Greg Page

Greg Page (October 25, 1958 – April 27, 2009) was an American professional boxer who competed from 1979 to 2001, and held the WBA heavyweight title from 1984 to 1985.

In 1976, at the USA–USSR Duals at the Caesars Palace, Las Vegas, Page scored a major victory when he defeated Igor Vysotsky, a top-ranked heavyweight amateur boxer in the world, who never has been knocked down, the big punching Russian who twice beat the legendary Cuban and three-time Olympic Gold Medalist Teofilo Stevenson.

Page also beat James Tillis, Tony Tubbs, Mitch Green, and Marvin Stinson.

By that time he was the #1 ranked amateur heavyweight in the United States.

At the USA vs. socialist countries duals held in 1977-1978 Page defeated Polish Antoni Kuskowski on points (3–0), lost a 1–2 points decision to Cuban Angel Milián, stopped Romanian Mircea Șimon in the third round, defeated East German Juergen Fanghaenel on points.

Page won the National AAU Heavyweight Championship in 1977.

The following year, he repeated as the National AAU Heavyweight Champion and won the National Golden Gloves Heavyweight Championship.

Page turned pro in February 1979, knocking out Don Martin in two rounds before a crowd of 7,500 at the Commonwealth Convention Center in Louisville.

He put together 13 straight wins, 12 by knockout.

The only fighter to go the distance with Page was George Chaplin, whom he defeated by a ten-round majority decision.

Afterwards, Page was ranked in the top ten by the WBA.

Page won the vacant USBA Heavyweight title on February 7, 1981, with a seventh-round TKO of Stan Ward.

After knocking out Marty Monroe and Alfredo Evangelista, Page had a rematch with George Chaplin and won by a twelve-round split decision.

He followed the Chaplin win with a fourth-round knockout of Scott LeDoux.

Page retained the USBA belt with a unanimous decision over Jimmy Young on May 2, 1982.

The following month, on the undercard of the Larry Holmes/Gerry Cooney fight, Page fought Trevor Berbick.

Fighting with a broken right thumb from the second round, Page lost for the first time as a professional, dropping a ten-round unanimous decision to Berbick.

Page returned to defend the USBA belt against contender James "Quick" Tillis in November 1982.

After suffering the first knockdown of his career in the second round, Page came back to KO Tillis in the eighth round.

According to a New York Times article, Butch Lewis had Page set up to fight the winner of Mike Weaver-Randy Cobb WBA world title fight in mid-to-late 1982, but Page had switched his allegiance from Lewis to Don King.

In addition, Page had contacted his lawyer in March of that year to drop his ranking in the WBA from #2 to #3, behind Michael Dokes.

In 1983, Page retained the USBA title again, beating Renaldo Snipes over twelve rounds and taking his WBC #1 ranking.

WBC heavyweight champion Larry Holmes, claiming the $2.55 million purse he was offered to fight Page wasn't enough, vacated the WBC title.

In March 1984, Page fought Tim Witherspoon for the vacant WBC belt.

Incensed over money troubles with promoter Don King, Page had gone on strike in the gym and arrived out of shape for the bout.

Witherspoon, who had lost a disputed decision to Holmes the previous year, pulled off an upset and took the title with a twelve-round majority decision.

After the fight, Page fired Leroy Emerson as his trainer.

Page returned in August with new trainer Janks Morton, and fought undefeated David Bey.

Page lost his second fight in a row when Bey took a twelve-round unanimous decision.

When Bey refused to fight reigning WBA heavyweight title holder Gerrie Coetzee in Sun City, South Africa due to Apartheid, Page stepped in.

Page knocked Coetzee down twice before knocking him out in the eighth round to win the title, in a round that was unusual as it overran by a minute.

Page made his first title defense against Tony Tubbs in Buffalo, New York on April 29, 1985.

Page had beaten Tubbs six out of seven times in the amateurs and was the favorite to win, but Tubbs upset the odds and won by a fifteen-round unanimous decision.

To make matters worse, Page's hotel room in Buffalo was burgled.

Taken was Page's championship belt, a $13,000 watch, and a $10,000 mink coat belonging to his road cook.

Page returned to face James "Buster" Douglas in January 1986.

Douglas stunned Page and took a unanimous decision.

He was also a regular sparring partner for Mike Tyson, famously knocking down the then-undefeated world champion during a 1990 session.

Page, after a brief stint with a Southern Indiana trainer, started amateur boxing at age 15 under the tutelage of Leroy Emerson at the Louisville Parks Department gym in the Cherokee Triangle neighborhood.

He first came to the public's attention by sparring several rounds with the iconic Muhammad Ali.