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Jack Cavanaugh, Tunney: Boxing’s Brainiest Champ and His Upset of the Great Jack Dempsey, Chapter 8
Sparring is flat-out dangerous, as demonstrated by some famous rounds that may never have occurred if it weren’t for St. Paul’s Billy Miske. In September 1920 Jack Dempsey, known as the Manassa Mauler, was training to defend the heavyweight title against Miske when Dempsey’s manager invited middleweight Harry Greb, known as the Pittsburgh Windmill, to spar with the champ. As the story goes:
The Pittsburgh Windmill was in Benton Harbor, Michigan, for a fight with a fairly good light‑heavyweight named Chuck Wiggins…. The bout was to be on the undercard of Jack Dempsey’s first title defense, against Billy Miske, on Labor Day.
Dempsey was already in training in Benton Harbor, and his manager, Jack Kearns, got the idea of asking Greb to spar with Dempsey. Kearns’s reasoning was that Greb – like Miske more of a boxer than a puncher – would provide the Manassa Mauler with a good workout. With scores of sportswriters among the spectators looking on, Greb gave Dempsey more than a good workout. For three rounds, Greb darted in and out, peppering Dempsey with punches and eluding whatever blows Dempsey threw at him. If anyone had kept score, Greb would have won all three rounds handily. When it was over, Dempsey was left embarrassed and also angry at Kearns for inviting Greb to spar with him. As for the sportswriters who witnessed the session, they had a field day reporting how Greb – five inches shorter and thirty-five pounds lighter – had boxed the ears off the great Dempsey.
Upset over the newspaper accounts of the sparring session, Dempsey asked Kearns to try to get Greb back in the ring with him…. Kearns did not think much of the idea, fearing that Greb would embarrass Dempsey again. But Dempsey insisted and Kearns … found Greb eager to box with Dempsey again the next afternoon. Kearns was right; it was a mistake. Dempsey, trying desperately for a knockout, found nothing but air with most of his punches. Meanwhile, Greb … peppered the champion at one juncture with about fifteen unanswered punches. Kearns … let the round go for almost five minutes, feeling that the Manassa Mauler inevitably would land a haymaker that would knock out Greb. Dempsey never even came close….
Dempsey’s embarrassment was palpable as he left the ring. And when Greb sought a fight with Dempsey several years later, Kearns said, “The hell with that seven-year itch. We don’t want any part of him.”
I'm pretty sure I remember reading about their sparring sessions but I didn't know it was this personal, intense, and one-sided. Is this pretty much accurately how it went down?
Sparring is flat-out dangerous, as demonstrated by some famous rounds that may never have occurred if it weren’t for St. Paul’s Billy Miske. In September 1920 Jack Dempsey, known as the Manassa Mauler, was training to defend the heavyweight title against Miske when Dempsey’s manager invited middleweight Harry Greb, known as the Pittsburgh Windmill, to spar with the champ. As the story goes:
The Pittsburgh Windmill was in Benton Harbor, Michigan, for a fight with a fairly good light‑heavyweight named Chuck Wiggins…. The bout was to be on the undercard of Jack Dempsey’s first title defense, against Billy Miske, on Labor Day.
Dempsey was already in training in Benton Harbor, and his manager, Jack Kearns, got the idea of asking Greb to spar with Dempsey. Kearns’s reasoning was that Greb – like Miske more of a boxer than a puncher – would provide the Manassa Mauler with a good workout. With scores of sportswriters among the spectators looking on, Greb gave Dempsey more than a good workout. For three rounds, Greb darted in and out, peppering Dempsey with punches and eluding whatever blows Dempsey threw at him. If anyone had kept score, Greb would have won all three rounds handily. When it was over, Dempsey was left embarrassed and also angry at Kearns for inviting Greb to spar with him. As for the sportswriters who witnessed the session, they had a field day reporting how Greb – five inches shorter and thirty-five pounds lighter – had boxed the ears off the great Dempsey.
Upset over the newspaper accounts of the sparring session, Dempsey asked Kearns to try to get Greb back in the ring with him…. Kearns did not think much of the idea, fearing that Greb would embarrass Dempsey again. But Dempsey insisted and Kearns … found Greb eager to box with Dempsey again the next afternoon. Kearns was right; it was a mistake. Dempsey, trying desperately for a knockout, found nothing but air with most of his punches. Meanwhile, Greb … peppered the champion at one juncture with about fifteen unanswered punches. Kearns … let the round go for almost five minutes, feeling that the Manassa Mauler inevitably would land a haymaker that would knock out Greb. Dempsey never even came close….
Dempsey’s embarrassment was palpable as he left the ring. And when Greb sought a fight with Dempsey several years later, Kearns said, “The hell with that seven-year itch. We don’t want any part of him.”
I'm pretty sure I remember reading about their sparring sessions but I didn't know it was this personal, intense, and one-sided. Is this pretty much accurately how it went down?
Mr Mitts
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