Harry Greb vs. Gene Tunney (2nd meeting)
Harry Greb 166 lbs lost to Gene Tunney 174 lbs by UD in round 15 of 15
- Date: 1923-02-23
- Location: Madison Square Garden, New York, New York, USA
- Referee: Patsy Haley
- Judge: Charles Miles
- Judge: Charles Meegan
- American Light Heavyweight Championship (2nd defense by Greb)
- Attendance: 15,000
- Receipts: $47,396.45
- Purses: Greb received 37½ percent of the receipts ($17,773.66) and Tunney received 12½ percent ($5,924.55). (New York Times)
- 19 of 23 ringside opinions listed above believed Greb should not have left the ring without his crown:
- NY Morning Telegraph: Greb won 10 of 15 rounds
- NY Evening Mail: "Decision depriving Greb of LHW Crown Calls for Sweeping Inquiry"
- Newark Star Eagle: Gave Tunney only the 14th round
- Newark Evening News: Greb gave Tunney as bad a beating as the first fight, it was one of the worst decisions handed out since the Walker Law
- Jersey Journal: The only round Tunney won decisively was the 14th.
- Standard Union: After weird decision Tunney is LHW Champion: Judges decide against Greb who had lead on points
- NY Sun: Gave Tunney the fight because Tunney scored more points yet then states that Greb scored more points but that the writer took points away because Greb clinched too often...
- The NY Evening Telegram: Gave the fight to Tunney
- NY American: gave it to Tunney
- NY Times: gave it to Tunney
- NY Evening World: Scored it a Draw and added that Tunney did not deserve the victory despite the writer stating he was a great admirer of Tunney's
- NY Tribune: called it a draw stating the decision met with much disapproval, writing for the same paper Grantland Rice called it a poor decision
- NY Herald: Gave it to Greb, another writer for the paper called it a draw
- Evening Journal: Gave it to Greb
- Evening Mail: Gave it to Greb
- Philly Ledger: Gave it to Greb
- NY Daily News: Stated a draw would have been a better decision.
- Pittsburgh Post: Gave Tunney only two rounds.
- Pittsburgh Gazette Times: Gave it to Greb
- Pittsburgh Press: Gave it Greb
Total: 4 votes for Tunney, 15 votes for Greb, and 4 votes for a draw.
"Realizing there was some justice in Greb's claim of a bad decision, I offered him a return engagement." -Gene Tunney, A Man Must Fight, P. 162
The New York Times, February 25, 1923:
Chairman William Muldoon of the State Athletic Commission was one of the prominent spectators at the battle who differed with the verdict. Muldoon declared after the bout that he thought Greb was entitled to the decision, and reiterated this at the commission’s headquarters yesterday. “The decision in Tunney’s favor was unjustifiable, in my opinion,” said Muldoon. “I thought Greb should have received the decision after his determined fight. That’s only my personal opinion. The commission’s accredited representatives who were assigned to the bout decided that Tunney was the victor. That is the official decision. The commission will stand by it.”
Time magazine, March 3, 1923:
Gene Tunney, former champion of the A. E. F., emerged from the smoke of a battle in Madison Square Garden holding Harry Greb's light-heavyweight championship of the world. But the smoke had hardly cleared when clouds of official disapproval rose to blur the brilliance of his honors. Not only did the metropolitan papers cast bitter reflections on the verdict of Judges Charles E. Miles, Charles Meighan and Referee Patsy Haley, but William Muldoon himself, Chairman of the State Athletic Commission, declared the decision "unjustifiable". He stated, however, that the verdict was official and that the State Commission would stand by it. Accordingly, Tunney will retain his doubtful honors until he takes clear title to the championship in another fight with Greb.
Nat Fleischer, Gene Tunney, the Enigma of the Ring, 1931:
It was a spectacular affair that had 15,000 persons--a packed house--at a high pitch of excitement from start to finish. The marine carried off the unanimous decision of Judges Charles E. Miles, Charles Meighan, former sports editor of the New York Morning Telegraph, and Referee Patsy Haley after one of the stormiest ring encounters seen in the Garden since boxing was revived in New York.
Pandemonium reigned when the decision was announced by Joe Humphreys and for a time, the police were kept busy quelling riots in various parts of the arena. The Pittsburgher's friends felt that he had been jobbed, but those who watched the bout closely, saw no basis for complaint.
Sharp as was the division of opinion among the boxing fans as to who won, there was just as sharp a difference of opinion among the newspapermen. Some agreed with the official verdict; others felt that the least Greb should have gotten was a draw, and still others believed that Greb had won. Yet the officials voted unanimously in Gene's favor and that was sufficient to gain for him the title he had lost almost a year previously to the same 'Pittsburgh Windmill'.
Bill Paxton, The Fearless Harry Greb: Biography of a Tragic Hero of Boxing, 2009:
Tunney altered his technique to adapt to Greb's style. While Tunney was training for the bout he was helped by lightweight champion Benny Leonard. Leonard had been ringside for the first fight and thought Tunney focused too much on Greb's head and not enough on his body. Leonard taught him to "hit him in the heart" by throwing punches underneath Greb's elbows and landing them in the middle of his body. It was meant to take the wind out of Greb's sails. Tunney added his own observations from fighting Greb the first time. Soon after their first fight Tunney said he saw something that made him think he could beat Greb. This was "the way Harry dropped his shoulders at times, the move he made when he threw a right hook." Tunney went into this rematch hoping these little things, and his improvement as a boxer, would be enough to help him give a better showing than last time.
See Also
- Harry Greb vs. Gene Tunney (1st meeting)
- Harry Greb vs. Gene Tunney (3rd meeting)
- Harry Greb vs. Gene Tunney (4th meeting)
- Harry Greb vs. Gene Tunney (5th meeting)