Greb biography

[Barn]

I respect your opinion and have no quarms with your ranking.

We know Langford didn't get as much opportunity as others and quite frankly didn't get much opportunites at all for a while. But should he fact he was ducked higher his ranking? Personally, I don't think it should. But I guess he did enough for someone to rank him higher than Robinson anyway.

Have no quarms with your view on Greb, his resume is unreal. I switch Greb and Langford around quite often.

I personally have Greb above Langford but, it's really so close I don't know how you could have any Top 5 without those 3 names.

[NChristo]

There's a lot of "ifs" with Robinson.

Another for example: What if he had faced and beaten Charley Burley?

But there's a lot of ifs with every fighter, the obvious one with Greb being what if he had fought Dempsey.

[IronDanHamza]

I personally have Greb above Langford but, it's really so close I don't know how you could have any Top 5 without those 3 names.

Agreed, on all accounts.

The tougher task is naming #4 and #5

[StarshipTrooper]

hahaha the ref gots mad heart! Real hard worker. Has too be an exhausting job watching two fighters slug it out for 14 rounds.

I wonder why they never rematched, anybody know why? Imagine if Sugar Ray won that title. Their would have been mad potential for an archie moore fight! I know negotiations broke down for a fight between them anyway prolly because of Robinson but that would have been NASTY!!!

That would have been a crazy fight. How would that have effected Ray Robinson's legacy? Would just the fight alone win or lose propell Robinson past Greb definitively?

I doubt Maxim would have wanted a rematch. I also doubt Robinson would have stayed at Light-Heavy to defend the title if he had pulled it off. Would have been a nice capper to what was already a boxing's best career though

Poet

[JAB5239]

I respect your opinion and have no quarms with your ranking.

We know Langford didn't get as much opportunity as others and quite frankly didn't get much opportunites at all for a while. But should he fact he was ducked higher his ranking? Personally, I don't think it should. But I guess he did enough for someone to rank him higher than Robinson anyway.

Im also factoring in the opinions of fighters as well as boxing writers of the time that thought Langford held back against Ketchel in their non title 6 round fight and would have beaten him in a title fight as well as being the best light heavyweight though he was unable to fight for the strap.

[JAB5239]

But there's a lot of ifs with every fighter, the obvious one with Greb being what if he had fought Dempsey.

Dempsey openly ducked Greb instead choosing to fight guys Harry had already beaten. Greb had been chasing Dempsey even before he won the title and there was a huge public calling for this fight after Dempsey had won the title and Greb was tearing up all the competition at 160, 175 and heavyweight.

[RubenSonny]

4. Dempsey ducked Wills. I've always been a firm advocate Dempsey never ducked Harry Wills, but after reading a particular quote and piecing together the timeline I have changed my mind.

Hey Jab, nice to have you back, I hope everything is good.

Could you elaborate on what made you change your stance, I believe we once had a debate over this a while back.

[JAB5239]

Hey Jab, nice to have you back, I hope everything is good.

Could you elaborate on what made you change your stance, I believe we once had a debate over this a while back.

2 things I read in the Greb book made me change my mind. The first was a poll conducted by the Pittsburgh post when Greb was vying for a fight with Dempsey. It had a poll as to who was most deserving of a fight with Dempsey and the vast majority favored Wills. If will could get the majority vote in Grebs home town I have no reason to believe the rest of the country wouldn't agree. The second is a quote by Dempsey to a writer which stated something to the effect (I'll have to look it back up to get the exact words) of "Why Greb gave a shot to a negro to begin with I will never understand." This was said after Harry had lost to Tiger Flowers. I see no reason for the writer to make that up as he would hardly be aware of the repercussion the better part of a century later.

For a long time I was on board with the theory Dempsey tried to make the Wills fight after making him wait to long. I no longer subscribe to that at the moment and am under the assumption Dempsey may have even know his two attempts at fighting Wills were going to be shot down and the fight would never occur.

[Barn]

Agreed, on all accounts.

The tougher task is naming #4 and #5

Henry Armstrong and Ezzard Charles for me.

[RubenSonny]

2 things I read in the Greb book made me change my mind. The first was a poll conducted by the Pittsburgh post when Greb was vying for a fight with Dempsey. It had a poll as to who was most deserving of a fight with Dempsey and the vast majority favored Wills. If will could get the majority vote in Grebs home town I have no reason to believe the rest of the country wouldn't agree. The second is a quote by Dempsey to a writer which stated something to the effect (I'll have to look it back up to get the exact words) of "Why Greb gave a shot to a negro to begin with I will never understand." This was said after Harry had lost to Tiger Flowers. I see no reason for the writer to make that up as he would hardly be aware of the repercussion the better part of a century later.

For a long time I was on board with the theory Dempsey tried to make the Wills fight after making him wait to long. I no longer subscribe to that at the moment and am under the assumption Dempsey may have even know his two attempts at fighting Wills were going to be shot down and the fight would never occur.

Thanks for the info I need to read up on Greb.