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The first round began with Greb forcing the fight while Jones “missed with lefts and rights.” Greb hooked lefts and rights to the body and face while Jones continued to miss. According to the Pittsburgh Post, “Both were swinging wild and Jones sent a left to the chin, which backed Greb up to the ropes. Jones hooked a left to the head and Greb went down.” It was just one minute into the first round. Being blind in his right eye, he probably didn’t even see the left punch coming. While he was being counted out, Greb “lolled and rolled about on the lower ropes.” While the count continued Greb was able to “regain his feet after a count of eight and wobble about like a drunken man.” Jones continued his attack “and another right caught Greb’s chin.” Greb went down again, this time holding on to Jones’s legs. Referee Joe Keally had counted to four when Greb finally staggered to his feet. Greb went in for a clinch to try to clear his head. While Greb was still “groggy” Jones landed two more left hooks. Mason called for Greb from a corner since he was “staggering and did not know which corner to go to.”
In between rounds Greb sat “limp” on his chair while Mason tried to revive him. “Mason worked frantically but wisely over him, rubbed his tired legs back into life, massaged his ears and brought color back into his pale face.”
Greb came out at the start of the second round still blinking, tired and groggy, but slowly recovering due to the help of his manager. After a minute of the round Greb had seemingly recovered, and it looked like he would survive. Then Jones landed two more left hooks to the head which rocked Greb again. Greb went in for a clinch then later landed a left and right of his own. These punches were able to delay Jones’s attack until the bell rang to end the round.
When in his corner Greb was silent, but then halfway through the rest time he began to “straighten up in his chair and began talking to Mason.” When the third round started the crowd was “standing on chairs, yelling and howling for Greb.” This seemed to refresh Greb, who then “began moving, swinging, jabbing, hooking and throwing with both hands.” With one of the best chins in boxing history, Greb had shaken off the cobwebs and finally recovered. Throughout the third round his energy continued to replenish itself with Greb throwing “right and left overhand punches to Jones’ head and face.” Near the end of the third round Greb threw a punch that caused a “gaping cut” over Jones’s right eye. The third round was awarded to Greb.
By round four Greb was not only fully recovered but was dominating Jones. He was even able to stagger Jones with a right to the chin. The Post wrote: “Greb was battering Jones to all sides of the ring at the bell. It was a terrific round and Greb had a big margin, sending Jones to his corner with his right eye closed.” Now, unbeknown to most people, both boxers were fighting with only one eye.
For the rest of the fight Greb proceeded to punish Jones so badly it was described as “a slaughter.” Greb landed twenty unanswered punches in the fifth round, and by the sixth round “Jones was wobbling around. It was another round for Greb and Jones seemed more tired even than Greb was in the first two rounds.” By the seventh Jones was “leg weary” and only managed to land two blows. Greb was back to his normal self and was completely dominating his opponent, who was staggering around groggily. At the end of the round the referee had to ask Jones if he wanted to continue. In round eight “Greb hooked a hard right to Jones’ chin and Jones went down for the count of nine, Jones arose and seemed helpless as Greb pounded.”
Jones continued to stagger around at the start of round nine. During the round Greb punished Jones severely, “which made the soldier’s face a mass of blood.” Jones had one eye closed while blood flowed from his nose and mouth. The tenth round was much the same. When the fight ended Greb had lost the first two rounds but won the remaining eight in a very one-sided finish. It was said to be one of the biggest massacres Greb had dished out. A headline in the Post the next day read, “Pittsburgh’s great boxer displays wonderful gameness and recuperative powers. Tears into Soldier Jones, earning verdict by taking last eight rounds.”
(by Bill Paxton)
