Greg Page - An overhyped bum or a lost potential?

Reading a bit on Greg Page, apparently he was very hyped early in his career before getting swept up in the crack cocaine epidemic.

Was it the crack that ruined him? Or was he nothing special to begin with regardless?

I know Holmes vacated rather than fighting him, which could of definitely done something to nail down a significant win had he won.

 

Classic underachiever who had oodles of talent including great handspeed and reflexes, a big right hand, excellent jab and a fine chin. He had a superb amateur career with some very big wins.

These assets were often offset by lethargy, lack of motivation and various other things. He never really mastered some of the basics and needed to settle down off his toes more and get his hands higher.

Mostly tho motivation, or lack of it, killed his career. His wins over Ward, Monroe, Evangelista and LeDoux showed patches of what he could do. Against better opposition i thought his fight with Snipes was possibly his most rounded performance. His fight with Coetzee was also interesting, he fought flat footed despite the huge right hand of Coetzee and actually got the best of the right hand battle. Page shipped some huge right hands that night and delivered some big blows of his own.

Ironically latter career he slimmed down and dedicated for a while but the skills and talent seemed to have moved on.

 

Didn't Ali predict Page would be his successor??!

 

Thread title a little harsh

Certainly lost potential.

Was at his peak in '83 when Holmes begged off fighting him.

Had the speed, reflexes and movement to greatly trouble a past his peak Holmes. Would have been a very interesting fight.

 

I've never heard that Page had a crack cocaine habit. In fact, I don't think I've ever heard he dabbled with drugs at all.

Anyway, Greg Page was overhyped definitely, imo. He had very good amateur credentials and was from Muhammad Ali's hometown Louisville, so he received a lot of attention.
He did a lot of stupid showboating and a lot of people mistake that for talent, I guess.
He was pretty good though. He gave Witherspoon a close fight and beat Snipes and Coetzee, so he was up there.
Just nowhere near as good as the hype machine wanted him to be.

 

I recall Don King going around at the time with the old joke, "Greg's on a seafood diet. He sees food and he eats it." And he laughs his a$$ off. But this was Greg in a nutshell. If he could have controlled his diet no one would have thought of him as hype. I remember shaking my head when he fought the equally out of shape Jimmy Young. I recall saying it looked like 2 fat chicks stripped to the waist going at it.

 

What were you reading that said he got swept up in crack? If you have any links, I'd love to read them. I'd never heard that before.

Most of the younger fighters in the late 70s/early 80s were into cocaine. I know Tucker and Dokes were big users. Crack wasn't introduced until later. But I'd love to read what you saw. I hadn't heard that before, either.

 

No point in posting ,you've said it all.:good

 

As others have said, far more an underachiever, than an overrated talent.

 

The word 'bum' should be used very sparingly, only for crooked non-fighters who took dives for money.

Page was far, far away from being a bum. Might have been over-hyped, but did seem very talented. Career was overall very disappointing, but the guy was dangerous and not to be taken lightly, ever.

 

Dokes, Page, and maybe Nick Wells & Barry Yates were all around when Stevenson was ruling the amateur hvywt division I believe.

 

One of my favourite arguments in the old film debate is:

“Greg Page looks better on film than Rocky Marciano and has certain physical advantages, but who has the better resume, and who would you favour head to head?”

 

I used a bit of hyperbole, I don't mean page was a bum, just in that he never would have achieved more than he did even without issues.

Re: crack cocaine I'll have to dig up the articles but they were called something like 'the lost generation of heavyweights'.

I also read an article on Page talking about Oliver McCall then talking about his own experiences with addiction to crack. On my phone atm but I'll find the articles when home.

 

Page was the best of the Ali wannabes.

 

Nearer the latter, I'd say.