The Conn-Greb Boxing Club

"The Pittsburgh Kid" vs. The New York Mob

Mobster Frankie Carbo liked what he saw in Billy Conn. So, he walked into the NY gym Conn was training in and announced “I’ve got a piece of your fighter” to manager Johnny Ray.

Carbo was used to getting his way and managers usually gave him no sass. So, it must have shocked him when Ray shot back “No, you don’t.”

Johnny was a true Pittsburgher and didn’t intimidate easily. Conn heard them arguing and rushed to Ray’s defense, letting Carbo know that he wasn’t wanted or needed. Frankie left but given his history and reputation, he'd be back.

Art Rooney, a close friend of Conn’s, was on friendly terms with Owney Madden, aka “Owney the Killer.” Madden was a powerful Irish mobster operating in a mostly Italian underworld and had been burying men since Carbo was in diapers.

He was the power behind heavyweight champion Primo Carnera years earlier, a lucrative venture that garnered him much favor with his Italian and Jewish criminal cohorts. In short, he carried far more clout than Carbo despite his Irish parentage.

Rooney made a call and pulled a few strings that made it clear to Carbo that there were smarter ways to do business than clashing with Madden.

Conn verified that he and Johnny Ray were visited by Cockeye Dunn two days after the Carbo incident. A brutal waterfront gangster, Dunn had a reputation as a vicious gunman (he would later die in the Sing Sing electric chair). He assured them that there would be no further trouble from the Mob or Carbo.

It turned out that Cockeye Dunn was right. Frankie Carbo continued as the Mob’s boxing czar, but he never meddled in the Conn camp again. – Douglas Cavanaugh

MUHAMMAD ALI and FRITZIE ZIVIC: The Mouths that Roared

Young heavyweight Cassius Clay (soon to be “Muhammad Ali”) met Charlie Powell at Pittsburgh's Civic Arena on January 24, 1963. Prior to the bout Clay had predicted a three-round KO and that's exactly what happened.

But Clay’s performance outside of the ring impressed everyone even more than what happened inside of it. In the weeks leading up to and after the bout, he never let his mouth rest for one second.

Whether he was performing his wildly entertaining verbal diatribe for sportswriters or just chatting it up with the locals on the streets of the Hill District, young Clay was a one-man show, endearing himself to everyone with his rapid-fire speeches, poetry and clever turns of phrase.

Former welterweight champ Fritzie Zivic had always been quite the talker in his day, too. He was reserved and polite but spoke at a rapid clip when excited.

“I don’t talk too fast, people just don’t listen fast enough!” was how Fritzie explained it away.

The town wasn’t big enough for the two of them, and when Zivic was booked on a TV show, he challenged Cassius to a poetry contest. Zivic got the ball rolling in the Pittsburgh Press: “I want to give this message to Cassius Clay: “Your poetry’s atrocious; you are making Liston ferocious!”

(No record exists of Clay answering the playful challenge by the slugging Croat from Lawrenceville). – Douglas Cavanaugh

Come out this Thursday at 6PM for our Power Punching Clinic with WBC #13-ranked Lyubo “The Demolition Man” Pinchuk.

With 17 victories and 11 KOs, “The Demolition Man” owns a 65% knockout rate and will break down the technique behind generating real punching power.

FREE for Conn-Greb members / $50 drop-in for non-members.

PITTSBURGH BOXING NOIR

Imagine the scenario: a deserted arena.

All is still where a mere hour before, all was cheers and celebration.

Now all is silence.

A forlorn boxer stands alone, mulling over his lost (or never-realized fortunes) long after the lights have gone out and the crowds have gone home.

He knows the gangsters are out there

Out there in the alley

…waiting for him.

Welcome to the world of boxing in Film Noir.

Boxing was often the subject of these gritty movies, films like “The Set Up” (in which Robert Ryan name drops HARRY GREB!) “Body and Soul” “The Harder They Fall” and the noir-influenced classic “Raging Bull.”

Boxing and film noir were a perfect fit, both filled with the same shadowy imagery and dangerous but unforgettable characters.

The cigarette smoke, the back room deals and the hard luck stories; the profanity-spewing spectators, the mobsters, racketeers, pimps, hustlers and con men.

New York, Chicago, Los Angeles and San Francisco were most closely associated with the genre. But Pittsburgh very much encompassed the noir imagery too.

But the gangsters never got the same control over the Steel City that they did over those other places.

There was too broad of an ethnic mix here, too many cultural mindsets that the mobsters couldn't understand, and therefore couldn't control.

Our boxers and managers weren't afraid to look these out-of-town torpedoes right in the eye and say "no."

…and furthermore, that they could shove their threats where the ocean breeze don't blow, the bulges in their trenchcoat pockets be damned.

HARRY GREB, BILLY CONN, RED MASON, JOHNNY RAY, TOMMY YAROSZ and WILLIE DAVIES all did exactly that, and are a shining example of this breed of men.

They refused to do business with the dark dealers, no matter what threats were leveled or cash buyouts were offered.

Some became world champions anyway, like Greb and Conn.
Others, like Davies and Yarosz, paid dearly for their “no.”

Not with their lives, but with the shattering of their championship hopes and dreams.

The imagery that captures the noir aspects of the era’s boxing and film noir is compelling.

Enjoy!

(Featured boxers: Sammy Angott, Buck McTiernan, Henry Armstrong, Jake LaMotta, Al Hostak, Rocky Graziano)

“There are no happy endings.” – Noir Proverb

SMOKY CITY DIRTY DOZEN 11-12

11. MICHAEL MOORER
This Monessen slugger has the unique distinction of being the first southpaw to ever win the world heavyweight championship. He is also the first fighter from this region to hold the belt, the other heavyweight champs from Pennsylvania - Joe Frazier and Larry Holmes- both hailed from the eastern portion of the state. Though he only fought in his native region twice, his accomplishments in the ring have been a source of pride for all West PA.

Moorer began his career as a light-heavyweight, fighting out of the prestigious Kronk Gym under Emanuel Stewart. He quickly developed a reputation as a fierce puncher and was championed in the press by stablemate Thomas Hearns.

After outgrowing the division, he invaded the heavyweight ranks in the early 90s and soon became a leading contender. He engaged in a titanic slugfest with fellow puncher Bert Cooper that is remembered as one of the greatest, most thrilling fights of the era.

He won the world title by decisioning Evander Holyfield on April 22, 1994. He lost it by knockout seven months later to George Foreman in a fight he was winning handily. After that loss his career had its ups and downs, but he unquestionably left his mark on the history of heavyweight boxing.

Moorer retired in 2008 with a record of 52-4-1 (40 knockouts). He is enshrined in the Boxing Hall of Fame.

12. TOMMY YAROSZ
Middleweight champ Teddy Yarosz established the family name in boxing, and it was thought that it would fade after he retired, as siblings rarely found the magic that made their brothers successful. But his younger brother Tommy proved that old cliché was wrong, becoming a much-avoided contender in two separate divisions.

Like Teddy, he was a clever boxer, hard as nails, and never heard the fatal ten-count in his career. Tommy suffered only one stoppage loss (due to a cut) in his entire 92-bout career and his seven years, 55-fight unbeaten streak in the 1940s was one of the era’s standout achievements. The combination of trainer Ray Arcel’s wisdom and Tommy’s talent made them a formidable team.

But WWII and the frozen titles hindered him. He served his country and came home full of renewed ambition, only to find that organized crime had sunk its hooks deeper into boxing than ever before. But staying true to a Pittsburgh tradition codified by men like Harry Greb and Willie Davies, Yarosz steadfastly refused to be intimidated and didn’t give gangsters an inch.

One of Tommy’s more noteworthy achievements was a win over Australian battler Dave Sands, a man even the great Sugar Ray Robinson had reservations about fighting. He also out-boxed Jake LaMotta in losing a highly unpopular decision in Jake's hometown. The result was “lustily booed” by the MSG audience and decried even by “The Ring.”

Yarosz fought on for two more years but never received a title shot during his outstanding career.

Great company, great conversation, and some of the best coffee in the city. ☕🥊

Come hang out with us this Saturday at 10AM. Hope to see you there!

Numbers 9 and 10

9. JACKIE WILSON
“Pittsburgh Jackie,” the first African American champion from Pittsburgh, is a sadly forgotten fighter who should be remembered for being one of the finest featherweights of all time and certainly one of the greats of his era.

The Homewood lad possessed enormous natural talent, with blazing speed, nimble footwork, and a respectable pop in both fists. In most eras he would have stood out as unquestionably the premiere fighter at his weight.

The problem was his era also featured Henry Armstrong, Chalky Wright and Willie Pep, three of the brightest stars in division history and all of whom managed to eclipse him, Armstrong with his exciting cyclonic attack, Wright with his murderous punching power and Pep with his unsolvable defense and unparalleled boxing savvy.

But Wilson sustained a level of excellence that is hard to ignore. He beat several world champs during his career, including Tommy Paul, Freddie Miller and a very young Sammy Angott. He won the NBA Featherweight title by beating Richie Lemos, but the generally recognized champion at that time was Chalky Wright, who for added spice was a topic of hot gossip for his affair with the pugilist-loving movie star Mae West.

It was hard for Jackie to compete with that.

Like many fighters of the era, Wilson hung around the game longer than he should have, winning only two of his final eighteen bouts. But if one looks beyond the numbers, it becomes easy to appreciate the true greatness of the man.

10. BILLY SOOSE
If Farrell-born Hungarian Soose wasn’t the greatest amateur of all time, then he was pretty close. Before boxing for Penn State, he amassed an imposing record of 170-6, plus three Golden Gloves titles and the US Amateur Crown.

As if this weren’t enough, he had former middleweight great Leo Houck as his coach at PSU. Houck carried vast boxing knowledge, accrued from over 200 pro fights against the likes of Harry Greb, Frank Klaus, Gene Tunney, Mike Gibbons and others.

Billy quickly cleaned out the college ranks, winning 17 bouts, all but one by first round KO. He was so devastating that officials feared he would kill someone, and coaches of the teams on PSU’s schedule threatened a boycott of Soose. Thus, a rule was instituted banning Golden Gloves champs from competing in college boxing. Billy was kicked off the team and left PSU, determined to pursue a pro career.

His amateur experience had been so vast that he was already a finished fighter for the most part. He began in Los Angeles and after only five bouts had his West PA homecoming when he was pitted against the tough 41-bout veteran Al Quaill from Brookline. Also on the card were Billy Conn, Teddy Yarosz and Sammy Angott-- all champions and extremely popular with the local crowd.

Soose knew he had to put forth a spectacular effort in that kind of company to have any hope of making an impact. And make an impact he did, getting up off the floor to out-box the charging Quaill and win an impressive decision.

Soose went on to win the middleweight title and faced some of boxing’s brightest lights, including Tony Zale, Ken Overlin, Jimmy Bivins and Ceferino Garcia. He retired eight months after winning the belt, former heavyweight champ Gene Tunney personally recruiting him into the Navy in the aftermath of Pearl Harbor.