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On August 29, 1921, Greb was scheduled to fight Kid Norfolk for the first time. Norfolk was born William Ward in Belmont, ******ia. When he started boxing Pro in 1914 he started under the name kid ''Kid Norfolk'' after the street he was born on.
He was a Light Heavyweight but fought many Heavyweights of his time.
The list of boxers he fought before boxing Greb included Sam Langford, Jeff Clark, Bill Tate, Sam Mcvea, Tom Clowler, Arthur Pelky, John Lester Johnson, Billy Maske, Joe Jennette, Clay Turner, Jack Blackburn, Jamaica Kid, and Lee Anderson.
After the Greb fight he would go on to fight Tiger Flowers, Harry Willis, George Godfrey, Tut Jackson, Battling Siki and Tommy Gibbons.
Nolfork outweighed Greb by at least 17 and a half pound, when they first met. Many of the best white Heavyweights refused to face Nolfork because of his skin colour and his talents.
These boxers had all drew the colour line, but Greb wasn't one of these boxers.
Nolfork was one of the best Light Heavyweights around, so Greb chose to take him on in the ring. This fight would be one of Greb's most memorable.
The ten round fight was scheduled for Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, were Greb had fought plenty of times before.
Days before the fight was to take place, there were rumours floating around Pittsburgh that a fix was in. This was unture, but the rumour was affecting ticket sales and both camps knew they had to put up a great fight. And they would do just that.
Nolfork who was fighting out of New York, was seen around town traning hard for the fight. Greb was also training hard and was seen at a police benifet a few days before the fight, and it was reported he looked good.
So both fighters were ready and prepared and well trained when the fight started.
When the bell rang to start the bout, 5,500 people in the baseball park. Most of the first half of the fight was all Norfolk. According to the Pittsburgh Post the first round was awarded to Norfolk while Greb was ''crowed every inch of the way'' and was forced to abandon his jumping attack.''
The second round, ''which Greb carried by sheer aggressiveness was given to Greb.
Then in the third Nolfork landed a great right hand punch to Greb's jaw, which made him ''hit the floor like a sack of oats'' He was up in an instant, though he wasn't seriously hurt, but Greb immediately went after Nolfork to prove that the punch hadn't affetced him to much.
After Greb rose form the canvas ''tore loose'' into Nolfork. Although Greb had recovered quickly, the round was given to Nolfork.
The next few rounds were also given to Nolfork. During these rounds however, Greb was being very physical with his opponent when they were in the clinches.
When the 6th round started, ''the purpose of his tussling and tugging around in the repeated clinches soon showed''
It sapped the steam out of Norfolk and made him look like just another ordinary Greb opponent.
With Nolfork starting to tire in the sixth, the crowd started cheering for Greb. This encouraged Greb, who then ''unleashed both hands in the opening of the sixth round and never ceased for a minute therefore after, completely bewildering Noorfolk, who looked wearily to his corner for some advice''
When the sixth round ended it was clear that Greb had won that one.
From the seventh until the end of the fight until the 10th it was all Greb. Harry was fighitng aggressively, with both hands while ''the usual jumping and throwing his hands carelessly at his target were missing''
The final rounds were tough but Greb was able to capitalize on Nolfork tiring and lacking steam in his blows.
Greb was able to reopen a cut over Nolfork's eye. This was an injury that Norfolk had suffered in his fights against Lee Anderson months earlier during a colored heavyweight title fight.
Anderson had permanently damaged Norfolk's eye so that the fight had to be stopped and he took time off to recover before stepping back in the ring to face Greb.
This gave Greb a target to shoot at, and this Harry did in the closing rounds to such a extent that the Negro's lamp was torn open and the blood flowed freely.
With Greb dominanting the second half of the fight and also being awarded the second round, he won the bout, but it wasn't a easy one.
Greb was awarded 6 rounds, and Norfolk 4 rounds. The headline the next day read ''Harry Greb Is Winner Over Kid Norfolk In Forbes Field Bout''
At the very end of the fight Nolforks eye was cut and he was also bleeding from the mouth. While Greb only mark was a puffed left eye.
So Greb had won a tough and rough fight against a capable fighter in Nolfork, Greb had received his first flash knock down in many years, but may have suffered something much worse in the process.
The puffed eye was not the only eye damaged, this was never mentioned in the newspapers at that time.
Years later after Greb had passed away, his Doctor dropped a bombsell from Atlantic City.
In the New York Times on October 27th, 1926, Greb's personal physician, Dr. Carl S. McGivern made the following statement
''Harry Greb was made blind by a blow on his right eye during a fight with Kid Nolfork, Negro Heavyweight, in 1921''. His blindness was said to be caused by a retinal detachment.
He was a Light Heavyweight but fought many Heavyweights of his time.
The list of boxers he fought before boxing Greb included Sam Langford, Jeff Clark, Bill Tate, Sam Mcvea, Tom Clowler, Arthur Pelky, John Lester Johnson, Billy Maske, Joe Jennette, Clay Turner, Jack Blackburn, Jamaica Kid, and Lee Anderson.
After the Greb fight he would go on to fight Tiger Flowers, Harry Willis, George Godfrey, Tut Jackson, Battling Siki and Tommy Gibbons.
Nolfork outweighed Greb by at least 17 and a half pound, when they first met. Many of the best white Heavyweights refused to face Nolfork because of his skin colour and his talents.
These boxers had all drew the colour line, but Greb wasn't one of these boxers.
Nolfork was one of the best Light Heavyweights around, so Greb chose to take him on in the ring. This fight would be one of Greb's most memorable.
The ten round fight was scheduled for Forbes Field in Pittsburgh, were Greb had fought plenty of times before.
Days before the fight was to take place, there were rumours floating around Pittsburgh that a fix was in. This was unture, but the rumour was affecting ticket sales and both camps knew they had to put up a great fight. And they would do just that.
Nolfork who was fighting out of New York, was seen around town traning hard for the fight. Greb was also training hard and was seen at a police benifet a few days before the fight, and it was reported he looked good.
So both fighters were ready and prepared and well trained when the fight started.
When the bell rang to start the bout, 5,500 people in the baseball park. Most of the first half of the fight was all Norfolk. According to the Pittsburgh Post the first round was awarded to Norfolk while Greb was ''crowed every inch of the way'' and was forced to abandon his jumping attack.''
The second round, ''which Greb carried by sheer aggressiveness was given to Greb.
Then in the third Nolfork landed a great right hand punch to Greb's jaw, which made him ''hit the floor like a sack of oats'' He was up in an instant, though he wasn't seriously hurt, but Greb immediately went after Nolfork to prove that the punch hadn't affetced him to much.
After Greb rose form the canvas ''tore loose'' into Nolfork. Although Greb had recovered quickly, the round was given to Nolfork.
The next few rounds were also given to Nolfork. During these rounds however, Greb was being very physical with his opponent when they were in the clinches.
When the 6th round started, ''the purpose of his tussling and tugging around in the repeated clinches soon showed''
It sapped the steam out of Norfolk and made him look like just another ordinary Greb opponent.
With Nolfork starting to tire in the sixth, the crowd started cheering for Greb. This encouraged Greb, who then ''unleashed both hands in the opening of the sixth round and never ceased for a minute therefore after, completely bewildering Noorfolk, who looked wearily to his corner for some advice''
When the sixth round ended it was clear that Greb had won that one.
From the seventh until the end of the fight until the 10th it was all Greb. Harry was fighitng aggressively, with both hands while ''the usual jumping and throwing his hands carelessly at his target were missing''
The final rounds were tough but Greb was able to capitalize on Nolfork tiring and lacking steam in his blows.
Greb was able to reopen a cut over Nolfork's eye. This was an injury that Norfolk had suffered in his fights against Lee Anderson months earlier during a colored heavyweight title fight.
Anderson had permanently damaged Norfolk's eye so that the fight had to be stopped and he took time off to recover before stepping back in the ring to face Greb.
This gave Greb a target to shoot at, and this Harry did in the closing rounds to such a extent that the Negro's lamp was torn open and the blood flowed freely.
With Greb dominanting the second half of the fight and also being awarded the second round, he won the bout, but it wasn't a easy one.
Greb was awarded 6 rounds, and Norfolk 4 rounds. The headline the next day read ''Harry Greb Is Winner Over Kid Norfolk In Forbes Field Bout''
At the very end of the fight Nolforks eye was cut and he was also bleeding from the mouth. While Greb only mark was a puffed left eye.
So Greb had won a tough and rough fight against a capable fighter in Nolfork, Greb had received his first flash knock down in many years, but may have suffered something much worse in the process.
The puffed eye was not the only eye damaged, this was never mentioned in the newspapers at that time.
Years later after Greb had passed away, his Doctor dropped a bombsell from Atlantic City.
In the New York Times on October 27th, 1926, Greb's personal physician, Dr. Carl S. McGivern made the following statement
''Harry Greb was made blind by a blow on his right eye during a fight with Kid Nolfork, Negro Heavyweight, in 1921''. His blindness was said to be caused by a retinal detachment.
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