11/06/2025
🥊Born on this day…Edward Henry Greb AKA Harry Greb ‘the Pittsburgh windmill’ born 6/6/1894 in Pittsburgh,Pennsylvania and died 22/10/1926 at age 32 after an operation to remove broken bone from a car accident in which Harry was involved...
“
Harry Greb, middleweight boxing champion. was seriously injured early this evening when his automobile overturned a few miles from this city. He was brought to the West Penn Hospital, where physicians said he suffered two fractured ribs and cuts and bruises on his back and chest.”
New York Times Aug. 21, 1925.
After suffering with serious headaches Harry underwent an operation from which he would die leaving the boxing world stunned as it lost one of its most competitive and active fighters of all time.
Middleweight, Greb was known to throw over a hundred punches per round,he would start bouts extremely fast and much to the unpleasant delight of an opponent Harry would only increase his work rate and punch output as the rounds went by. At the time some described him as amateurish in style although highly respected throughout the boxing world, he would fight any man of any color,at any size and anywhere.
He finally held the world middleweight championship after being avoided like the plague and was also the first man to hand Gene Tunney,Jack Dempseys conquerer his first and only pro loss. He would offer championship opportunities to men of color in a time when the color line was frequently drew leaving black men frozen out of fighting for its biggest honours.
He fought 300 pro bouts or there abouts where Greb has a record of 9-5-1 (0 KOs) against former, current, and future world champions: he held wins against George Chip, Gene Tunney, Tommy Loughran x2,Johnny Wilson x3,Jimmy Slattery and Mickey Walker.
Regarded as a genuine P4P great who held the middleweight championship from 31st August 1923 – February 26th 1926.
He was succeeded by Tiger Flowers.