We need more boxing events in Pittsburgh. Sure, it’s an archaic practice akin to bygone pursuits like dueling, but it is fun to watch. It’s no surprise that our area has produced an impressive array of pugilists in the “sweet science.” It’s the one science that nobody protests. The big name nowadays is Sammy Vasquez Jr., a 20-0 welterweight from Monessen who looks destined to get a world-title shot. But there have been a lot of greats before him. So this week we are going to look at the top five boxers from Pittsburgh in the past 100 years.
5. Bob “The Grinder” Baker. I think he was torn between hoagie and grinder as a nickname and chose wisely. Canonsburg gave us Perry Como, Bobby Vinton and arguments over chairs on the street during the annual July 4th parade. It also contributed an incredible heavyweight boxer who finished his career at 51-16, with 20 knockouts. The Grinder was knocked out once in his carrer — by Archie Moore, in 1954. Considering that Moore, the “Old Mongoose” (boxing nicknames are so gloriously weird), earned 131 of his 185 wins by knockout, Baker has no reason to feel shame. Baker never got his chance to box the great Rocky Marciano. If he had, white people might never have had Marciano to talk endlessly about. Baker was so Pittsburgh that in the 1980s, he worked for PennDOT in Penn Hills. He reportedly never spoke of his fame or his many accomplishments.
4. Michael Moorer. The Monessen Mauler is one of only four boxers in history to win world titles in both the light-heavyweight and heavyweight divisions. His defeat of Evander Holyfield in 1994 made him the first left-handed heavyweight champ. His reign lasted only nine months; he lost his title to 87-year-old George Foreman. The loss was the first of his pro career. He wasn’t a bad bar fighter either: His numerous encounters outside the ring included a fight at an Elks club. You can’t take the Pittsburgh out of this guy, but a stellar 52-4-1 record will one day get him a spot in the Boxing Hall of Fame.
3. Billy Conn. The original Pittsburgh Kid was the Rocky Balboa of his day. He took Joe Louis, the heavyweight champion of the world and one of the greatest fighters in history, to the brink of defeat only to come up a bit short. His fights with Louis drew more Americans to boxing than any others. Conn was 64-12 and those wins came in 15-round fights against the best opponents of the day. At the age of 75 — almost 50 years after fighting Louis — he beat up a robber at a local convenience store.
2. Paul Spadafora. Even with a jurisprudence report as long as his list of accomplishments, you can’t deny that the other Pittsburgh Kid was a great fighter. At 48-1, he has the rightful claim to the title of the toughest guy in McKees Rocks, including dudes from the Bottoms. He has been shot and has shot at people. Spaddy was a boxing machine, even out-sparring Floyd Mayweather in a once-viral video. All his troubles have severely hampered his career, and he hasn’t been in a ring since November 2014.
1. Harry Greb. The best of all time is the biggest Pittsburgh badass you’ve probably never heard of. Greb, known as the Pittsburgh Windmill and the Smoke City Wildcat, lived only 32 years but won 261 fights between 1913 and 1926. The International Boxing Research Organization ranked him the second greatest pound-for-pound boxer in the long history of the sport. Only the great Sugar Ray Robinson was better. Greb delivered punches with unrestrained fury. He even continued to fight after being blinded in one eye. Greb was the only boxer in history to best the legendary Gene Tunney. He was such a tough guy he once fought 45 times in one year. Nobody can top that.
If you live in Pittsburgh, chances are you will eventually have to fight someone for some reason or another. It might be over a parking spot, or in a bar fight because some yahoo thinks he’s better than you. If this happens, don’t be scared. Just remember this city’s proud boxing tradition and give them a taste of the windmill.
This article appears in Dec 9-15, 2015.
I am writing a book on Pittsburgh boxing history and as such am glad whenever I see a fellow scribe take an interest in the city’s ridiculously rich (and sadly neglected) fistic past. Thanks for doing this!
That said, I must take issue with some of your rankings and selections. Bob Baker and Paul Spadafora were very good fighters. But neither guy beat anyone great. No knock on Spadafora(he was good and I liked him) but putting him over Billy Conn is beyond absurd. Billy beat numerous world champions (back when that meant something) before he was even out of his teens and his resume outstrips almost every other Pgh fighter not named “Greb”.
Sammy Angott was world lightweight champ and beat Willie Pep, Ike Williams, Bob Montgomery and so many great champs and contenders it would make your head spin.
Charley Burley beat Archie Moore (Moore called Burley his “greatest opponent), Billy Soose and several other Hall of Famers, but was so feared the champs avoided him.
Middleweight titlist Teddy Yarosz went 58-0 before suffering his 1st loss (a disputed split-decision) and beat several world champs.
Fritzie Zivic beat Jake LaMotta, Lew Jenkins and the great Henry Armstrong twice. That alone is an achievement that far outstrips Baker or Spad.
Wee Willie Davies, like Burley, was an uncrowned champion and dominated the toughest flyweight division in history.
I could go on and on, but you get my point. Again, thank you for writing this article and enlightening the public on this all-too neglected part of their sporting past. If you have a Facebook check out “Pittsburgh Boxing: A Pictorial History”. I think you will find it quite informative.
All the best,
Douglas Cavanaugh
Please stop chosing only contemporary boxers. Pittsburgh has a rich boxing history that shouldn’t be ignored. Good comments by Doug Cavanaugh. One Zivic comment: Fritzie’s brothers were Olympians. My grandfather who grew up with them, thought Pete was the best of the fighting Zivic’s. Fritzie’s famous knock out punch was a left hook, right cross combination: it’s one of boxing’ most brutal moves.
Mike, I have followed boxing since the mid 1960s and have worked in various capacities in the business. I appreciate your article because it creates interest. However, leaving out the men mentioned by Doug Cavanaugh is heresy of the highest order. On your list, only Greb and Conn deserve mention in a Top 5 list. Take care—Bruce Kielty, Grand Rapids, MI
Please consider my grandfather Henry Miller. He was the featherweight boxing champ for Pittsburgh and boxed from approximately 1915 to 1926. I have a gold medalion he won, Pittsburgh vs Cleveland dated 1917. We also have a tie tack that is a boxing glove with a small diamond insert. My grandmother said she got tired of dusting of all of his trophys so she just threw them over the hill one day. My son is researching him now and has found 40 articles that include him. Henrys name is on the statue at the bottom of Troy Hill mentioned as a soldier from ww1. He got robbed of his lunch money on day and took up boxing. Thanks for reading this.