Harry Greb "runs the gauntlet" - part three

In this installment, Harry begins to work his way through some of the legendary names from the Golden Age of boxing . . .

To recap the results of the series, Greb has thus far fought to a (7-3-0, 4) record:

   Jack Dempsey KO6 Greb

   Bob Fitzsimmons TKO2 Greb

   Greb KO1 Tommy Ryan

   Greb UD15 Stanley Ketchel

   Greb UD15 Billy Papke

   Greb KO2 Klaus

   O'Dowd MD15 Greb

   Greb MD15 Flowers

   Greb TKO14 Walker

   Greb KO2 Zale

Rocky Graziano

vs. Rocky Graziano (MW champion 1947-1948): Coming off back-to-back brawls against Walker and Zale, it looked as if Greb would again be faced with a physical war as he faced off against The Rock. Greb stated his intentions immediately by getting off to a violent start, cutting Graziano over both eyes by the time the bell rang to end the 4th round. The action leveled off in the middle rounds, but began to get edgy again in the 8th, as Greb was warned for fouling in three straight rounds. Big rounds in the 11th and 12th looked as if they would be enough to end Graziano's evening, but the New Yorker shook off the attention of the referee continued to fight, winning the 14th decisively and gashing Greb's right eye in the final round. But it was much too little, much too late and the judges saw it the same way as did the assembled crowd and newspapermen - a clear decision in favor of Greb. Punches landed: Greb 238, Graziano 151.

Greb (8-3-0, 4) UD15 Graziano (148-137, 144-141, 144-141)  [scorecard]

Marcel Cerdan

vs. Marcel Cerdan (1948-1949): Greb's camp expected his next match-up to present more of a puzzle, with the all-rounder Cerdan capable of both slipping punches and delivering them with authority. But, after two even rounds to get the proceedings underway, Greb took control of the fight with a big 3rd round and began to routinely beat the "Casablanca Clouter" to the punch when the two men exchanged.  The Windmill was in complete control heading into the 9th, and after a testy period early in that round that saw both men warned for playing fast and loose with the Queensbury Rules, Greb unleashed an unanswered barrage of punches over the next 90 seconds that gave the referee no choice but to put an end to the bout in the waning moments of the round. Punches landed: Greb 164, Cerdan 75.

Greb (9-3-0, 5) TKO9 (2:46) Cerdan  [scorecard]

Jake LaMotta

vs. Jake LaMotta (1949-1951): Greb again got off to a strong start by stunning LaMotta in the 1st round and again in the 3rd but, in keeping with the Bronx Bull's reputation, Greb was getting almost as good as he gave. But in the middle rounds, the combination of pace and punishment seemed to be wearing on Jake, as his output decreased while Greb kept delivering blows. Nearly every round after the 7th was pretty clearly Greb's (save one moment in the 11th when he was knocked backwards by a LaMotta cross), but the Bull battled on even as his right eye began to swell shut in the 14th and all that was left was professional pride. Punches landed: Greb 262, LaMotta 146.

Greb (10-3-0, 5) UD15 LaMotta (147-138, 148-137, 146-139)  [scorecard]

Ray Robinson

vs. Ray Robinson (1951-1952, 1955-57, 1958-1960): This was likely to be the ultimate test, against perhaps the greatest collection of boxing skills to ever manifest in a single individual, and Greb felt as if he were ready - six straight wins, three by stoppage, against a collection of Hall of Fame talent. But ready for THIS, he was not. From the opening bell, it was all Sugar as Robinson danced clear and peppered Greb with stinging shots. When Robinson punctuated his dominance with 90 seconds of one-sided punishment in the 4th round, there could only be one decision - the referee waved Robinson away and Greb's corner jumped into the ring to help Harry back to his stool and, some time later, back to his hotel room. On this day at least, there was absolutely no doubt as to who was the greatest middleweight of all time. Punches landed: Robinson 75, Greb 28.

Robinson TKO4 (2:51) Greb (10-4-0, 5)  [scorecard]

Randy Turpin

vs. Randy Turpin (1951): Nothing against Mr. Turpin, but this represented a drop in class of opposition, and probably one that Harry needed to get his bearings back after the one-sided defeat at the hands of Robinson. But things didn't immediately go his way; the first four rounds were largely give-and-take even though on balance they might have been shaded slightly in Greb's favor. In the 5th, however, Greb started to assert himself and an emphatic 6th seemed to empty Turpin's tank. The 7th looked much the same and, after a brief second wind for the Leamington Licker in the 8th, Greb smelled blood and rampaged through a violent 9th round that ended - along with the fight - when Turpin slumped against the ropes unable to defend himself against the onslaught any longer. Punches landed: Greb 153, Turpin 103.

Greb (11-4-0, 6) TKO9 (2:45) Turpin  [scorecard]

The late 1950s and early 60s champions are on deck, and there are some bruising matchups in the offing . . .