Most of the Kid Eternity helpers I've reviewed are fairly famous, but you need to dig a littler deeper for Joe Grim, the human punching bag. Born in Italy, Joe came to this country and decided he wanted to get into boxing. Beginning his career in 1903, Joe battled some of the greats of the day. Trouble was Joe had no talent for actual boxing at all. He didn't move much, couldn't really punch very well, swung hay makers that the ring posts could avoid. The only thing Joe could do was absorb punishment. At the end of each fight, some with the true greats of the day, he would get up from his last knock-down and shout at the crowd, "I am Joe Grim! Nobody can knock me out." Even the great Jack Johnson, who tried mightily to knock Joe out in their 1905 meeting, exclaimed after knocking him down four times in the fourth round, "He ain't human." One commentator remarked that it wasn't really boxing, it was more of a circus act, with the crowd shouting, "Get up Joe." Out of some 60+ fights Joe won nary a one, although he got a draw in six, but finally in the end he was knocked out - maybe in his very last fight and maybe once before, but he did finally succumb - just never gave up. The figure was made from various GI Joe parts, including the boxing gloves, which are probably larger than the ones they had at the time but the only ones I had on hand.
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