---
product_id: 5303156
title: "The Fearless Harry Greb: Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing"
price: "฿3727"
currency: THB
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 10
url: https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/5303156-the-fearless-harry-greb-biography-of-a-tragic-hero-boxing
store_origin: TH
region: Thailand
---

# The Fearless Harry Greb: Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing

**Price:** ฿3727
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** The Fearless Harry Greb: Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing
- **How much does it cost?** ฿3727 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.co.th](https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/5303156-the-fearless-harry-greb-biography-of-a-tragic-hero-boxing)

## Best For

- Customers looking for quality international products

## Why This Product

- Free international shipping included
- Worldwide delivery with tracking
- 15-day hassle-free returns

## Description

desertcart.com: The Fearless Harry Greb: Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing: 9780786440160: Paxton, Bill: Books

Review: Not as satisfying as finding a Greb film, but a great read - As no fight films of this fantastic pugilist are known to exist, Bill Paxton's new bio of the great Harry Greb (b. 1894, d. 1926, & fought from 1913 to 1926) is a godsend for hardcore fans of the sweet science. I have known of Greb for years - indeed, more than a decade before Paxton created his [...] website in 1996 - and have read many magazine and web articles about him, but it's always been frustrating that no in-depth book about this boxing immortal had been written. Until now. Paxton does a great job of informing the reader not only about Greb the man, but also of Greb the fighter, including his fighting style and the boxing techniques that he utilized, which is extremely interesting since, as I noted above, no films of any of his 299 - 299! - official pro bouts are extant. Relying mainly on contemporary newspaper accounts of his fights, Paxton provides as vivid a description of what it was like to face the "Pittsburgh Windmill"/"Human Windmill"/"Smoke City Wildcat" as is possible by such means. Furthermore, the author meticulously addresses many of the myths regarding the fighter that legendary heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was scared to tackle (interestingly, while the "Manassa Mauler" wouldn't give Greb a title shot, he did defend his crown against several fighters whom Greb, a [natural] middleweight, had already decisively beaten). One of these myths is that Greb was one of the "dirtiest" fighters of all-time. Here, Paxton elucidates that Greb only really started employing blatantly foul tactics after losing the sight of his right eye (Greb fought the last five years of his career with this handicap) and, even then, only employed the most flagrant and damaging of them AFTER an opponent had begun fouling HIM. Ironically, while Greb did, indeed, utilize various dubious techniques to gain an advantage, he, nonetheless, possessed great sportsmanship and a strong sense of fairness, as well as integrity. To wit: despite employing many foul tactics during his title defense against Mickey Walker, such as pushing his upper body through the ropes with one hand and hitting him with the other, Greb still showed an out-on-his-feet "Toy Bulldog" to his corner at the end of the fourteenth round; Greb would almost always help an opponent who had slipped to the canvas back to his feet; he gave Fay Kaiser a shot at his middleweight title largely because they had fought EIGHT times before Greb won the crown; and he took on Theodore "Tiger" Flowers in a title defense, the FIRST title shot granted to an African-American by a Caucasian-American world champion since the heavyweight title reign of the controversial and highly unpopular (among whites) Jack Johnson, the first African-American to hold that crown. About the only myths about Greb that Paxton doesn't address are of him always leaving the light on when going to sleep after becoming blind in his right eye, of Greb losing some of the sight in his "good" left eye during the last couple of years of his career (& life), and of Harry Wills, a giant African-American whom Dempsey also "ducked", not wanting to fight Greb (incidentally, it would have been nice if the author had been able to find out and print what Wills, Sam Langford, Jack Blackburn, Kid Norfolk, and other great African-American contemporaries had to say about Greb's style and abilities - almost all of the fighters quoted by Paxton as to Greb's ability, etc were white). Paxton provides Greb's complete ring record and measurements at the end of the book and the chapter titles are as follows: 1. From a Street Corner to a Ring Corner; 2. The Early Road of Trials; 3. Icky's Busy Year ("Icky" was Greb's childhood nickname); 4. In the Navy; 5. First Year of Marriage and the #45 (Greb fought an all-time record 45 bouts in 1919); 6. Jack Dempsey and the Heavyweights; 7. A Time for Change; 8. A City Celebrates; 9. All Good Things; 10. Achieving the Goal - The Middleweight Championship; 11. Defending the Title; 12. The Tunney Rematches; 13. The Champion Playboy; 14. The Bulldog Meets the Windmill; 15. The Best of His Time; 16. The Tragic Hero; & 17. The Myths Grow While the Legend Fades. By the by, anyone who enjoyed this book and would like to know more about Greb, his great rival Gene Tunney, and Dempsey ought to get themselves a copy of Jack Cavanaugh's Tunney: Boxing's Brainiest Champ and His Upset of the Great Jack Dempsey , which is sold here on desertcart.com for the ludicrously low price of $12 and change.
Review: Best bio of Harry Greb. Wow! What a fighter! - If you love the sport of boxing like I do and admire the great fighters of the past, you will love this book. After reading this book, I am convinced that Harry Greb was the greatest pound for pound fighter who ever lived and by a considerable margin. Try to imagine any other middleweight of any era with perhaps the exception of Bob Fitzsimmons going up against the best light heavyweights and heavyweights and knocking the stuffing out of them on a weekly and later on a monthly basis. It took Greb years of stellar ring performances before getting a title shot from Johny Wilson who avoided him at every opportunity. Greb mauled him convincingly in gaining the middleweight title. Greb handed master boxer Gene Tunney his only career defeat in a non title light heavy weight fight. Georges Carpentier refused to fight Greb for fear of losing his light heavyweight crown. I am convinced that Greb would have defeated Jack Dempsey, had Dempsey given him a title shot. Greb had given Dempsey a couple of rough boxing lessons in sparring matches. Greb was the personification of tough and many of his wins came while fighting with vision in only one eye. The best fighters of the early 1900s up through the 1920s marveled at Greb's speed, stamina and boxing skills. Unlike other champions of those times, Greb fought the best black fighters and ducked no one. Hopefully someday Hollywood will make a worthwhile movie about Harry Greb. It boggles the mind to imagine a fighter so tough that he fought 45 times in one year! I commend the author for the mountain of research that went into this book and the fine collection of photos.

## Technical Specifications

| Specification | Value |
|---------------|-------|
| Best Sellers Rank | #481,211 in Books ( See Top 100 in Books ) #51 in Boxer Biographies #128 in Boxing (Books) |
| Customer Reviews | 4.6 4.6 out of 5 stars (86) |
| Dimensions  | 7 x 0.52 x 10 inches |
| ISBN-10  | 0786440163 |
| ISBN-13  | 978-0786440160 |
| Item Weight  | 1 pounds |
| Language  | English |
| Print length  | 260 pages |
| Publication date  | January 24, 2009 |
| Publisher  | McFarland & Company |
| Reading age  | 18 years and up |

## Images

![The Fearless Harry Greb: Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/71xROCF8J+L.jpg)

## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Not as satisfying as finding a Greb film, but a great read
*by F***T on February 20, 2009*

As no fight films of this fantastic pugilist are known to exist, Bill Paxton's new bio of the great Harry Greb (b. 1894, d. 1926, & fought from 1913 to 1926) is a godsend for hardcore fans of the sweet science. I have known of Greb for years - indeed, more than a decade before Paxton created his [...] website in 1996 - and have read many magazine and web articles about him, but it's always been frustrating that no in-depth book about this boxing immortal had been written. Until now. Paxton does a great job of informing the reader not only about Greb the man, but also of Greb the fighter, including his fighting style and the boxing techniques that he utilized, which is extremely interesting since, as I noted above, no films of any of his 299 - 299! - official pro bouts are extant. Relying mainly on contemporary newspaper accounts of his fights, Paxton provides as vivid a description of what it was like to face the "Pittsburgh Windmill"/"Human Windmill"/"Smoke City Wildcat" as is possible by such means. Furthermore, the author meticulously addresses many of the myths regarding the fighter that legendary heavyweight champion Jack Dempsey was scared to tackle (interestingly, while the "Manassa Mauler" wouldn't give Greb a title shot, he did defend his crown against several fighters whom Greb, a [natural] middleweight, had already decisively beaten). One of these myths is that Greb was one of the "dirtiest" fighters of all-time. Here, Paxton elucidates that Greb only really started employing blatantly foul tactics after losing the sight of his right eye (Greb fought the last five years of his career with this handicap) and, even then, only employed the most flagrant and damaging of them AFTER an opponent had begun fouling HIM. Ironically, while Greb did, indeed, utilize various dubious techniques to gain an advantage, he, nonetheless, possessed great sportsmanship and a strong sense of fairness, as well as integrity. To wit: despite employing many foul tactics during his title defense against Mickey Walker, such as pushing his upper body through the ropes with one hand and hitting him with the other, Greb still showed an out-on-his-feet "Toy Bulldog" to his corner at the end of the fourteenth round; Greb would almost always help an opponent who had slipped to the canvas back to his feet; he gave Fay Kaiser a shot at his middleweight title largely because they had fought EIGHT times before Greb won the crown; and he took on Theodore "Tiger" Flowers in a title defense, the FIRST title shot granted to an African-American by a Caucasian-American world champion since the heavyweight title reign of the controversial and highly unpopular (among whites) Jack Johnson, the first African-American to hold that crown. About the only myths about Greb that Paxton doesn't address are of him always leaving the light on when going to sleep after becoming blind in his right eye, of Greb losing some of the sight in his "good" left eye during the last couple of years of his career (& life), and of Harry Wills, a giant African-American whom Dempsey also "ducked", not wanting to fight Greb (incidentally, it would have been nice if the author had been able to find out and print what Wills, Sam Langford, Jack Blackburn, Kid Norfolk, and other great African-American contemporaries had to say about Greb's style and abilities - almost all of the fighters quoted by Paxton as to Greb's ability, etc were white). Paxton provides Greb's complete ring record and measurements at the end of the book and the chapter titles are as follows: 1. From a Street Corner to a Ring Corner; 2. The Early Road of Trials; 3. Icky's Busy Year ("Icky" was Greb's childhood nickname); 4. In the Navy; 5. First Year of Marriage and the #45 (Greb fought an all-time record 45 bouts in 1919); 6. Jack Dempsey and the Heavyweights; 7. A Time for Change; 8. A City Celebrates; 9. All Good Things; 10. Achieving the Goal - The Middleweight Championship; 11. Defending the Title; 12. The Tunney Rematches; 13. The Champion Playboy; 14. The Bulldog Meets the Windmill; 15. The Best of His Time; 16. The Tragic Hero; & 17. The Myths Grow While the Legend Fades. By the by, anyone who enjoyed this book and would like to know more about Greb, his great rival Gene Tunney, and Dempsey ought to get themselves a copy of Jack Cavanaugh's Tunney: Boxing's Brainiest Champ and His Upset of the Great Jack Dempsey , which is sold here on Amazon.com for the ludicrously low price of $12 and change.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Best bio of Harry Greb. Wow! What a fighter!
*by D***D on November 5, 2019*

If you love the sport of boxing like I do and admire the great fighters of the past, you will love this book. After reading this book, I am convinced that Harry Greb was the greatest pound for pound fighter who ever lived and by a considerable margin. Try to imagine any other middleweight of any era with perhaps the exception of Bob Fitzsimmons going up against the best light heavyweights and heavyweights and knocking the stuffing out of them on a weekly and later on a monthly basis. It took Greb years of stellar ring performances before getting a title shot from Johny Wilson who avoided him at every opportunity. Greb mauled him convincingly in gaining the middleweight title. Greb handed master boxer Gene Tunney his only career defeat in a non title light heavy weight fight. Georges Carpentier refused to fight Greb for fear of losing his light heavyweight crown. I am convinced that Greb would have defeated Jack Dempsey, had Dempsey given him a title shot. Greb had given Dempsey a couple of rough boxing lessons in sparring matches. Greb was the personification of tough and many of his wins came while fighting with vision in only one eye. The best fighters of the early 1900s up through the 1920s marveled at Greb's speed, stamina and boxing skills. Unlike other champions of those times, Greb fought the best black fighters and ducked no one. Hopefully someday Hollywood will make a worthwhile movie about Harry Greb. It boggles the mind to imagine a fighter so tough that he fought 45 times in one year! I commend the author for the mountain of research that went into this book and the fine collection of photos.

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐ Who Was Harry Greb?
*by J***T on December 16, 2010*

In pugilistic terms this book was very solid and well researched. Solid accounts of many of Grebs bouts are documented. One of the top fighters ever, I have to admit I was a bit dissapointed that I did not get a good feel for who the man was on a personal level. Perhaps I'm being overzealous but part of what makes a great biography should include personal facts and more backround of the individual. Perhaps this was impossible however. My point is I always read Greb trained on whiskey and whores in that order. But he seems to be portayed differently. I wish I knew. Otherwise very nicely done. I also realize I am judging it on my own criteria perhaps instead of judging what was written.

---

## Why Shop on Desertcart?

- 🛒 **Trusted by 1.3+ Million Shoppers** — Serving international shoppers since 2016
- 🌍 **Shop Globally** — Access 737+ million products across 21 categories
- 💰 **No Hidden Fees** — All customs, duties, and taxes included in the price
- 🔄 **15-Day Free Returns** — Hassle-free returns (30 days for PRO members)
- 🔒 **Secure Payments** — Trusted payment options with buyer protection
- ⭐ **TrustPilot Rated 4.5/5** — Based on 8,000+ happy customer reviews

**Shop now:** [https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/5303156-the-fearless-harry-greb-biography-of-a-tragic-hero-boxing](https://www.desertcart.co.th/products/5303156-the-fearless-harry-greb-biography-of-a-tragic-hero-boxing)

---

*Product available on Desertcart Thailand*
*Store origin: TH*
*Last updated: 2026-02-27*