, plus that footage of him playing the ukelele ) There's also a clipped newsreel version of one of his Mike McTigue fights. OK, so maybe I was over-estimating at "a dozen" atsch But as long as we're talking Walker, I think he looks very good on-film, with the exception of the Schmeling fight where he couldn't seem to get out of the way of anything. He'd be trouble in the welterweight division during any time in history.
Well Walker be hell from Welterweight and Middleweight vs ANYone. And maybe Lightheavyweight. I amired Walker vs Schmeling, here was a middleweight taking on a heavyweight puncher, and not quiting. Sure you dont see much in his skills compare to say Hudking, but it relly shows his pound for pound chin.
