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Today's
Stories
January 10, 2004
Alexander Cockburn
Bush
as Hitler? Let's Be Fair
Diane Christian
On Lying and Colin Powell
Lisa Viscidi
Exhumations: Unearthing Guatemala's Macabre Past
Saul Landau
Homeland Anxiety
Elaine Cassel
Who's Winning the War on Civil Liberties?
January 9, 2004
David Lindorff
The
Misers of War: Troop Strength and Chintzy Bonuses
Kurt Nimmo
Saddam's Defense: Summon Bush Sr. to the Stand
Mike Whitney
Orange Jumpsuits for the Bush Clan?: The Carnegie Report on Iraq's
Non-existent WMDs
Deb Reich
Palestinians and Israelis: This War is Unwinnable
David Vest
Disabled
Vets Fire Back at Rumsfeld
January 8, 2004
Neve Gordon
Israeli
Refuseniks Sentenced to Jail
Lenni Brenner
Dr.
Dean and the Godhead
Ray McGovern
Bush: Driving Without Breaks
Mark Scaramella
Inside
the DA's Office: Lies, Errors and Tedium
Yves Engler
Bush's Mexican Gambit
James Hollander
Journalists
Under Fire: the Death of José Couso in Baghdad
January 7, 2004
Democracy Now!
Uncharitable
Care: How Hospitals are Gouging and Even Arresting the Uninsured
Greg Weiher
The
Bush Administration's Ongoing Intelligence Problem
Ben Tripp
The Word of the Year, 2003
Dave Lindorff
Dean and His Democratic Detractors
Michael Leon
The NYT Does Chomsky
Bob Boldt
God Talk
Ramon Ryan
Small
Victories and Long Struggles: the 10th Anniversary of the Zapatista
Uprising
January 6, 2004
Dave Lindorff
RNC
Plays the Hitler Card: MoveOn Shouldn't Apologize for Those Ads
Ron Jacobs
Drugs
in Uniform: Hashish and the War on Terrorism
Josh Frank
Coffee and State Authority in Colombia
Doug Giebel
Permanent Bases: Leave Iraq? Hell No, We Won't Go
John Chuckman
Sick Puppies: David Frum's New Neo-Con Manifesto
Rannie Amiri
The Politics of the Iranian Earthquake
John L. Hess
A Record
to Dissent From
Thacher Schmid
A Cheesehead's Musings on the Sunday NYT
David Price
"Like
Slaves": Anthropological Thoughts on Occupation
January 5, 2004
Al Krebs
How
Now Mad Cow!
Kathy Kelly
Squatting
in Baghdad's Bomb Craters
Jordy Cummings
The Dialectic of the Kristol Family: Putting the Neo in the Cons
Fran Shor
Mad Human Disease: Chewing the Fat Down on the Farm
Fidel Castro
"We Shall Overcome": On the 45th Anniversary of the
Cuban Revolution
Gary Leupp
North
Korea for Dummies
January 3 / 4, 2004
Brian Cloughley
Never
Mind the WMDs, Just Look at History
Vice Admiral Jack Shanahan
The Wrong War at the Wrong Time
William Cook
Failing to Respond to 9/11
Glen Martin
Jesus
vs. the Beast of the Apocalypse
Robert Fisk
Iraqi Humor Amid the Carnage
Ilan Pappe
The Geneva Bubble
Walter Davis
Robert Jay Lifton, or Nostalgia
Kurt Nimmo
Ashcroft vs. the Left
Mike Whitney
The Padilla Case
Steven Sherman
On Wallerstein's The Decline of American Power
Dave Lindorff
Bush's Taiwan Hypocrisy
William Blum
Codework Orange!
Mitchel Cohen
Learning from Che Guevara
Seth Sandronsky
Mad Cow and Main Street USA
Bruce Jackson
Conversations with Leslie Fiedler
Standard Schaefer
Poet Carl Rakosi Turns 100
Ron Jacobs
Sir Mick
Adam Engel
Hall of Hoaxes
Poets' Basement
Jones, Albert & Curtis
January 2, 2004
Stan Cox
Red Alert
2016
Dave Lindorff
Beef, the Meat of Republicans
Jackie Corr
Rule and Ruin: Wall Street and Montana
Norman Solomon
George Will's Ethics: None of Our Business?
David Vest
As the Top Wobbleth
January 1, 2004
Randall Robinson
Honor
Haiti, Honor Ourselves
David Krieger
Looking
Back on 2003
Robert Fisk
War Takes an Inhuman Twist: Roadkill Bombs
Stan Goff
War,
Race and Elections
Hammond Guthrie
2003 Almaniac
Website of the Day
Embody Bags
December 31, 2003
Ray McGovern
Don't
Be Fooled Again: This Isn't an Independent Investigation
Kurt Nimmo
Manufacturing Hysteria
Robert Fisk
The Occupation is Damned
Mike Whitney
Mad Cows and Downer George
Alexander Cockburn
A Great Year Ebbed, Another Ahead
December 30, 2003
Michael Neumann
Criticism
of Israel is Not Anti-Semitism
Annie Higgins
When
They Bombed the Hometown of the Virgin Mary
Alan Farago
Bush Bros. Wrecking Co.: Time Runs Out for the Everglades
Dan Bacher
Creatures from the Blacklight Lagoon: From Glofish to Frankenfish
Jeffrey St. Clair
Hard
Time on the Killing Floor: Inside Big Meat
Willie Nelson
Whatever Happened to Peace on Earth?
December 29, 2003
Mark Hand
The Washington
Post in the Dock?
David Lindorff
The
Bush Election Strategy
Phillip Cryan
Interested Blindness: Media Omissions in Colombia's War
Richard Trainor
Catellus Development: the Next Octopus?
Uri Avnery
Israel's
Conscientious Objectors
December 27 / 28, 2003
Alexander Cockburn
A
Journey Into Rupert Murdoch's Soul
Kathy Kelly
Christmas Day in Baghdad: A Better World
Saul Landau
Iraq
at the End of the Year
Dave Zirin
A Linebacker for Peace & Justice: an Interview with David
Meggysey
Robert Fisk
Iraq
Through the American Looking Glass
Scott Burchill
The Bad Guys We Once Thought Good: Where Are They Now?
Chris Floyd
Bush's Iraq Plan is Right on Course: Saddam 2.0
Brian J. Foley
Don't Tread on Me: Act Now to Save the Constitution
Seth Sandronsky
Feedlot Sweatshops: Mad Cows and the Market
Susan Davis
Lord
of the (Cash Register) Rings
Ron Jacobs
Cratched Does California
Adam Engel
Crumblecake and Fish
Norman Solomon
The Unpardonable Lenny Bruce
Poets' Basement
Cullen and Albert
Website of the Weekend
Activism Through Music
December 26, 2003
Gary Leupp
Bush
Doings: Doing the Language
December 25, 2003
Diane Christian
The
Christmas Story
Elaine Cassel
This
Christmas, the World is Too Much With Us
Susan Davis
Jinglebells, Hold the Schlock
Kristen Ess
Bethlehem Celebrates Christmas, While Rafah Counts the Dead
Francis Boyle
Oh Little Town of Bethlehem
Alexander Cockburn
The
Magnificient 9
Guthrie / Albert
Another Colorful Season
December 24, 2003
M. Shahid Alam
The Semantics
of Empire
William S. Lind
Marley's
List for Santa in Wartime
Josh Frank
Iraqi
Oil: First Come, First Serve
Cpt. Paul Watson
The
Mad Cowboy Was Right
Robert Lopez
Nuance
and Innuendo in the War on Iraq
December 23, 2003
Brian J. Foley
Duck
and Cover-up
Will Youmans
Sharon's
Ultimatum
Michael Donnelly
Here
They Come Again: Another Big Green Fiasco
Uri Avnery
Sharon's
Speech: the Decoded Version
December 22, 2003
Jeffrey St. Clair
Pray
to Play: Bush's Faith-Based National Parks
Patrick Gavin
What Would Lincoln Do?
Marjorie Cohn
How to
Try Saddam: Searching for a Just Venue
Kathy Kelly
The
Two Troublemakers: "Guilty of Being Palestinians in Iraq"
December 20 / 21, 2003
Alexander Cockburn
How
to Kill Saddam
Saul Landau
Bush Tries Farce as Cuba Policy
Rafael Hernandez
Empire and Resistance: an Interview with Tariq Ali
David Vest
Our Ass and Saddam's Hole
Kurt Nimmo
Bush
Gets Serious About Killing Iraqis
Greg Weiher
Lessons from the Israeli School on How to Win Friends in the
Islamic World
Christopher Brauchli
Arrest, Smear, Slink Away: Dr. Lee and Cpt. Yee
Carol Norris
Cheers of a Clown: Saddam and the Gloating Bush
Bruce Jackson
The Nameless and the Detained: Bush's Disappeared
Juliana Fredman
A Sealed Laboratory of Repression
Mickey Z.
Holiday Spirit at the UN
Ron Jacobs
In the Wake of Rebellion: The Prisoner's Rights Movement and
Latino Prisoners
Josh Frank
Sen. Max Baucus: the Slick Swindler
John L. Hess
Slow Train to the Plane
Adam Engel
Black is Indeed Beautiful
Ben Tripp
The Relevance of Art in Times of Crisis
Michael Neumann
Rhythm and Race
Poets' Basement
Cullen, Engel, Albert & Guthrie
Hot Stories
Alexander Cockburn
Behold,
the Head of a Neo-Con!
Subcomandante Marcos
The
Death Train of the WTO
Norman Finkelstein
Hitchens
as Model Apostate
Steve Niva
Israel's
Assassination Policy: the Trigger for Suicide Bombings?
Dardagan,
Slobodo and Williams
CounterPunch Exclusive:
20,000 Wounded Iraqi Civilians
Steve
J.B.
Prison Bitch
Sheldon
Rampton and John Stauber
True Lies: the Use of Propaganda
in the Iraq War
Wendell
Berry
Small Destructions Add Up
CounterPunch
Wire
WMD: Who Said What When
Cindy
Corrie
A Mother's Day Talk: the Daughter
I Can't Hear From
Gore Vidal
The
Erosion of the American Dream
Francis Boyle
Impeach
Bush: A Draft Resolution
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for More Stories.
|
January
10 / 11, 2004
Once He was the Champion
of the World
Greg
Page is Down, But Not Out
By GARY A. JOHNSON
Folks, I've been a boxing fan since I was eight
years old. At that time I idolized Cassius Clay, who later changed
his name to Muhammad Ali. In the mid-70's, I remember hearing
about a young "up and comer" named Greg Page. Page
attended the same high school as Ali and had developed a similar
boxing style. He was so talented as a youngster that he sparred
with Muhammad Ali when he was just 15 years old. Brash, flashy
and exciting, Greg Page was billed as the heir apparent to Ali
and the next "big thing" in the heavyweight division
of boxing.
As time passed, Page rose steadily in
the ranks of the boxing world, eventually becoming one of its
heavyweight champions. There were, however, a number of boxing
pundits who felt that Page never lived up to the lofty expectation
that he might be the next Muhammad Ali. Although Page was consistently
criticized for being an underachiever, I always thought some
of that criticism was unfair. There is only one Muhammad Ali.
I felt critics who constantly compared Page's every move to that
of Ali put an unreasonable amount of pressure on this young fighter.
As the years passed, I continued to follow
the sport and watched boxer after boxer fight past his prime.
I would shake my head in disgust watching boxers who had no business
being in the ring. And the list of such boxers was long: Muhammad
Ali, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, Sugar Ray Leonard, Ron Lyle,
Roberto Duran, Thomas Hearns, John Mugabi, Mike Weaver, Larry
Holmes, Ken Norton, Simon Brown, Mike Tyson, Leon Spinks, Terry
Norris, Michael Dokes, Alexis Arguello, Ray Mancini and Aaron
Pryor.
Greg Page is now a member of a haunting
fraternity_the forgotten warriors of professional boxing. In
March 2001, Page_at age 42 and weighing 238 pounds--stepped into
the ring to fight a 24-year-old boxer named Dale Crowe. Page
was making somewhat of a comeback and had been doing his full
complement of road work--three or four miles a day almost every
day of the week. A former heavyweight champion who had fought
before royalty and the governing elite, Page on this night was
fighting at Peel's Palace in Kentucky for a mere $1500 dollars.
According to ringside observers, Page
entered the ring in the robe and shoes that he had worn 16 years
ago when he won the World Boxing Association heavyweight crown
from Gerald Coetzee in Johannesburg ,South Africa in 1984. Page
held that title for 5 months before losing to Tony Tubbs in April
1985. From August 1993 to May 1996, Page did not fight professionally.
He told me that he stayed in shape and worked with other fighters.
The fight began, and Page appeared to
be holding his own against the young fighter until the 10 th
round. "The timekeeper smacked the mat with his hand toward
the end of the fight to indicate 10 seconds were left, and that's
when I went after Greg with one last flurry," his opponent
Crowe was quoted as saying. The beginning of that flurry was
a straight left flush to Page's chin. Page's head seemed to move
forward and his body followed. Crowe then pushed Page against
the ropes, and Page slid down to the mat.
According to news reports, Page's friends
at ringside said that, within 30 seconds, Page was in a different
world. Longtime friend and cornerman Kelley Mays said, "His
eyes were open, and yes, you could say he was conscious for a
couple of minutes, but to my eye--there was nobody home. It was
a deep dark glaze in his eyes. He wasn't there, anymore."
Little did Mays know that, on that night,
Greg Page suffered traumatic brain injury and a massive stroke.
Page was in a coma for a week at Cincinnati
's University Hospital and then endured 13 weeks of inpatient
therapy before being released. The man that doctors predicted
would be a "vegetable" if he lived was instead on his
way home. That was in 2001. Today, Greg Page lives with 24-hour,
round-the-clock care.
As I studied that tragic fight and prepared
for this interview, it became clear early on that this would
be an interview that goes beyond boxing. Rather, it is a story
about a man who beat the odds and lived to tell his story. And
it is a story about a woman whose faith, love, and devotion are
a true testament to her commitment to her man. Greg Page is not
the man he was yesterday. Every day that he wakes up makes him
a miracle in progress. In addition to physical therapy and rehabilitation,
Page needs over 21 medications a day. The Page family is one
crisis away from being homeless. Despite all of the money that
he earned for himself and generated for others, Greg Page was
essentially an Independent Contractor without insurance, benefits,
or a pension. His wife Patricia has dedicated her life to taking
care of Greg. And, fulfilling a promise she made to him when
he asked her "not to let this happen to anyone," she
is an advocate working to make boxing a safer sport.
According to recent statistics, approximately
87% of all boxers will suffer a "brain injury" at some
point in their career. Greg and Patricia Page want to educate
all boxers and their families about the need for access to health
and life insurance as well as information about money management.
Greg Page was the heavyweight champion of the world, but he didn't
take advantage of such opportunities, in part because he was
unaware of his options.
By now, some of you are probably wondering
how a man who earned hundreds of thousands of dollars per fight
would fail to recognize that he needed insurance. Well. you're
not alone. I had plenty of questions for the former champ and
was able to get answers to all of them thanks to Patricia, his
primary caretaker. She arranged this interview between me and
the former champ. I found her to be a spiritual and courageous
woman whose life was changed in an instant. And through it all,
Patricia's faith in God and her love for Greg are both moving
and inspiring. Greg Page is an example of how courage and faith
in God sustain a person even in the hardest of times. I hope
you enjoy reading this interview with Greg and Patricia, whom
he affectionately calls "Patty," as much as I enjoyed
conducting it.
Before I spoke with the champ, Patricia
warned me that her husband "has his good days and his bad
days." As a result of his brain injury, Page experiences
memory problems, irregular sleeping patterns and he tires easily.
There were some days when the champ simply didn't want to be
bothered with my questions and said, "I'm not fooling with
this today." As a result, this interview had no deadline.
I decided to accommodate the champ and work around his schedule.
My first interview with the champ was
memorable. It was an early evening interview and the champ was
well rested and in great spirits. He watches a lot of television
when he's not in rehab or therapy. He loves watching "Judge
Judy", soap operas and re-runs of Sanford and Son. Page's
recall of names and places and other facts was impressive. At
one point the champ asked me if I knew Frankie Smith. I was racking
my brain thinking about boxers. I finally confessed that I had
no ideas who he was and the champ replied: "Double Dutch
Bus." Page loves his 80's music and Frankie Smith recorded
one of Page's favorite songs of that era, "Double Dutch
Bus." We also talked about the about the Sugar Hill Gang
and other rap and disco era groups. Page is also familiar with
many of today's popular music artists.
It should be noted that several times
during the interview I had difficulty understanding what Page
was trying to say. His speech was slurred but his voice was vibrant
and strong. When I had trouble understanding Page, Patricia would
jump in and explain what the champ said or was trying to say.
Having Patricia in the room was helpful and not a distraction.
She did not speak for the champion . Page understood the questions
and answered them, not Patricia. There were times when I had
the sense that Page's mind was faster than his tongue when it
came to responding to some of the questions.
Patricia arranged for this interview.
She works a fulltime job and comes home to take care of Greg.
She's his sole caretaker in charge of medication and she works
his body on the days that he doesn't go to rehab. And through
it all, her faith in God and her love for Greg is what keeps
her going.
I hope you enjoy this interview with
Greg and Patricia Page, who he affectionately calls "Patty,"
as much as I enjoyed conducting it. --GA
Gary Johnson/BMIA.com : Greg you suffered a severe brain injury and
massive stroke from an injury sustained in a "state sanctioned"
professional boxing match. How has this incident changed your
life?
Greg Page :
There is almost nothing about my life that is the same. I am
paralyzed on my entire left side. Sometimes I can't tell you
what I had for breakfast. My long term memory is pretty good
(some days) but short term it is pretty rocky most of the time.
I heard a while back that some of my "relatives" and
"friends" back in Vegas, where I had lived for the
better part of 15 years were saying I was retarded now. I AM
NOT retarded. That really gets to me. They also said I was "pitiful."
I AM NOT pitiful! When I was laying in the hospital intensive
care unit fighting for my life, maybe, just maybe then I was
pitiful. God chose me for this test! I am a living, talking testament
to God's mercy and blessings.
BMIA.com :
It seems that boxers, more than any other athlete "hang
on" longer than they should in the sport. They just don't
seem to know when to quit. Greg, you had been out of the boxing
game for a long time. What prompted you at the age of 42 to get
back in the ring? Was it the lure of having a big payday and
shot in the limelight?
Greg Page :
That is one of the myths about my career. I never left boxing.
There were periods that I was not actively fighting but I was
still training myself and also training other fighters. Over
the years I have trained many fighters. I trained Oliver McCall
and was in his corner when he defeated Lennox Lewis in England.
One of the women I trained, Marischa Sjauw is a five-time world
champion in Europe . I trained many up and coming fighters.
After I lost to Bruce Seldon in 1993,
(we were fighting for the IBF title) I was disgusted, with the
fight game and myself. I didn't have the fire in my belly to
keep at it like I should. So, I retired and became Mr. Mom. My
wife at that time worked for Don King and she was always gone
on the road with one fighter or the other and that left our 2
girls with various friends or relatives. It was one person then
the other and I didn't like that. So I decided to come off the
road and stay home with the girls, which I did for almost 3 years.
I got up each morning and got them ready for school. I even fixed
their hair for them. I fixed their breakfast and then I took
them to school. I went and did my roadwork and went to the gym
to train. After school, I picked the girls up, took them home,
fixed dinner (oh yeah, I'm a real good cook) and then we did
homework and watched TV till bedtime.
Then the money started getting tight
and the marriage wasn't doing too good so I decided to go back
out on the road and back into the ring. At the same time I continued
with training other fighters. I stayed on the road most of the
time. My marriage as I said was mostly over. I went back to Vegas,
where we had lived, for 15 or so years to see my girls but that
was about it.
In 1997, I moved to Nashville and was
training fighters to beat fighters that I knew I could beat.
So I started fighting seriously. Also, I had a reconnection With
God. I re-dedicated my life to him and this was the direction
that I felt my spirit was leading me. When the opportunity presented
itself for me to fight for the Kentucky Heavyweight Championship,
I thought that it would be a stepping stone to bigger and better
things. And it was, just not in the way that I thought that it
would be.
One of the important things to remember
about boxing is that boxing don't take care of the fighters.
There is no pension plan so unless you look forward and take
care of your own retirement plan-- there is none. Boxing is the
only sport that I can think of that don't take care of its own.
Just like I didn't have no insurance when this happened, the
promoter didn't have no insurance to cover me like I now know
that he was supposed to have.
BMIA.com :
Wow! You mentioned that your former wife used to work for boxing
promoter Don King. How would you describe your relationship with
Don King?
Greg Page :
Don King has a way of surrounding you and becoming bigger than
life to his fighters. Their families and entourage look up to
him and come to depend on him. My father signed me to fight with
Don King before he died. My relationship with Don was rocky and
chaotic for the most part. Some of the fights that I lost, that
were close fights were; I feel, because I was fighting one of
Carl King's (Don's son) fighters or because Don and I were battling
each other. It is hard to keep your mind focused on what you
are supposed to be doing when there is nothing but chaos all
around you. That is how it was with me. I felt like it was divide
and conquer. And I could not get beyond the chaos to do my job.
When I got hurt, I heard that someone
asked Don what he thought about it and Don said that he didn't
know I was still around or still fighting or something like that.
(Patricia wants to respond).
Patricia Page :
Last year, I was contacted by a reporter from Max Boxing who
said that she had talked to Don King about Greg and asked what
he had done to help him. Supposedly he told her that he had "sent
Mrs. Page some money but that obviously it wasn't enough since
she kept calling him and asking for more." I have NEVER
talked to Don King. I left several messages for him to call us
but he never did. Once that reporter told me that, I wrote Don
King a letter and sent it certified telling him that we had never
received anything from him and telling him that if he had sent
anything to Greg we never received it. It would appear, from
all that I have heard that he got offended and went on the defensive.
That was never my intention. I still feel like, for all of the
years that Greg was involved with Don King, and obviously, Don
has made money off of Greg, that the very least that he could
do is to check on him. That would be the humanitarian thing to
do.
Greg Page : I
also received information over the past few months that one of
the trainers that I had worked with had sent money to my ex-wife
for me, that didn't come to me. That's pretty sad.
BMIA.com:
Greg I estimated that during the course of your career you had
earned several million dollars. Am I close? Your last fight purse
was reportedly for $1500.00. Is that true?
Greg Page :
By most estimates, I have been a millionaire 2 times over. In
the early years, I was surrounded by my family. After my father
died, my mom, uncle and oldest brother took over running things
for me. All I cared about was boxing. I never paid attention
to what I made or what got paid. I trusted those around me to
make sure that things got done. That didn't happen. They bankrupted
me. I lost everything. I lost my farm, my condo everything. After
that, my ex-wife handled everything. By the time that I realized
what was going on I was bankrupt again. When I got hurt, I was
due to go to Vegas to have a divorce trial to finalize things
out there. That was all done while I was recovering and a lot
of ugly things happened. I left 13 years of marriage with 2 beautiful
daughters that I mostly raised that I am only allowed to see
for 4 weeks out of the year and I have to pay the transportation
costs, which is next to impossible for me. I lost one house to
foreclosure and my ex-wife got the one in Vegas. I was erased
from the equation just like I never existed. You know what, God
don't like ugly and he will even things out when it's all said
and done.
So I am back at the beginning, broke
but not broken! I don't have nothing but some clothes. Our house,
we rent and sometimes it is bad, but God has blessed me with
a great woman who loves me as I am! She has been there for me
through thick and thin. God put me back with a strong woman who
is a Christian like me. Regardless of what happens, I know that
she is there for me and that God has my back. There's not much
more a man can ask for, is there? When we got married it was
for richer or poorer---we are just mostly poor right now. Our
car, I've had since 1999. It is a 1985 Lincoln Towncar that has
almost 300,000 miles on it. It don't look good and it got stolen
and beat up last year but I got it back. See how God blesses
me?
Yes my last fight's purse was for $1500.
A small sum for my life huh? There is a reason that all of this
happened. I was brought down but God is bringing me back up.
I honestly believed that I could be champ again. I was fighting
for all of the right reasons. I wanted it. I had a new relationship
with God and a woman who believed in me. My robe bore "Believe
in the Knockout Power of the Lord" on the back in testament
to my newly revived faith. I'm a miracle and God isn't done with
me yet.
BMIA.com: That's
a pretty bleak financial picture. Did you have insurance or savings
at the time of the fight? How are you able to live and pay your
bills? Do you have any sources of income?
Greg Page:
My medical bills are probably in the millions by now. Each month
medications cost us nearly $300. I have several medical appointments
per month and that is costly. I don't handle that stuff. Patty
does. Patty and I live from paycheck to paycheck. I receive a
small sum from disability (that just barely covers the rent)
and Patty works full time as a medical secretary at Frazier Rehab
Institute where I stayed at for over 3 months. This is tough
on her cause after working 8 hours she has to come home and take
care of me and my 2 stepdaughters. Some weeks we wonder if we
are gonna have enough to keep the light bill paid or the phone
paid. But God always comes through for us. Patty has insurance
that covers some of my stuff but some things we have to pay outright.
It is tough for me to deal with sometimes,
cause I can't help like I want to. Like now, there is no money
for Christmas. My stepdaughters are 10 and 11, and they say they
understand, rent and food gotta come first but Kids should have
Christmas though, ya know?
BMIA.com:
Your outlook on life is remarkable. Has the boxing community
supported you?
Greg Page :
There have been a few who have come forward. Some that I never
expected like Gerry Cooney, Tim Witherspoon and Larry Holmes.
An old friend from back in the day, Alex "Bronx Bomber"
Ramos and the Retired Boxers Foundation helped with my medications
when I was first released. Muhammad Ali called awhile back. I
also hear from Shelley Williams who I worked for at Prince Ranch
and also former heavyweight contender Earnie Shavers. They keep
in contact with me. I talk to former champion Gerald McClellan
and his sister Lisa sometimes and of course, Dale Crowe. My fans
still remember me and that is GREAT!
Patricia Page :
I have contacted several promoters/managers in hopes that I could
get a "Night At The Fights" staged with money to be
raised to help Greg but they told me that they would see what
they could do and would get back to me. So far I have heard nothing.
What would it hurt? Greg could use the support and the financial
part wouldn't hurt either.
Greg Page :
I told Patty a long time ago, I can't make them any money anymore
so they don't care about me. It is when things are the darkest
that you find out who your true friends are. Actually, some that
have contacted me like Larry (Holmes) and Tim (Witherspoon),
that really surprised me, blew me away.
BMIA.com :
Being an athlete at the top of your game must be intoxicating.
What is it like to be the heavyweight champion of the world?
Greg Page:
I do have to say that without a doubt that was one of the most
exciting times of my life. There is a picture that was taken
back then and it looks like I am flying, like the R. Kelly song,
"I Believe I Can Fly." That day I thought I could.
One of the things that always pissed
me off, was that all of the years that I boxed, trained hard,
fought hard, everyone else was living high on the hog off my
money. Not a single one of them lost 1 drop of sweat or took
one blow, but they enjoyed the benefits of it. Now that I am
down and out, how many do you think are there for me?
When I took the fight in South Africa
, I was slated to lose. They already had Coetzee's next title
defense fight lined up. Ha! I threw a monkey wrench into it for
all of them. I knew I was going to win so did Janks, my trainer.
When I was in training there, I got chased by baboons every day
when I did my roadwork. Not to mention the fact that my fighting
in South Africa went against apartheid. It was not politically
correct. Hell I didn't care. I would have gone to the moon to
fight and I would have fought anyone!
BMIA.com :
When you emerged on the boxing scene, there were so many similarities
to you and Muhammad Ali. Some boxing "experts" have
analyzed your career and say that you underachieved and that
you didn't use all of your gifts to the fullest. Do you think
that's a fair assessment?
Greg Page :
I know that people say that I underachieved. I was compared a
lot with Ali and that was hard for me. Ali was and is "The
Greatest" how do you follow in the footsteps of The Greatest?
I believe that I was blessed with a certain amount of talent.
For the most part, I feel like I worked hard. I think the bad
thing for me was that I had a lot of chaos around me. The people
that I trusted to handle things for me weren't always looking
out for my best interest like I thought they were. There was
a lot of taking and backstabbing going on and that was a bad
environment to work in. I think that my fans appreciated me and
enjoyed watching me and at the end of the day that is what is
really important.
BMIA.com : OK, let me come back to your
career for a moment. How long had you been out of the ring before
you took that last fight?
Greg Page :
As I said before, I hadn't left boxing.
Patricia Page : Greg
had a fight in November of 2000 at Longhead's in Louisville .
He fought in June of 2000 in New York, against Robert Davis.
Several times they have shown clips of that fight and talking
about how Greg was being beat up. What they don't say is that
in the 2nd round, Greg tore up his right shoulder but continued
to fight. He only had one hand to defend himself. If you check
out the video footage, you can see that he is holding the right
arm in close. He flew straight home and went to the hospital
emergency room to have his shoulder treated. The fight that ended
his career wasn't one sided either. Ask Dale Crowe. He has told
Greg that he has never been hit as hard as Greg hit him. That
fight was pretty physical and tough right up to the end.
BMIA.com : This
question is for you Patricia. How did you and Greg meet?
Patricia Page:
Greg and I went to Ahrens High School in 1975. We hung out together
at school. We got thrown out of Social Studies class more than
once for talking. We got along really well. However, Greg moved
over the summer and went to another school (Central) after that.
In February 1979, I went to the weigh-ins and surprised him.
We hung out for a couple of months after that.
Greg Page:
My dad and uncle kept running her off. They didn't want any distractions
for me.
Patricia Page (Continuing): In March of 2000, something drew me to stop
by Greg's grandmother's house. We believe that it was the hand
of God. He wasn't around but I left a note for him. It just said,
"An old friend who's just checking on ya." I put my
phone number on the note and left it at that. That afternoon,
I got a phone call that started with, "Is this who I think
it is?" I said, "I don't know. Who do you think it
is?" He said, "This is Patty, I recognized your writing.
When can I see you?"
We made plans to see each other the next
day, which we did. We spent hours talking about the old days
and catching each other up on the last 15 years of our lives.
We started seeing each other daily pretty much after that and
we decided that God had led us together for a reason. The rest
is pretty much history. We had one very good year together before
Greg's tragic injury. We got married on October 30, 2001 . Greg
said that God wouldn't continue to bless his recovery if we continued
to live together without being married.
BMIA.com :
Greg, your recovery has been nothing short of amazing. The initial
reports that I read immediately after the injury reflected that
you would either not survive or would be a "vegetable"
for the rest of your life. How hard has your recovery been?
Greg Page :
Honestly every day is a different challenge. Patty says the good
thing is that I don't remember most of it. I don't remember the
fight and I don't remember much of what went on for many months.
Hell sometimes I ain't real sure about what happened yesterday.
Patricia Page :
Gary I was there. I watched him go down. By the time I got around
the ring to him, he was already comatose, although I did not
know that then. I waited by his side for 4 weeks, waiting for
him to "snap out of it". The doctors prognosis was
grim from the get go. They told me that he would be a vegetable
and that the entire right side of his brain had been destroyed.
They told me that he would never recover. I told his surgeons
that he would be okay, because we had God in our corner. He looked
at me like I was crazy.
In the intensive care units, you have
limited times that you can visit. I was there at the door waiting
for each and every visitation time. I would pray with Greg and
over him. I played his favorite gospel music and sermons from
his favorite preachers (Pastor Rod Parsley, T. D. Jakes) and
I talked to him. When I looked into his eyes, even though he
could not talk yet, I knew "my Greg" was in there listening
to me.
Greg had a tracheotomy and was on a ventilator
for most of the month of March (2001) and he had a feeding tube
as well. He could not talk or move his left side at all. He didn't
start communicating (he started by writing notes) until late
April and shortly thereafter he started mouthing words and then
speaking. Since his left side is paralyzed, he had a hard time
holding his trunk up, almost like the left side is not there.
He had to learn balance all over again in order to be able to
even sit up. For quite awhile, he had a wheelchair that reclined
back and he had to have straps crisscrossed across his chest
to hold him up.
As he started recovering, I watched as
he had to learn how to do even the basic things that we take
for granted like brush his teeth and comb his hair. It broke
my heart but I was still so very proud of him. No matter how
tough the going got, he NEVER QUIT!! He never got mad and he
never blamed God. He has looked to God and thanked him for putting
him through this challenge. The going has been tough for Greg
but he is a true champion. He keeps on doing the things we ask
him to do so that he can keep on recovering.
If it had not been for my oldest daughter
Teisha, who moved back home while I was in Ohio with Greg as
he struggled to recover, I do not know what we would have done.
Greg needed a caregiver 24 hours a day for 7 days a week. She
was my right hand. She took care of the 2 little girls at home
and kept the house going as well as working full time. We were
one heck of a team, the 3 of us with God leading us.
BMIA.com:
Greg, I understand that no medical personnel or oxygen was present
at ringside at your last fight. If emergency medical personnel
had been at ringside and assuming that they would have treated
you sooner, do you think the injuries would have been as severe?
Patricia Page :
I was at the fight that night strictly as Greg's girlfriend.
I knew nothing about state regulations or federal regulations.
I did not know what should happen or what to expect. I went there
to see my man fight to give him support and to be there for him.
We even planned to go to Gatlinburg after the fight was over.
Now, however, I know the regulations.
I have been a guest speaker, telling Greg's fantastic story at
the American Association of Professional Ringside Physicians
conference in September in Las Vegas. I have studied other cases,
including ones in England . I know that the Kentucky Athletic
Commission (KAC) should NEVER have let the fight go on without
oxygen being there, which some KAC members have admitted in sworn
depositions that they were aware that there was no oxygen available
and that they made a "judgment call" to proceed anyway.
Also, no one bothered to check the "ringside physician's"
credentials. He was not licensed to practice in the state of
Kentucky . In fact his license had been revoked in Ohio and had
been re-instated with probation. He was on probation when he
presided at the fight. So he should NEVER have been there anyway.
I know that if the "ringside physician"
had been competent (not to mention the fact that he did not have
a license to practice in Kentucky_or medical malpractice insurance)
and if they had the bare minimum, oxygen available, with an ambulance
close by or on standby Greg would not have been in the critical
condition that he ended up in. Greg was down and fighting for
his life for 45 minutes before they got him loaded up and to
the hospital. In that time, his brain continued to swell and
he had a massive stroke. By the time the ambulance got him loaded
into the ambulance, he was in complete cardiac and respiratory
arrest.
Had the doctor realized how serious Greg's
injury was, he would have gotten oxygen to him immediately and
that in turn would have slowed the swelling down. If an ambulance
would have been there, they would have loaded Greg up and immediately
taken him to University Hospital in Cincinnati and he would have
had surgery much sooner. That didn't happen. It was close to
an hour at Peel's Palace before the ambulance got to Greg, then
to St. Luke's in Erlanger, Kentucky for 1 and 1/2 hours, so you
are talking about 2 1/2 to 3 hours before Greg was taken into
surgery to relieve the swelling and remove the hematoma. By that
time, the swelling caused a massive stroke.
I am not talking about speculation. I
have talked to so many medical doctors. A St. Louis medical doctor
told us that he could pinpoint at least 45 minutes to an hour
in Greg's lack of care that cost him the use of his leg. It is
only by the grace of God that Greg survived, not by anything
that the Kentucky Athletic Commission or the other "doctor"
did that night.
BMIA.com :
Greg, what is the extent of your injuries today?
Patricia Page :
As Greg has said, he is completely paralyzed on the left side.
His short term memory is severely impaired. Some days his speech
is very impaired, other days he talks o.k. Some days he doesn't
remember if he has eaten. He has very poor vision in his left
eye. He has no peripheral vision in his left eye either. So someone
can actually walk up on his left side, and get all of the way
around in front of him, before he actually sees them. He can
write although some days his writing is unreadable. Other days
his writing is OK. Greg has suffered what is called a traumatic
brain injury (TBI) and they say he will NEVER recover totally
from it. Recovery will continue for the rest of his life. Some
things he will never regain. He spends most of his day in his
bed or his wheelchair sometimes in his recliner reading his bible,
watching reruns of Gilligan's Island , Mr. Ed, or Sanford and
Son. He says that he is happy and I would say that he is.
Greg Page:
My favorite TV channels are TV Land or TBN (Trinity Broadcasting
Network).
BMIA.com:
Patricia, what's a typical day in the Page household?
Patricia Page:
Our typical day begins at about 4:00 a.m. This is Greg's favorite
part of the day. We get a chance to laugh and talk and spend
time together before either of us gets our day started. Then
we get Greg cleaned up and dressed to start his day. Then I feed
him breakfast. While he is eating, I get ready for work. Before
I leave for work, Greg is set for the day. He has all of the
things that he will need around him and he is either in his bed
or his chair watching TV. Then I leave. My daughter Teisha, who
now lives in an apartment of her own, stops by for lunch and
to just hang out with him. At 3:00 p.m. I get home from work
and we get ready for dinner and do homework etc. We watch some
TV together, like Judge Judy, and then we eat dinner. We spend
some time with the girls over homework or just hanging out talking
about their day and then it is time to get ready for bed.
If Greg is feeling up to it, we read
or make some phone calls. We chat about the day, the girls, or
whatever and then it is bedtime. That is pretty much a typical
day.
The exception is on Tuesday and Thursdays
when he leaves the house to go to therapy. He has physical therapy
and occupational therapy for 2 hours. The Rehab Institute wheelchair
van comes to pick him up and brings him back to the house.
He has several medical appointments a
month and on those days, we might stop by to see an old friend
or take a walk around the block once we get back home. Because
Greg is paralyzed on the left side and his mobility is limited,
I literally have to lift him up, bearing most of his weight,
get him pivoted around to sit him on the seat. Then we have to
move his legs around and then get the wheelchair folded up and
lifted into the car trunk (it weighs almost 60 lbs). I've gotten
pretty strong. Greg tells me all of the time that it is a good
thing that I am not a weak woman. Needless to say we don't get
out very often.
BMIA.com:
Greg, I know you have vowed to walk again. How close are you
to walking?
Patricia Page:
Actually right now, Greg is just now getting familiar with bringing
his body up full height using a cane for support. It has been
difficult for him but we are starting to see some progress. Greg
forgets sometimes that he can't actually walk, however we feel
that he will be able to walk again. The doctors are still skeptical
but they know how far Greg has come in this miraculous journey.
When God is ready for him to walk, he will. Greg continues to
work hard in therapy. Based on the severity of Greg's brain damage,
the doctors say it is a miracle that he even knows his own name
but then again, Greg has God in his corner.
BMIA.com:
What advice would you give to people who want to pursue a career
in boxing?
Greg Page:
They should really make sure that is what they want to do. You
have to eat, sleep and live boxing. They should surround themselves
with people that they trust and not only family. You have to
be aware and involved in all that is going on around you and
this can be real hard for an athlete. You have to be ready to
run, run, run and then run some more and do wind sprints. You
have to work very hard and not everyone is cut out for that.
BMIA.com:
If someone reading this article wants to help you, how can they
help?
Patricia Page:
We have established the "Friends of Greg Page Fund."
Tax deductible c ontributions can be made at any Fifth Third
Bank location or sent directly to Greg. The "Friends of
Greg Page Fund" is a registered 501 (c)(3) charitable foundation.
The foundation's mailing address is 208 W. Kenwood Way, Louisville,
KY, 40214. These contributions are used for Greg's care and medical
obligations and to take care of Greg. The cost of this care rises
continually.
About an hour into our last conversation,
it was clear to me that the champ was getting tired. He wasn't
saying much. I finally said, "Well champ let me get out
of here and let you get some rest." All of a sudden his
voice got strong and he said: "I'm still here. I still have
a few tricks left." About ten minutes later the champ appeared
tired again and Patricia indicated that he needed to get some
rest. As I wrapped up the conversation, Page thanked me and stated
what has now become his trademark phrase: "Believe in the
knockout power of the Lord."
Greg Page's pro fighting record stands
at 58 wins (48 by knockout), 17 losses and 1 draw. He will never
fight professionally again. His quest to regain the heavyweight
championship of the world will never happen, but he remains a
champion where it counts the most--in his heart .
Additional research and reference material
for this interview courtesy of Cincinnati 's The Enquirer newspaper.
Special thanks to Carla Scopeletis for her editorial work and
suggestions.
Gary A. Johnson
is publisher of Black
Men In America, where this article originally appeared.
The Friends of Greg Page
Fund
208 W. Kenwood Way
Louisville, KY, 40214
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