Been perusing a few sites...... Boxing historian Bert Sugar has called Page "the greatest amateur I ever saw". I actually didn't know about the gym strike below, tho i think he was on one a bit more often. In March 1984 Page instead fought Tim Witherspoon for the vacant WBC belt. Incensced over money troubles with promoter Don King, Page had gone on strike in the gym and turned up out of shape. Witherspoon, who had lost a highly controversial decision to Holmes previously, mauled a close 12 round majority decision to upset the odds and win the WBC belt. Page proved to be a top class trainer in the Don King stable. He took on the fast rising Oliver McCalland refined his style, and was instrumental in the erratic McCall's stunning two round knock out of Lennox Lewis to win the WBC World Heavyweight title in London in September 1994. Though Emanuel Steward received the plaudits, Page instructed to counter Lewis's long right hand with a short inside right hook, and McCall actually stated that training with Page had prepared him properly, saying at the post fight press conference "Greg Page's hands are much faster than Lennox Lewis".
Still, a bit dumb on the part of Greg Page....... I have BOTH fights of "Page and Spoon" from 1984 and '99........ It was merely a reversal of roles between the two fights.... Page was a slobbish 239 pounds in 1984, compared to Spoon's tight 220 pounds.... By 1999, odd as it seems, Page somehow found some desire and energy and came back to TKO a horrid Spoon in a so-so encounter in 1999....... MR.BILL
page was an enigma of "what the hell is your problem maaaan!" ... he was the maronivich of boxing .. a perfect fighter .. as maronivich was the perfect quarterback .. only thing lacking was that heart and will to "just do it" ...
At the time he turned pro, Page was the #1 amateur heavyweight in the country.For whatever reason, however, never had that hyped matchup with Teofilio Stevenson of Cuba.
His father should have allowed him to play basketball. Greg might be alive today. The desire to succeed in a certain discipline has to come from within. Parents who forcibly preordain what their children can and cannot become suck.
So true. A lot of Greg lack of discipline probably came because of subconsciously not wanting to fight.
If Mike Weaver was stripped of the WBA belt in 1981 for not fighting James Tillis, they were going to match up Page and Tillis for the belt.