The Waterbury Democrat. [volume] (Waterbury, Conn.) 1917-1946, 1944-02-07
Greb, "Humon Windmill" Had
Windy Fists, Not CAB; Won
Two Titles, One From Tunney
Fourth Of . series
BY BILLY ROCHE
Famous Referee and Manager

TIE Human Windmill, they
called Harry Greb, but he was
windy with fists, not CAB. Greb
had a style all his own. From
bell to bell he threw punches
from all angles, all In the direc-
ton of his opponent and rarely
did his blows miss their target.
He was the nearest thing to per-
petual motion that ever stepped
into prize ring.
Hero Of some 800 battles from 1913
to 1928 inclusive, during which he
met light-heavieS and heayyweights,
Greb, So, 1853, lost only seven, al
ways to bigger and heavier men. He
was knocked out only once, by Joe
Chip in two rounds in his first year
Of professional fighting.
Greb beat Gene Tunney for the
hght-heavyweight title May "a,
1922, lost it back to Gene in 1923,
won the middleWeight champion
ship from Johnny Wilson Aug. 81,
1928. He held the latter crown till
he lost to Tiger Flowers. His last
fight was with the Deacon for
the title August 10, 1926, in New
York.
Two months later he was dead,
following an operation on his left
eye. Not till after his death did
it become known that for years
Harry Greb had been blind in that
eye.
DIES AFTER ACCIDENT
Greb's death was not the result
OF the operation. An automobile
accident did him in.
Harry was a speed maniac, both
in and out Of the ring. Entirely
unorthodox in his training, he
conditioned himself by dancing
in night clubs and roaring over
the countryside in high-powered au-
tomobiles.
IAN I need Is a haircut and
shave, he used to say when his
manager exhorted him to train
regularly, and most of the time
he was right.
Greb was one Of the real iron
men of the ring. He seemed in
defatigable, weathered the stiffest
punches of heavyweights. His
great speed and peculiar clever
ness, however, saved him from much
punishment.
Some of the good heavyweights
Greb trounced were Tom Glib
bons, Jack Renault, Battling LIE
whisky. Barley Madden, Bob Rop-
(SJYYk%Nn& C1NNif1, 70
Smith and others too numerous to
mention.
FLATTENS STTCKUP MEN
He licked sluggers and fancy
Dams scoring decisions over Tun-
ney, Tommy Loughran and Jimmy
Slattery. In 1925 he defeated Mickey
Walker in defending the middle
weight title. It was Walker who later
took the title from Grebs conqueror,
Tiger Flowers.
Greb didn't confine his fistic
operations to the prize ring. Once,
speeding to fight In an automo-
bile with q bevy Of feminine adj
mirers, four stick-up men blocked
his roda with stalled car. Greb
got out, unceremoniodsly and with
dispatch flattened the quartet of
would-be robbers. and continued OH
to keep his engagement. Cops picked
up the unconscious victims and Greb
had enough left to score a two round
K: o.
Greb's real name was Berg. He
changed 1t for business reasons"
He was born in Pittsburgh, June
7. 1894 of Irish German parentage.
He took his opponents as they came
never asking their size or weight.
Bring 'em on" was his battle
cry, II don't care how big they
are-just let me at emf
Infection in a nose injury sus-
tanned in his last automobile acct
dent caused Greb's death in Allan
tic City on Oct. %, 1926.
He was an iron man, all right,
and it took an iron thing to put him
out for the count.