- 2 minutes ago
Two former old Heavyweight champions face off as former WBA champion Greg Page faces former WBC and WBA champion Tim Witherspoon in a rematch from their 1984 WBC title fight which Witherspoon won a decsion.
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00:02The following is a special presentation of Fox Sportsnet.
00:14Welcome. This is your ringside tee for the best in professional boxing.
00:18The Sunday Night Bites on Fox Sportsnet.
00:28Hello again everybody, Barry Tompkins once more with my partner Rich Murata and we welcome you to the Legends of
00:33Boxing.
00:33Yes, some matches that would have been considered dream matches not that many years ago tonight, some of them as
00:39long as 15 years in the making.
00:41And Rich, I suppose we have the Legends of Baseball, we have the Legends of Basketball, and of course the
00:45Legends of Golf, why not the Legends of Boxing?
00:47And we're going to see guys really who were considered dominant figures, really legends in the 80s and really right
00:52on up to the 90s.
00:53We've got Billy Costello going against Juan Laporte, Tim Witherspoon and Greg Page.
00:57That's one rematch of a fight that Page wants a lot of revenge for.
01:00And then you've got Larry Holmes and Bone Crusher Smith, the rematch that you talked about 15 years ago.
01:06Yeah, and what's really on the line? Well, maybe pride more than anything else.
01:09So one more time, let's tee it up on the Legends of Boxing.
01:16Larry Holmes, former heavyweight champion of the world.
01:21James Bone Crusher Smith, former WBA heavyweight king.
01:25Round two, one more time.
01:27The rivalry began in 1984 when the two warriors faced off for the IBF heavyweight title.
01:33In an epic fight with both men hurt and bleeding, Larry Holmes needed all his experience and power to stop
01:39the surprisingly strong Smith in the 12th.
01:41A lot of people thought, I beat Larry, they still think I beat Larry.
01:44So now it is Holmes, he was fighting Smith, but there was the right answer.
01:48Yeah, I beat him until he gave up.
01:50And thus laying claim to his second championship belt.
01:54Tonight, Holmes and Smith confront each other again for the rematch.
01:58Each man having won the right by show of ample skill and indomitable courage to be called Legends of Boxing.
02:07Round two, one more time.
02:11Well, Rich, it sets the stage for our first fight of the evening.
02:14A couple of old chestnuts in the heavyweight division.
02:16Tim Witherspoon and Greg Page, guys who have been there, guys who have done that, guys who want to do
02:20it, one more time.
02:22In Witherspoon's case, a guy with a lot of talent, he did it actually twice, Barry, regaining the title, joining
02:27Ali and Patterson as guys who had regained the title.
02:29Once at the expense of Greg Page, very close decision.
02:33And Page has come in here with the express purpose of getting revenge for that bout 15 years ago.
02:38So that's our first fight of the evening.
02:40Ten rounds, they're heavyweights.
02:42Fight time on Fox continues after this.
02:46Welcome back to the Coliseum here in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
02:49Just about set for our first fight of the evening.
02:52Tim Witherspoon and Greg Page, two guys who have been in the ring together before.
02:57No secrets in any of these fights tonight, Rich.
02:59Well, they've had a long career, of course, in the world of heavyweight boxing.
03:03One in the 1980s when both were holders of the World Heavyweight Championship in one form or another.
03:09And they've continued, Barry, right into the 90s.
03:11In fact, these guys haven't been, for example, retired for 10 years and coming back and fighting this evening.
03:16These guys have basically been active.
03:18Both have fought this year.
03:19We saw Page fight Monte Barrett, in fact, earlier this year.
03:22Some question is to the caliber of opponent that this man has fought.
03:25Greg Page was fighting largely in Tennessee against fighters who are largely unheard of.
03:32But that's about as quick as I've seen Greg Page move in a long time.
03:35Boy, he wants to get into that ring.
03:37He just threw that security guard aside, running into the ring for a chance of revenge tonight.
03:42Greg Page, of course, a guy who's really made his career on an outstanding jab.
03:46And as you mentioned earlier, this is not the first time that he's hooked up with Tim Witherspoon.
03:51Now, Witherspoon, a guy, on the other hand, who it seems to me could be almost as good as he
03:56chooses to be.
03:57So that's our first fight.
03:58Greg Page, who comes in here a little bit heavy, but then that's been his history.
04:03And we had a chance to talk to him about that first fight with Tim Witherspoon.
04:10I fought Tim the first time, and the fight was close.
04:14And they took the fight from me because I went against the grain.
04:19I'm not going against the grain because I don't have nothing to do with them anymore.
04:23He don't have anything to do with them anymore.
04:25So it's an even kill.
04:27So the best fighter wins.
04:30Well, we'll see if the best fighter wins tonight.
04:32And it may just come down to who's more ready to win tonight, Rich.
04:35Well, I'll tell you one thing.
04:36I expect a quick start from Greg Page because that's been his history in recent fights.
04:40But this man, Tim Witherspoon, still remains dangerous.
04:43He fought even so far as not that long ago against Andrew Gulotta.
04:48He still has a punch, especially that right hand punch.
04:51He's a guy who made his living on it.
04:53Sneaky right hand.
04:54And he's going to be tough.
04:55And it's interesting, too, just looking at Tim Witherspoon here,
04:58he seems to be in as good a shape as Tim Witherspoon maybe has ever been.
05:03Now, whether or not age catches up, that remains to be seen tonight.
05:06But he does appear to be fit.
05:09And that will probably come into his favor in terms of facing a guy like Greg Page
05:14rather than a younger guy because it would figure that maybe Page would be the guy who fades.
05:18And coming into this fight, it must be said that Tim Witherspoon has fought perhaps
05:22a little bit higher caliber of competition of late, as has his opponent, Greg Page.
05:28Fighting guys like Gulotta, like maybe a year and a half ago, something like that,
05:33I still had the advantage because of the caliber of fighter.
05:39Like, the guy I'm fighting, Greg Page, sported a guy that was real light.
05:43And they went to 10 rounds, and I heard the guy beat him.
05:48So, Tim Witherspoon set to go, looking pretty much like Tim Witherspoon did not that many years ago.
05:55Witherspoon's record, 46 up, 9 down with 31 knockouts.
05:58Similarly, Page, 55, 14, and 1 with 45 knockouts.
06:03Page coming in at 250.
06:05They are similar in age, 141, 1 is 40.
06:08A slight reach advantage for Page, who needs to make use of what has been a very, very good jab.
06:15That's what has brought him and his career.
06:17Right now, take you to the center of the ring, and let's meet these two.
06:24Ladies and gentlemen, Kozel McQueen and Legends of Boxing presents this next contest of the evening,
06:33scheduled for 10 rounds, heavyweights.
06:37Your referee for this event, from Raleigh, North Carolina, Bill Clancy.
06:46Introducing now the principal's first, in the blue corner to my left, wearing the red trunks with the white trim.
06:55He weighs in at 250 pounds, with a professional record that reads 55 victories, 14 defeats, 1 draw, and 45
07:07wins coming by way of knockout.
07:10He hails from Louisville, Kentucky, the former WBA heavyweight champion of the world, Greg Payne.
07:27His opponent, in the red corner, wearing the white trunks, weighing 237.75 pounds.
07:37His professional record reads 46 victories, 9 defeats, and 31 wins coming by way of knockout.
07:48He hails from the great city of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the former two-time heavyweight champion of the world,
08:00terrible, terrible, Tim Winterspoon!
08:06Winterspoon!
08:07Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you.
08:11Let's go, Greg.
08:12Bring it to the center, come on, Greg.
08:14Let's go.
08:15All right, gentlemen, went through the rules in the locker room.
08:17Give me a good, clean fight.
08:18Protect yourself.
08:20All right, let's go to work.
08:21Well, just about 100 fights between these two, and I think they probably do both know these rules.
08:2610-point must system in use just about everywhere now.
08:29The three-knockdown rule will not be in effect tonight.
08:32There won't be a standing eight count, and we go to the cards after four rounds,
08:36or it becomes a technical draw.
08:39That's basically if there should be a headbutt, an incidental headbutt.
08:43And with these two, I don't think there's a great chance of that.
08:47Man, Page didn't even want to look at Witherspoon during the referee's instructions.
08:51He didn't even touch gloves with them.
08:53This guy wants to fight.
08:55Yeah, isn't it interesting?
08:56One of those real redemption fights, despite the fact that both these guys, in advancing years,
09:01each 40 are over now.
09:04Witherspoon into white.
09:05Greg Page in the red.
09:08Page, as we said, has based his career on an outstanding jab, and that one strayed along.
09:13Yeah, surprisingly enough, Barry, Page has come out here with a body attack.
09:16He's made his living on the jab and fighting at long range.
09:20Not known as a body puncher, but he came out there early with that attack
09:22and went right to the body.
09:25Witherspoon, on the other hand, is a guy, Rich, who I've always felt could be about as good as he
09:29wants to be.
09:30He's in his big moments.
09:33He's just never seemed really ready for that moment.
09:36And it may be a little bit too late now, but nonetheless, he's taking this fight much like Witherspoon,
09:41much like Page, very intently.
09:44And another low blow from Page.
09:46That one right on the belt line.
09:47Page is arguing about it, but referee Bill Clancy says that was a low blow.
09:51He asked Witherspoon if he's okay.
09:53He says yes.
09:54But Page is really directing his attack to the body.
09:57And he is starting fast, the way that he did against Monte Barrett
10:00in that great first round that he had when the two fought not long ago.
10:03And both now with a low blow, but the referee Bill Clancy just figures that all equals out.
10:13And down goes Witherspoon from a left hook.
10:15That's a knockdown, Barry.
10:17That is a legitimate knockdown, although a flash knockdown.
10:21Looked as though he got hit on the side or on the top of the head, and it just kind
10:24of made him dizzy, and down he went.
10:25The legs gave way.
10:27Does not appear to be hurt by that, and Page seems to know that, although he does open up a
10:32little bit.
10:33There's a pretty good right hand from Witherspoon.
10:36Witherspoon, a notoriously slow starter.
10:39Started slow in his fight with Larry Holmes, and it cost him that decision.
10:43Started slow, certainly, in his fight with Bonecrusher Smith, and was taken out of there in one round.
10:48In other fights, he has picked up steam as he went along.
10:51But he's going to have to get things cranked up a little earlier, if this going is any indication.
10:56Pretty good left hand there by Witherspoon.
10:58Actually knocked Page sideways for a moment.
11:04Now these two pretty sharp early in this fight, particularly Page who put Witherspoon down.
11:09And a lot of good clean punches, surprising in one way that Page has gone to the body a lot.
11:14But otherwise, it's really kind of gone according to Formberry in that Page has started fast and Witherspoon has not.
11:22And Page's fights historically have wound up more dancing than boxing at the end of a fight.
11:27And I mean close up dancing.
11:34He's content to work in close here early in the fight.
11:38And Page has done actually well, much better than you might expect from a great Page in time.
11:47Coming to the end of round number one.
11:49It's been an entertaining first round here.
11:56And I thought Witherspoon finished the round, and there the referee!
11:59Well, Clancy took a left hand from Page.
12:01That may have been the best punch of the round.
12:03Clancy hung right in there.
12:05He caught it all right.
12:09Well, Page has got to be very happy with the way that that first round went.
12:14Happier than Clancy is, I'm sure.
12:15I'm sure he is.
12:19But to Clancy's correct, he didn't take a backward step.
12:23Give me the spit thing!
12:25Hold up, give me the spit thing!
12:25Well, there was a lot going on in round number one.
12:28Page came out with a concerted body attack, but that one, as you can see, is well low.
12:33Witherspoon really didn't have to complain about that one.
12:36But then Witherspoon, the recipient of a left hook to the side of the head, and down he goes.
12:40The legs gave way on Tim Witherspoon.
12:43Good combination by Page.
12:45Page, dominant in round one, was showing some real quickness with the hand.
12:49You see the two left hooks.
12:50He doubled up in the second one, putting Witherspoon down.
12:53Flash knock down, but legit nonetheless.
12:55Then later on in the round, the two exchanging, and watch the left hook.
12:58Boom!
12:59Right on Clancy's face.
13:01Hey, Barry, he's got a good chin.
13:03Good chin.
13:03Didn't step backward.
13:05Stayed in there.
13:06I want you to listen to me.
13:06When that bell rings, you stop punching, okay?
13:08Touch gloves, touch gloves.
13:10Let's go.
13:10And that's for his own protection.
13:12They should have touched gloves with Clancy.
13:15Round number two, and a good first round, actually, an action round.
13:20There you see the crab-like defensive style of Tim Witherspoon.
13:24He uses that a lot.
13:24A style popularized by Archie Moore and also George Foreman.
13:29And Witherspoon will lose that same cross-arm tactics as well.
13:32Reminiscing of custom auto fighters.
13:34Jose Torres, another guy who utilized that style.
13:40Page having good success going to the body of Tim Witherspoon.
13:46Witherspoon might be smart to try to aim some of his attack at the body of Page as well.
13:50Because there's a lot of it there and a lot to slow down, I think, in Greg Page.
13:55Tim Witherspoon in a defensive posture here as we start the second round.
13:59All right.
14:01Page, although he's well overweight, does have still quick hands, Barry.
14:05He's showing in here in round two as well.
14:07He does.
14:08And well overweight, I think, is redundant when you talk about Greg Page.
14:11This has nothing to do with his years.
14:13He was like this when he was in his twenties.
14:16And that was a large part of the criticism of Greg Page.
14:18Was that he really wasn't giving himself the best chance to do as well as he might be able to.
14:24Never quite lived up to the potential.
14:27Well, a lot of people, because he liked to dance out there and shoot the jab.
14:30And because he was from Louisville, they tried to liken him to Muhammad Ali.
14:33Of course, that's just an impossible standard to live up to.
14:36Now, I've always thought, Rich, that might have been the biggest thing that hurt him,
14:40was being the second-grade heavyweight out of Louisville.
14:46Page fighting more at the long range now.
14:48This is more typical Greg Page in this round than was round one.
14:51No, no. Tim, if he goes right here, it's going to be okay.
14:54And again, conversation from Bill Clancy about the potentiality of low-blows.
14:59Well, he wanted it because Witherspoon has got those trunks in his protector
15:02pulled up fairly high.
15:04He wanted to let Witherspoon know that if he landed a punch to that belt line,
15:08it was going to be okay.
15:09It would not be considered a low-blow.
15:13Greg Page has stayed active not only by fighting,
15:17although against a lesser degree of competition, as we mentioned,
15:20but he's been training fighters as well.
15:22So even after his days as a fighter are done,
15:25he will doubtless remain very much in the forefront of the sport.
15:30Well, he fought a list of, well, basically club fighters
15:33and was knocking them all out there.
15:35Anyway, rolling up a pretty impressive winning streak.
15:37Then he fought Marty Barrett, which was a step back into the younger class,
15:41and he couldn't handle that, although he started fast in that fight
15:44like he has here tonight.
15:45But he faded along the way, and Barrett took the unanimous decision.
15:49Still, however, in this particular genre of the older fighters,
15:52the Legends series, Page figures to do pretty well.
15:56Well, one thing that is common to all the fighters
15:58who are going to be watching tonight, and that is ring-savvy.
16:01Greg Page now doing what he's done so many times
16:04and so successfully, close quarters and outpoint your opponent.
16:08Still to come, of course, the match between Larry Holmes
16:11and Bonecrusher Smith.
16:13Fight Time on Fox Sports Net continues after this.
16:20Welcome back to Fayetteville, North Carolina.
16:23Greg Page and Tim Witherspoon.
16:24Page in the red, Witherspoon in the white.
16:26We come to round number three.
16:28And two pretty good rounds, I thought, Rich, from Greg Page.
16:31Right, one thing Witherspoon has not been able to do yet, Barry,
16:33is to land his signature punch, that sneak right hand,
16:36which comes over the top.
16:38He likes to land it as a lead punch, and it is really a good punch.
16:41It comes with speed and it comes hard,
16:43but he just hasn't been able to get there with it yet.
16:45Still interesting to me that Tim Witherspoon appears, to me at least,
16:48to be as fit as I've ever seen him.
16:51And, of course, you and I both have done a ton of his fights.
16:54And he was a guy that we talk about giving yourself the best chance to win.
16:58He didn't always do that.
17:00No, I don't think so, Barry.
17:01And he found himself in a series of fights
17:04that perhaps were not the most exciting fights at the time,
17:07so I don't think Greg ever built up a tremendous amount of popularity.
17:11But what happens is that these fighters get older,
17:13they can't avoid punches as well as they did when they were younger,
17:17if they were, in fact, boxing masters.
17:19So the fights actually end up being better.
17:22And so tonight what we're seeing here has so far at least been better action
17:25than we saw the first time around between these two.
17:28And isn't that interesting?
17:29Tim Witherspoon, incidentally, was a very good athlete.
17:31He was a tight end.
17:32Also went to college.
17:33We're going to see a couple of guys who, uh,
17:35one who graduated from college,
17:36and Tim Witherspoon spent some time in college in the state of Oklahoma.
17:39Was a football tight end before he started boxing.
17:44Witherspoon landed a real nice little left hook in close,
17:47and now he's beginning to get the advantage, I think, for the first time.
17:50Beginning to move Page back,
17:51although Page is trying to fight himself and fight right back.
17:55And Page is fighting back very well.
17:57Wobbled Witherspoon, I believe, a little bit with a wild right hand.
18:01There have been a lot of clean punches landed by both men now in this fight,
18:06but mostly by Page.
18:11There's that right hand.
18:13That's the one.
18:14And, uh, that has startled and stunned a lot of fighters,
18:16and he landed it again, Barry.
18:20Tim Witherspoon kind of biding his time here.
18:23And as you mentioned, Rich, starting to open up a little bit.
18:26Witherspoon doesn't necessarily do things by the books.
18:29You never know exactly when to expect that right hand from him.
18:32He kind of loves it to sleep sometimes with his style,
18:34and then that right hand appears out of nowhere.
18:42Remember, as we pointed out though early,
18:44Witherspoon, slow starter, Page, fast starter.
18:48Witherspoon seems to be getting himself more into the fight now here in round three.
18:51Yeah, and Greg, Page conversely seems to be pushing his punches a little bit more here in round three.
18:57Go up his head.
19:03Both fighters leaning on each other, but we could expect to see that, I would think,
19:08pretty much for the duration.
19:11Ten seconds remaining now.
19:13Round three, we're scheduled for ten.
19:16Very good round for Tim Witherspoon in this, the third round.
19:20We're coming back.
19:25Welcome back to Sunday Night Fights on Fox Sports Net.
19:32Welcome back to Fanville, Barry Tompkins with Rich Murata.
19:35Round four upcoming.
19:37Let's take a look at some action in the last round.
19:39Well, we've been waiting for the sneak right hand of Tim Witherspoon.
19:41There you saw it.
19:42It took him two and a half rounds to get it cranked up.
19:44He landed that one in an overhand head fashion.
19:47And then moments later, cracked him with another one.
19:49That went to the ear.
19:50That's that sneak right hand of Tim Witherspoon.
19:52It's been one of his best weapons throughout his career.
19:54And a terrific punch it is.
19:57You understand me?
19:57God bless me.
19:59The Lord is blessing you, but you got to throw.
20:09Great page has become a very religious man in their recent years.
20:15And even blessing himself in the corner before he comes out for the round.
20:20So now it could come down to attrition here as both these fighters, of course, have been known on occasion
20:25to run a little low on gas as we get toward the middle rounds.
20:31And we'll see who has what left here.
20:33Well, if that's the case, Barry, then you would expect that Witherspoon would be the guy who might fall victim
20:39to that.
20:39Because of the fact that although he might be in a little better condition, it is Page who has really
20:44done the body attack on Witherspoon.
20:46Witherspoon has not really gone to the body of Page.
20:49Certainly not as much as he should have, I don't think, in this fight.
20:52Greg Page is a guy who we talk about how he likes to fight in close quarters and likes to
20:56just try to outpoint his opponents.
20:58But the other thing that he does, and this falls in the category of ring savvy, is he'll just lay
21:02on you, lean on you.
21:04And at 250 pounds, that wears you out.
21:07Yeah, well, he can definitely just do that.
21:09It wears on a fighter if you continue to do that.
21:12And he's got a big weight advantage here tonight, or at least he's carrying a lot more weight than his
21:17Witherspoon.
21:17I don't know if it's an advantage when you talk about whether these guys are in condition or not.
21:21But he can just wear him down by leaning on him, and I'm sure he's got that in mind.
21:26But still, Barry, I think the body punches will do that more than the leaning on him.
21:30He's another one of those guys, too, who along about the third or fourth round of virtually every fight of
21:35his that I've seen,
21:36he looks like he's just about out of gas.
21:38And then for the rest of the fight, he doesn't look any worse than he did in the third or
21:41fourth round.
21:42He keeps just enough in the tank to know how much longer he's got to go and how to pace
21:46him along the way.
21:49That's the one thing that I keep coming back to in this legend series is that there simply are no
21:53secrets.
21:54Everybody knows everything about everybody.
22:00These guys were both world champions in that 1980 kind of series.
22:04Look at that combination. That's really some good work by Page.
22:07Showed quickness of hand and buried his attack.
22:10To the body and hit. Mixed in a low blow, too.
22:13And being deducted. This time Clancy got him on it.
22:17That's the third warning, and this time he took the point away.
22:23And in a fight that's this close that could have an effect.
22:26Step back and no punch. Step back and no punch.
22:28So now it becomes a big round, really, for both fighters.
22:31If Witherspoon wins it, it becomes a 10-8 round.
22:34And the best that Greg Page can hope for, unless he knocks his man down, is a 9-9 round.
22:39Right. Witherspoon should really push it here now, although Page just seems to be doing it.
22:43But Witherspoon has an opportunity to make up for that knockdown round,
22:46which no doubt was scored 10-8 against him, round number one when he went down.
22:54There was that right hand again by Witherspoon.
22:57You've always got to look out for that.
22:59He kind of bends to the left.
23:00It just doesn't look like it naturally would come from that angle.
23:06Coming to the end of round number four now.
23:09Very close round. It's going to be a big round on the judges' cards.
23:13We're coming back.
23:20Still to come, of course, our main event.
23:22Larry Holmes, former champion, loosening up.
23:25And here's a guy who really knows how to get ready for a fight.
23:27There's no question about that.
23:29And he'll get it on with a hometown favorite, Bone Crusher Smith.
23:32He's been a promoter tonight.
23:34He is his own fighter.
23:35Bone Crusher Smith and Larry Holmes.
23:37That's still to come.
23:38Meanwhile, we get ready for round five.
23:40Greg Page and Tim Witherspoon.
23:43And again, this fight could come down to attrition.
23:45Who is the most ready to go the ten rounds?
23:48I thought Witherspoon let a golden opportunity get away from him in that last round.
23:52I think he let Page take the round from him.
23:55And Page probably survived with just a 9-9 round, Barry.
23:58Remembering that he had a point deducted for his low blow.
24:02Neither of these fighters looks particularly tired at this juncture.
24:07Both of them also in a mode of conserving energy.
24:10Nobody's getting wild.
24:11But again, that could also come down to the fact that these two guys have been there.
24:14Pretty good left to the body by Witherspoon.
24:16Yeah, where's that been?
24:17A little more of that from Witherspoon,
24:18which certainly increases chances of winning here this evening.
24:25And Page characteristically right on the shoulder of his opponent.
24:29In close like this, Page has had the advantage.
24:32One reason being that Witherspoon will cross his arms in front of him.
24:36So basically, he's got to pull one back, Barry, in order to throw a punch.
24:39So that takes a little bit of time.
24:41And Page really knows how to fight on the inside.
24:43There's an uppercut from Page in close quarters.
24:49Page just has all those little tricks.
24:51You see him grab the arms of Witherspoon.
24:53Just not let him get his punches off.
24:55And Page, meanwhile, doing just enough.
24:57Page was the champion when Witherspoon beat him the first time around 15 years ago.
25:02Page had beaten Jerry Coetzee for the championship.
25:05This was in the 1980s when it seemed just about everybody at one point or another in the heavyweight division
25:10had a piece of that title.
25:12Pinkland Thomas, Trevor Burbick, Tony Tubbs, these two fighters.
25:16It went on and on.
25:17It was really Holmes, then all of these guys, and then, of course, Mike Tyson.
25:24You know, it's interesting.
25:25We were talking earlier about Greg Page maybe being the second best heavyweight to come out of Louisville, of course,
25:30next to Muhammad Ali.
25:31And I'm not even sure that you can make that statement.
25:33Jimmy Ellis came along after Ali and kind of preceded Greg Page.
25:37So he had a real stigma in his own hometown.
25:41Yeah, it was awfully tough.
25:42You just hate to be lumped in with those kind of guys right at the beginning because the expectations are
25:47just unreasonably high.
25:48I'm going to keep it down or I'm going to have to let it go if it's here.
25:51Okay?
25:51Let's keep it down.
25:52Now, there it is again.
25:53What we talked about earlier, the protector of Tim Witherspoon is up too high.
25:58And so if you claim a low blow, it's not really low if it lands on that protector.
26:06Inside one minute remaining, round number five.
26:11Action has been at a steady pace.
26:13Not spectacular, perhaps, but by the same token, it hasn't exactly been a ballet.
26:18either.
26:21Page has been able to do well from the outside or the inside tonight, though, Barry.
26:25He's landed good jabs from the outside, quick combinations.
26:29And Witherspoon, basically his offense has been relegated to outside.
26:33Surprising Page at times with those right hands.
26:40So 20 seconds left in this fifth round.
26:45And again, Rick Page seemingly doing just enough to win a majority of the rounds thus far.
26:52And Witherspoon with a couple of low blows right there.
26:56And we'll see if Clancy, the referee, doesn't make note of it.
27:00He doesn't.
27:02As we come to the end of round number five, fight time on Fox Sports Net continues.
27:12Welcome back to Sunday Night Fights on Fox Sports Net.
27:18Barry Tompkins, Rich Marotta telling you about it from Fayetteville, North Carolina.
27:22We're at the Crown Coliseum.
27:23Brand new facility here in the hometown of one of our main event fighters, Bone Crusher Smith.
27:28Right now, it is Greg Page and Tim Witherspoon.
27:31Page in the red, Witherspoon in the white.
27:33It seems that Page kind of poking his nose in front in this fight thus far, Rich.
27:37Yeah, he's using the jab.
27:38He got up to a great start, Barry.
27:40And he built up the lead early in the first couple of rounds
27:42before Witherspoon started to get into the fight.
27:44Now he's come back in the last two rounds.
27:46Really used the jab, fighting from the outside and doing very well in that.
27:50And Witherspoon's got to get it going though, Barry.
27:52He's only been able to crank up that big right hand of his, that great weapon on a couple of
27:56occasions.
27:58This legend series, of course, featuring fighters who have been there.
28:02Very experienced fighters against one another.
28:05Some say it's a series for pride.
28:07Some openly admit this is all about money.
28:10I want the paycheck.
28:12And I think they all want George Foreman so that they can get a bigger paycheck.
28:16A real big paycheck at some point.
28:19Isn't that interesting?
28:20Everybody look into George Foreman who has been around longer than all of these guys.
28:27And again, a little bit of a low blow from Witherspoon.
28:29Yeah, but you know, at least he got a good combination off there, Barry.
28:32And he hasn't been throwing punches in combinations.
28:34And that was a good one.
28:35No punch.
28:36I'll call the low blow.
28:38And again, referee warning them for low blows.
28:42And Clancy's doing a good job in there.
28:44He's really maintaining order.
28:45And he is the man in charge.
28:47And he's not letting the fighters intimidate him.
28:49No punch.
28:49Let's go.
28:52This is round six scheduled for ten.
28:55Sneaky right hand by Page.
28:57We got a break with no punch.
28:59Let's go.
29:00It was about this point in his fight against Larry Holmes.
29:03Which, as you remember, Barry was very early in the career of Tim Witherspoon.
29:07That Witherspoon really started to get it together.
29:09That was a great fight in Las Vegas under the desert evening that night.
29:15It was a fantastic fight.
29:17Real tremendous performance by Witherspoon.
29:19He came this close to stealing the championship from Larry Holmes that night.
29:23Many felt he had deserved the decision.
29:25Even though he'd hardly had a dozen fights in his career up to that point.
29:31One of the problems that I always saw with Tim Witherspoon,
29:34and I think it really held him back a long ways in his career,
29:37and you do see this in his sport, is people that he had hanging around him
29:41were not always of the highest quality, not always people that his trainers
29:46and managers and people of that nature really wanted in Tim Witherspoon's ear,
29:50and yet they were there, and I really believe it affected his career.
29:54Well, welcome to boxing.
29:55That's just how it is.
29:57Fighters have to be wary of that, and most fighters,
30:00or at least a lot of them, Barry, can't give in to the temptations
30:03that follow them around.
30:04Momentary left-handed stance from Witherspoon.
30:09Headed for the end of round number six,
30:11and again, the tone of this fight was set very early,
30:14and a little bit of a better round for Witherspoon.
30:17He could probably make a case for his winning the round,
30:19but again, Greg Page, very steady, doing the things that he needs to do.
30:24End of six, and we're coming back.
30:27There's the bell. That's the end of round six.
30:32You can take this. You can do this.
30:34Welcome back. Big breath from the Greg Page corner,
30:36and in the other corner, Tim Witherspoon up to meet his man in the center of the ring.
30:41This is round number seven.
30:43Give me a clean break, Tim.
30:44It does appear, though, that Tim Witherspoon's going to have to find something,
30:47something big that has not yet been there.
30:51Well, like the chin of Greg Page. That would be good.
30:54He'd like to find that a little bit more often.
30:57There's that cross-handed defensive style.
30:59That's designed to pick off a lot of jabs,
31:01and again, Witherspoon, for some reason, turning left-handed,
31:04turning into a southpaw stance.
31:08Very unusual for him.
31:11Could be just designed as a diversionary tactic just to give Page another look.
31:16Let him out. Let him out. Let's go. Let him out. Let's go.
31:20I don't think, though, that it'll have a great effect on Greg Page.
31:25Well, Page has been dead serious about this fight.
31:28He was serious in getting ready for it, serious coming into the ring,
31:31and he's been real serious in this fight.
31:34I know a lot of people have made remarks about the Legends series,
31:36and maybe guys this old should not be fighting.
31:39But again, they are fighting each other, as you mentioned last round, Barry.
31:43But these guys don't take it as any joke, nothing to laugh at.
31:46I mean, you can see Greg Page. He's in there to win tonight.
31:48Witherspoon the same, but Page certainly doing the better job so far.
31:52And isn't it interesting, Rich? You know, we always talk about wouldas and couldas and shouldas
31:55in just about every sport, but you really wonder,
31:57what if Greg Page had paid as much attention to going into a fight with a plan
32:02and being ready to fight earlier in his career?
32:05Who knows what might have happened?
32:06Yeah, well, he beat some good fighters, you know.
32:08He is possessed of a real athleticism.
32:10That's one thing you can see about Greg Page, even at this advanced stage
32:13and at this advanced stage in his career, is he's very athletic. He's fluid.
32:18Look at the guy when he was bouncing around when he was overweight.
32:20He was still fairly light on his feet.
32:23And always with that jab, always with an excellent jab.
32:27Despite the fact that he has 45 knockouts on his record,
32:30he's not a guy who gets you out of there with one punch.
32:32He wears you down, usually working off the jab, and most of his knockouts
32:36have come as a result of a cumulative effort.
32:40Witherspoon is doing nothing this round, Barry, nothing.
32:43He's gone two minutes here without launching any type of a salvo.
32:48Inside a minute remaining round seven.
32:51Now he's just trying to block the punches of Page.
32:53Give me a break, no punch, step back.
32:55That's not going to win him the fight.
33:00And again, just covering up.
33:03Letting Page rather dictate things.
33:06Step back, Greg, step back. Greg on him out, step back, step back.
33:11I would say that since round two, this is the most in control
33:14that Greg Page has looked in the fight.
33:16Mainly because Witherspoon has stopped fighting.
33:23Coming to the end of round number seven.
33:24A dominant round for Greg Page.
33:32And Witherspoon now just clutching.
33:34Greg, no punch, step back.
33:35We got ten, no, no, no, no punch, no punch.
33:37Got ten seconds in a round, let's go.
33:39Ten seconds, you good.
33:40Witherspoon has slowed perceptively also.
33:43And he tried to launch one there when he heard them say ten seconds.
33:47Desperation shot by Witherspoon.
33:49And he does not look good as he goes back to his corner.
33:51Looked like he limped back to his corner.
34:01And there's conversations here.
34:03Now he's at it.
34:05Hold on, I got it.
34:07Bring the bell, we got a retirement in the corner.
34:09A retirement in the corner.
34:11So Tim Witherspoon has said no more.
34:13He was clearly in trouble.
34:15And Greg Page is going to win this fight.
34:18And they have to help Witherspoon off the stool.
34:20Now the way they pick him up there,
34:23that looks like it could be the type of injury.
34:26If you remember when Floyd Patterson had that back injury against Ali,
34:29how they kept picking him up between rounds.
34:32That's the way they just picked up Witherspoon there.
34:35And they're checking him out.
34:36Do you feel it?
34:36Right side.
34:37Right side.
34:38On that side.
34:39He's got a, he's got a popped disc in his spine.
34:44So a slipped disc apparently from Tim Witherspoon.
34:47And that's another thing that comes with being 40 plus.
34:51And trying to partake in a sport like this.
34:54And you can see he just had nothing left.
34:55He lint back to his corner.
34:57And this one is in the books.
34:59And it is going to go the way of Greg Page as Tim Witherspoon
35:02is forced to retire at the end of the seventh round.
35:06And he cannot get off the stool by himself.
35:08We'll come back and wrap up this fight after this.
35:14Welcome back to Sunday Night Fights on Fox Sports Net.
35:20Well, Greg Page is a winner in our first fight of the evening
35:23as Tim Witherspoon unable to answer the bell for the eighth round.
35:27Rich, let's see if we can see where it happened.
35:28Well, watch here how Greg Page leans on Witherspoon.
35:31You see that leg come up.
35:32Now he leans down.
35:33And Witherspoon, as you see, looks stiff.
35:35And he stiffens up as he tries to regain his feet.
35:38But near the end of the round,
35:40Witherspoon decided to try a couple of desperation shots.
35:43That was a good jab by Witherspoon.
35:45He tried one more right hand that did not connect.
35:47But that was it.
35:48And so he has to retire now.
35:50Let's make it official as we go to the ring announcer, Mark Biro.
35:53Mark?
35:56Ladies and gentlemen,
35:57the red corner has retired
36:00due to what is being described as a pop disc in the back.
36:06Therefore, the winner at the end of round seven,
36:11by tactical knockout, Greg Page!
36:16Page!
36:18Well, a mixed reaction from the crowd,
36:20but I don't think, Rich, we should take anything away from this man.
36:22He did everything he needed to do to win the fight.
36:24He came out very fast at the start.
36:25He scored a knockdown in the first round.
36:27He kept his jab going.
36:29Page really wanted to win, Barry, in this fight.
36:31Witherspoon did too, but Page, remember,
36:33had that motivation of thinking that politics robbed him
36:36in their first fight back in 1984.
36:38He wanted to get even for that tonight, and he did.
36:40And I think he would have won the fight regardless of what might
36:43or might not have happened to the back of Tim Witherspoon.
36:46Greg Page is a winner on a TKO.
36:49We're coming back.
36:51He wins our first fight, defeating Tim Witherspoon.
36:54Right now, let's take him to the center of the ring.
36:56John Saraceno is with the winner, Greg Page.
36:59All right, Greg, congratulations.
37:01You came out very fast in this fight.
37:03In the past, you've been known as the guy who really worked behind your jab.
37:07Very aggressive in his fight.
37:08Was that your strategy from the get-go?
37:09Well, when I fought two of us for the first time,
37:12you know, I didn't view none of his fights.
37:14The only thing I've done is took my man back to what I did before.
37:17First, I want to give my great, my blessings all come from the Lord above,
37:23who blessed me and who anointed me to do this.
37:25You know, like, I got a lot of things ahead of me.
37:27You know, when I came here, you know, I'm closer to God than I ever was now.
37:32And thanks to Reverend Sneed and Craig Vaughn and my group,
37:37Doug Meyer, Lee Holliday, Amanda Mitchuk.
37:40You know, these guys are behind me 100%.
37:42And thanks to Harold Smith and Quindell.
37:45You know, they're doing a fantastic job.
37:47You know, this time I went in with a confident, with a set in mind
37:50because I didn't have to go against no obstacles.
37:53Because I wasn't, you know, I didn't have to deal with,
37:55if the fight went into a decision, I wouldn't have to worry about who was going to nod and say,
37:59okay, this is where the fight gonna go.
38:01Craig, the way you were fighting, it looked like you were not gonna leave it in the hands of the
38:04judges.
38:05I'm not, you know, it wasn't me fighting.
38:07You know, I was in the dressing room, and the Lord was up on me.
38:10You know, like, I did a lot of things in my life, and I prayed, you know, that I'd be
38:15forgiven for it.
38:16And I have, I got another opportunity to do this.
38:19You know, this is, uh, this, I'm inside of my destiny now.
38:22You know, I'm, I'm, I'm a man, it's clear, you know, around good people, spiritual people.
38:26And, you know, I don't know how to deal with a lot of backbiting, a lot of snitching, a lot
38:30of this.
38:31You know, everybody's into the Word. And the Word is what, the truth is like, man.
38:35Let me ask you this. The first knockdown, you hit him high on the temple.
38:38Did you, it was more of a flash knockdown. Did you think he was hurt?
38:41It wasn't no flash, it was an anointing of the Lord, man.
38:43That's what it was. You know, he was the power.
38:45You know, I'm not, I'm not sitting down and making people think that I'm, uh, I'm a, I'm a saint.
38:50I'm this, you like, I'm a child of God. And I know where, I know where my strength flows from.
38:55Greg, you're 40 years old. Where can you go from here with this victory?
38:58Yeah, what can you do next?
38:59I'm 40 years old, but it's not how long you live, it's how you live.
39:03You know, the Lord has preserved my body where I have it.
39:06I went down and turned to drugs, alcohol, I didn't hang out in the street.
39:10You know, I was in the back of the wing, watching everybody, training fighters.
39:13You know, and the whole opportunity was, I got a chance to do it again.
39:16And you know, and right now the sky's the limit, you know.
39:18I'm gonna follow directions this time.
39:21At first I had so much backbiting, so many conflict and things going on.
39:24And now, right now, Greg Page in control of Greg Page.
39:27Right now, I'm there, you know, I, I, I thank God for the opportunities, for opening the doors, the man's
39:32closed.
39:33Greg Page, congratulations on a big victory against Tim Withers.
39:36Your old nemesis from 15 years ago.
39:39Oh, oh, oh, yeah.
39:40Well, if the door's not open, Greg's at least got a foot in it.
39:43Coming up next, Juan Laporte and Vinny Costello.
39:46Costello with a little family revenge.
39:49I fought my brother Vinny many, many years ago, you know.
39:52And he beat my brother Vinny, so I said, well, I can't let him with me.
39:57I'd be like, if you both of us are the same thing, I can't do that.
39:59My beautiful brother, his brother, to me, is a better technical fighter than, than he was.
40:05I mean, Billy, uh, Vinny could box.
40:09Uh, Billy has got to come in there to fight.
40:12I mean, and I like guys that come to fight, because I don't want to be facing anybody.
40:16So I think, um, it's going to be a good fight.
40:19Billy's got to stick up to his words.
40:21I've got to stick up to mine.
40:22I'm going in there to win.
40:25Back to the Crown Coliseum here in Fayetteville, North.
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