The former WBA heavyweight champion Greg Page passed away today in Louisville, Kentucky at the age of Fifty.

Apparently his death came about after health complications related to a 2001 fight where he was brutally beaten and ended up in a coma. When he came out of the coma he suffered a stroke which left him partially paralyzed and just a shell of himself.

Page started boxing at a young age and even sparred with Muhammad Ali at the age of fifteen. He was talented and seemed to have everything going for him, including a Golden Gloves National Championship win in 1978 when he was just twenty years old.

His boxing career was long and full of ups and downs, he won the heavyweight crown in 1984 when he defeated Gerrie Coetzee in an eight round technical knockout. Unfortunately he lost the heavyweight belt in his very next fight when he defended the championship against Tony Tubbs.

In 2001 the former champ fought the fight which changed his life for ever as he was pummeled by Dale Crowe a heavyweight prospect who was twenty four years old. Crowe dropped Greg in the tenth round and the former champ was unable to get up and remained down until taken to the hospital. The saddest part about this was that he was fighting for $1,500.

In 2007 the champ won a settlement of 2.1 million dollars against the Kentucky Boxing and Wrestling association. The settlement was reached when it was proven that there was inadequate medical personnel at the facilities where his last bout took place and also where his live was changed for ever.

Rest in Peace Greg Page!
Carlos Caicedo - Copyright © 2009 MrFight.com

It’s official Oscar De La Hoya retires.

The Golden Boy announced his retirement earlier today after days of speculation. Rumors began circulating last week when it was announced that the former champ would be holding a press conference today to disclose his future.

He leaves after a brilliant career which was full of accomplishments, titles and highs. Unfortunately the last memory of Oscar as a boxer may be one of the lowest moments in his career when he was destroyed by Manny Pacquiao.

His professional boxing career began on 11/23/92 versus a fighter by the name of Lamar Williams. It was a relatively easy KO victory in the first round. His brilliance continued for many years to come. A career full of great moments which included an incredible comeback victory against Ike Quartey and the destruction of Fernando Vargas. The latter fight seemed to have been one of the most personal battles in his career as Vargas played to the Mexican fans, claiming he was a real Mexican unlike the champ. The rivalry was all about Mexican pride and Vargas took a beating and a TKO loss in the 11th round.

He fought some legends which included Cesar Chavez, Pernell Whitaker and Tito Trinidad. The fight versus Trinidad resulted in his first loss and it was a controversial decision. Many fight fans and reporters gave the fight to the Golden Boy who controlled the first 7 rounds. The judges however saw this fight differently and gave Trinidad a gift win by a slight margin. I myself have watched this fight several times and can never seem to find a way to agree with the judges.

The last six fights were a roller coaster ride, with 3 wins and 3 losses within the time span of 2004 to 2008. He had some easy and impressive wins versus Steve Forbes and the always controversial Ricardo Mayorga. He also had one win versus Felix Sturm which he clearly did not deserve. The little known Sturm was a warm up fight before he took on Bernard Hopkins. Sturm gave De La Hoya everything he could handle and then some. Losses in this six year span included bouts versus Bernard Hopkins, Floyd Mayweather and Manny Pacquiao. The beating The Golden Boy took versus Pacquiao was unbelievable. I was truly saddened to see such a legendary fighter take such a beating. When interviewed Oscar said it was hard because his mind wanted to fight but his body just wouldn’t. Like many fighters well passed their prime, Oscar realized it was time to retire during a fight.

I hope the lasting memory of this great champ will be his wins, his professionalism and all his accomplishments which included a Gold Medal in the 1992 Olympics and wins over seventeen World Champions. He won ten belts in six different weight classes. His career as a fighter may be over but we will surely see him again as he is becoming one of the most powerful and influential boxing promoters in the sport.

Carlos Caicedo - Copyright © 2009 - Thanks for reading my article Oscar De La Hoya Retires.

Tapout co-founder Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr. was killed earlier this week in Newport Beach, California in a hit and run accident which tore his $300,000 Ferrari in half.

Jeffrey David Kirby was booked on suspicion of gross vehicular manslaughter and DUI. Kirby left the scene shortly after the accident but was spotted along with a female walking away from the car and were immediately arrested.

It is still unclear exactly how the accident occured but the Ferrari ended up jumping the curve onto the sidewalk and slammed into a light pole which fell on the car tearing it in two pieces.

Mask along with his partners were pioneers in MMA and the Mixed Martial Arts clothing boom. In an interview he explained how back in the day when MMA was illegal in the United States they would go to events selling T-shirts and would have to pretend the events were wrestling matches in order to avoid getting arrested. The Tapout clothing line can now be found in over 20,000 stores and had a gross revenue exceeding 100 million dollars in 2008. The company was originally founded in 1997 out of California and was ran out of a small apartment.

Charles Lewis Jr. along with his partners were also known for their Versus television show named “Tapout”. They would travel the United States looking for new talented MMA fighters with potential to train and sponsor.

Here are some words of wisdom from Lewis during an interview.

“Life is full of influences, it’s your application that sets you apart. That’s something I wrote to myself and completely believe in. You can’t be scared to set out to do something in life because you believe it may be similar to something, or because you don’t know the clear cut path on how you’re going to accomplish your goal or dream!”

R.I.P. Charles “Mask” Lewis Jr.

Carlos Caicedo - MrFight.com