The Birmingham age-herald., 1922-08-13
TOMMY GIBBONS PLANSCOMEBACK FOR GREB'S TITLE
By sPARKoW MGANN
Special Correspondent of The Ago-Herald
 Copyright, 1929. by The AEe-Herald)

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 New York, August 12.--After the
 battle between Tommy Loughran. the
 Philly Apollo. and Gene Tunney, the
 dethroned king of the heavies. on
 August 24, it Is on the cards that
 there will be some doings in what the
 British call the cruiser weight di
 vision. The inside dope is that the winner of that contest will exchange
 blows with Tommy Gibbons, and that
 in turn the winner will mix it up with Harry Greb. the Human Wind
 mill, for the championship title. The writer had word from Tommy the other day. He is filled with but
 one ambition. and that is to show the world that Greb is not his master. To this end he has been preparing him self carefully, taking on a few sec-
 6nd rate opponents and knocking
 them endwise and above all. paying careful attention to his condition.
 met Greb and was not In the best condition, either.
 A Likable Mnuler
 There are many who will wish him woll in his ambitions. For Tommy is likable mauler. He realizes that
 the time has come for him to put in his best licks because age waits for
 no man and Thomas now acknowl-
 edges to 33 years of existence in this
 vale of punch and jab. Furthermore, the retirement of his brother, Mike.
 because of failing eyesight Is an ob- ject lesson as to what the years bring
 to a fighter.
 The writer first recalls Gibbons back in 1913, when, as a novice with
 nothing but wallop to aid him, he slowed away Tommy Gerben, Joe
 Borrell, Young Mike Donovan,
 Johnny Shaw and Jack Denning, the
 dark-faced, eagle-eyed mixer. who
 now spends his days handling did a big thing. although customers I did not realize it at the time. He
 beat Billy Miske in eight rounds What did attract attention, though, was his victory over the highly l touted Buck Grouse In four rounds that year. In 1915, Gibbons gained a lot of prestige, although fighting only three battles. He handed lac ing to Billy Murray. the west coast favorite, beat Miske again and won easily over Harry Greb.
 Some of His Victims In 1917 he won some fine victories
 over such men as George Chip, Bob
 Moha and Battling Levinsky. After that he defeated Larry Williams, Harry Greb, Bob Foster and Mlske again.
 His course would have been alto gether triumphant had it not been 1 for a rainy day in Pittsburg when again meeting Greb, the Pittsb irg flail artist, plastered Tommy good and proper.
 But 1t was not until last year that
 Gibbons became n pugilistic sensa- tion. He had taken on weight so | fast that the middleweights were too
 small for him, so he entered the heavy division. Toney Mecher and Al Reich were easy for him and then he came on to New York and put l Paul Sampsn to sleep in style so workmanlike that the critics touted him as the most promising contender | for Dempsey's crown. Thereafter
 pngilists fell before his fadeaway | like wheat under the reaper. Those who enjoyed pleasant dreams as a 1 result of contact with his fist were i Larry Williams. Porky Flynn. Jack
 Heenan. Ray Smith, Jack Clifford, Willie Meehan, William Keeler, Dan | ODowd. Billie. Reeves. Fred Aller l and a number of other heavies. 1 Tommy was on the highest crest when he went against Bartley Mad
 den and failed to put him away. al | though he beat him up viciously. Whether this failure to send BartleY | to dreamland affected Tommy's nerve
 or whether, as suggested in the fore | going, he held Grcb too cheaply. the 1 fact remains that he was beaten by
 the Pittsburger. and since then he ! has been treading those outer re- gions of darkness wherein abide l those who have failed.