James Page’s sad story
continues after the ex-welterweight champion was arrested on bank robbery
charges.
Page was a solid welterweight
in the mid-to-late 1990s who held the WBA title for a while from 1998 until he
was stripped in 2000. On the surface, he was a talented easy-going guy who
always smiled and had a nice word for a familiar face.
Trouble, though, always
bubbled beneath the surface with Page. Part of Page’s back story when he was
champion was that he was trying to turn his life around after fighting drug
issues and a chequered past that included two jail stints.
His career ended after a 2001
loss in Las Vegas to Andrew “Six Heads” Lewis. Shortly thereafter, Page was
convicted of a bank robbery in Atlanta and was sentenced to 11 years in prison.
When Page was released last
year, he announced his intention to fight again, at the advanced age of 42. His
return was precipitated by the same one that brings so many boxers back, a need
for money and no other means of earning a living.
He lost his comeback fight on
Nov. 17, when he was knocked out in the second round by Rahman Mustafa Yusobov.
But earlier this year, the FBI began to look at him as a suspect in a string of
back robberies in Walnut Creek, Pleasanton, Antioch, Oakley, Lafayette and
Emeryville, Calif.
He was arrested on Monday in
Oakland, according to the San Jose Mercury News, bringing his story, sadly,
full circle. Page spoke to Mercury News reporter David DeBolt in jail on
Tuesday, though he wouldn’t discuss his case.
It’s something I got to fight.
I’ll have my day in court.
In the video interview above,
which he gave on September 7 while training in Oakland, he said he wanted to
get straight so he could regain a welterweight title.
Anyone who follows boxing even
a little knew that was a ludicrous thought. At 42 years old and after nearly 12
years off, it would have been miraculous if Page had been able to beat
low-skilled fighters, let alone return to championship form.
Commissions have to begin
taking a more difficult stance when considering license applications from older
fighters such as Page, who are looking to return to the sport after a lengthy
absence.
There is little barrier to
entry for a potential boxer getting a license. If a fighter can pass the
medical tests and show at least a modicum of skill, he’s generally allowed to
fight. The lack of ability would keep the same athlete out of, say, the NBA or
the NFL, but in boxing, there is always a low-level opponent to fight.
Commissioners generally
approve the applications of fighters like Page, even though it rarely turns out
well. Page was knocked out in the second round by Yusobov, who entered the
fight with Page with an 8-9 record.
The good news is, Page wasn’t
seriously injured in that bout. The bad news, of course, is that the FBI
believes he’s returned to the life of crime that has kept him behind bars much
of his adult life.
Hopefully, though, Page’s case
will at least cause athletic commissions to be more cautious for licensing
fighters in similar situations. Denying a license would at least prevent a
potential in-ring tragedy.
Out-of-the ring, boxing doesn’t
provide any sort of safety net for those who struggle to adapt to the real
world. It’s a problem that’s not going to go away any time soon. (Source)
