Was him being touted as the next Ali have any basis in how good Page was, not just where he fought out of? He seems to of under performed, or blown hot and cold, even more so than a generation of fighters known for doing so (Witherspoon & Tubbs come to mind. You can argue the likes of Berbick accomplished more in their careers) I've watched box of his matches with Mark Wills, which probably helped rob each fighter of a part of their prime. They were both stunningly brutal back and forth fights. I know his life was affected terribly by his last boxing match, where he was in his 40's attempting to remain relavent like so many other aging heavyweights were back then. From everything I've heard his quality of life was awful and how his life ended is even sadder. Certainly one of the saddest modern boxing tales, in my humble opinion. Mark Wills was without doubt one of the most dangerous fighters of all time with a -500 something record. Astounding stamina, drive, chin, will. Did no one know or was Page's match maker a sadist? Write an essay or just shoot in some quick feedback, both are equally appreciated.
The Wills match ups that I referred to earlier. Definitely both worth a watch. This content is protected This content is protected
Page was past prime for the first Wills fight, let alone the second. A prime Page would have boxed circles around Mark Wills. Wills had like 20 percent of Page's talent. Yes, he was very talented. It was unfair to label him the next Ali. I don't think he wanted that label. Ali is a once in a lifetime type talent. Page's main problem was yo yoing in weight even early on in his career. His best weight was around 225 lbs but he rarely fought that low after the Marty Monroe fight in mid '81 through the Bugner loss in '87. By the time he routinely came in around 220 lb - starting in '89 against Orlin Norris, he was basically shot. It is unfathomable that a guy would come in to his first (and long awaited) title shot at 239.5 lbs against a very formidable opponent, but that's what Page did against Tim Witherspoon. The dude was basically a head case.
Greg Page The Louisville Rage I think was sucked in by the bizarre vacuum created by the end of the Ali era. It strange that people create a replacement for heroes they didn't appreciate adequately when they were around!. You don't know always know what you are going to miss until it's gone!
Greg's heart wasn't into boxing. His first love was basketball, and probably did boxing to appease his ex-boxer father. He originally was promoted by Butch Lewis, who had him set up with a WBA title shot in mid-to-late 82, but he went to Don King, and was having problems with him by the time his fight with Witherspoon came up, which Tim alluded to in a book about Don King. After the Tubbs fight, you could say Page's career as an elite fighter was over.
He wasn't anywhere near as good as his hype. He did try to emulate the Ali style, it's obvious. But he couldn't get away with his cheap copy of the style against good opponents. His bounce-bounce-flickety-flick style was a dull substitute for actual well-rounded skills. And he was fat. He had decent speed and power and a good enough chin to become a legit contender for a few years.
Here's an obscure little article Russell. http://www.thesweetscience.com/articles-of-2009/6864-greg-page-its-mass-production
This one is ok too. Take particular note of Bonecrusher's comments - http://www.nytimes.com/1985/04/28/sports/another-chapter-in-the-page-riddle.html
