Athletes - Greg Page

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	Athletes - Greg Page

Greg Page (born October 25, 1958) was an American boxer. He was the World Boxing Association Heavyweight champion from 1984 to 1985. His professional record after his retirement in 2001 was 58-17-1 with 48 Knockouts.

Early career

Page started out his career at 13-0 and then captured the USBA Heavyweight title on February 11, 1980 from Stan Ward. Page continued to run his record to 19-0 and was considered a contender for the world title. His title quest was derailed when he lost a 10-round decision to future WBC heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick of Canada. Following that loss, he rebounded with 4 more wins to remain in championship contention.

First title shot

In 1984 Larry Holmes abandoned the WBC Heavyweight title in favor of the IBF Championship. Page and Tim Witherspoon were the top two contenders who fought for the vacant title. Page was considered a favorite to win title, but Witherspoon pulled an upset, winning a 12-round decision on March 9, 1984. Following that fight, on August 31, 1984 Page dropped another 12-round decision to David Bey, who took Page's USBA title.

Second title shot

Following the losses to Witherspoon and Bey, many considered Page's days as a heavyweight championship contender to be over. However, South African Gerrie Coetzee agreed to put his WBA heavyweight championship on the line. Coetzee had pulled a stunning upset over Michael Dokes to win the title and was considered an overwhelming favorite—especially since the fight was taking place in his native Sun City. Page made the most of his opportunity and scored a stunning 8th-round knockout on December 1, 1984 to win the WBA title from Dokes.

Downward Spiral

Page's championship reign was short-lived. On April 29, 1985, in his first defense, he lost a 15-round decision to Tony Tubbs and lost his WBA Heavyweight championship. Following that loss, Page did not fight until 1986 where he lost a January 17, 1986 decision to future heavyweight champion James "Buster" Douglas.

Page continued fighting, but his career spiraled into oblivion, including losses to journeymen fighters Joe Bugner and Mark Willis. On February 15, 1992 Razor Ruddock scored an 8th-round TKO over Page; however, three months later on June 26, 1992, Page scored a 10-round decision over former WBA Heavyweight Champion James "Bonecrusher" Smith.

On August 6, 1993, Page lost by TKO in the ninth round to future WBA Heavyweight Champion Bruce Seldon and temporarily retired.

Comeback and Tragedy

Page returned to the ring in 1996 and won 14 straight fights (including 10 in 1997). Tragedy would soon strike, however. In a March 9, 2001 fight against Dale Crowe, Page suffered brain damage and slipped into a coma. The damage left him paraylzed on his left side and confined him to a wheelchair.

Since that fight, Page has suffered many complications. On March 1, 2005 Page was hospitalized from pneumonia and put on a ventilator. On February 24,2006 Page was hospitalized again, this time for acute respiratory failure, sepsis, hypothermia, and seizures.

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