FIGHTING GREB
HARRY GREB, world middleweight king between 1923 and ’26, is one of boxing’s enigmas. This nonstop fighting fury from Pittsburgh did things no other middleweight could. Not satisfied with merely thrashing men his own size, the 5ft 8in 160-pounder dished out hidings to leading light-heavies. He was also the only man to beat world heavyweight champ Gene Tunney. Facing Greb was a daunting task. Nonetheless, three British middles gave it a go.
FRANK MOODY (Pontypridd) The first Brit to face Greb was the Welshman Frank Moody. One of seven fighting brothers, Frank worked as a miner from age 11 and from age 13 punched for pay. KO defeats to top men Roland Todd, “Bermondsey” Billy Wells and Ted Kid Lewis did not deter Moody from seeking a bout with Greb. A string of US wins got him a non-title fight with the Pittsburgh legend in June 1924. Greb, mindful of Moody’s dangerous right hand – which had flattened several of his countrymen – gave the Welshman few chances to land it. He floored Frank in the fourth and KO’D him in the sixth.
ROLAND TODD (Doncaster) Though he later boxed out of Doncaster, Roland Todd was born and taught to box in Marylebone, London, by “Professor” Andrew Newton. Todd’s master-boxing saw him annex the British, Empire and European middleweight crowns from Ted Kid Lewis, and defeat the top American Augie Ratner. But how would Roland’s safety-first approach stack up against Greb’s all-action style and blurring speed?
They met in Toronto in January 1926, and despite conceding 5lbs to the champion, Todd made the first three rounds very close. After that, Greb’s whirlwind methods won him every round. Todd frequently made Harry miss, but he did not do enough offensively to stand a hope of winning. Greb was a clear points winner.
TED MOORE (Plymouth) A product of Plymouth’s renowned Cosmopolitan gym, Moore learnt his trade on a travelling boxing booth. In
Remembering the three Brits who tackled the great Harry Greb – and one who gave the Pittsburgh legend quite a fight
contrast to the defence-minded Roland Todd, Moore was an all-action body puncher: just the sort of fighter US fans loved. A series of fine wins in US rings got him a world-title fight with Greb at Yankee Stadium in June 1924. Ted stayed the distance, but reportedly won just two of the 15 rounds. Unperturbed, he stayed in America, notched up some more wins and got a January 1926 return with Greb.
Though the world crown wasn’t at stake, the fight was different this time. The San Francisco Chronicle wrote: “Moore body-punched his way through most of the fight and appeared on the verge of a decision over [Greb], but a stiff right uppercut that landed and slowed up the Briton had much to do with raising the champion’s right hand. Moore was in tip-top condition and Greb needed all of his muchly advertised legs to keep him bouncing around.”
Perhaps Moore fought the fight of his life or maybe Greb was off form. In any case, the Plymouth man accomplished something few others managed. He had proved his mettle against the great Harry Greb.