MIXED martial artist Michael Page refuses to take Conor McGregorโs foray into boxing, against Floyd Mayweather no less, seriously. But he insists his cross-over from MMA will be different, and recounts sparring stories to prove it.
โIโve been in MMA for about six years now, 12-0. I famously kneed someone in the head โ got knockout of the year last year, gone viral for crazy knockouts,โ Page tells Boxing News. โIโve always wanted to box, Iโve always sparred boxers and do well against them.โ
He has signed with promoters David Haye and Richard Schaefer and will continue to compete in Bellator, the MMA organisation, as well as boxing. โI want to be the first person to win a world championship in both disciplines. Iโm still going to be doing my MMA. Itโs going to be a tough road but Iโm looking forward to the challenge of being able to hold that belt in both,โ he said.
Heโs had run-ins with James DeGale and Chris Eubank Jr. He said, โI went up to Brighton to spar with Eubank and it was all goodโฆ He threw a bit of a hissy fit after not getting his way. My styleโs very awkward. To be fair any boxer if they took the time to go through the annoying stage at the beginning, for my type of style, youโd find me out later in the round. Because of the movement, the angles that I hit people from, the length I hit people from, he didnโt enjoy himself. He kind of just blew up at the end so I ended up leaving.โ
He also says he had a โvery good sparโ with IBF super-middleweight champion James DeGale. โI think he was already annoyed with me. I sparred one of his team-mates before and again I was having my way with him,โ Page said. โI think he got annoyed at the stylistic side of me and when he came in, he put his hand out to touch gloves, I went to touch gloves and he hooked me in my face. It wasnโt playful. He hit me with a big shot.
โWe went to work, did a couple of rounds with him, he was getting frustrated at the movement, the shots that I was landing. We fell into a clinch and he headbutted me twice, so I took off my glovesโฆ It all kicked off again.
โSo weโve had some bad experiences but some amazing experiences.โ
David Haye insists, โMake your opinion when youโve seen him. Iโve seen him, and I know sparring is different but he his boxing ability, he was kick boxing world champion 10 times, heโs now 12-0 as an MMA fighter. Whichever sport he focused on, he would be a success in. Iโm just fortunate that Richardโs relationship with Bellator has allowed him to come and work with us. That shows the confidence Bellator have in him โ theyโre not worried about him in boxing. Weโve talked to his coaches and heard the tales of these sparring sessions that heโs had, and theyโre confident. This is unprecedented โ he sells out arenas in MMA.โ
Schaefer added, โBellator are one of the top two MMA promoters and for them to allow him to enter into a promotional agreement with boxing is ground-breaking.โ
Page maintains approach to boxing is fundamentally different from Conor McGregorโs. Michael will train with renowned boxing coach Ismael Salas and plans to take time to learn the sport and develop. As for Mayweather-McGregorโฆ โItโs a very expensive exhibition fight and itโs probably going to be Mayweatherโs 50-0 and the easiest fight heโs ever had in his career. I donโt take anything away from McGregor as an athlete and as fighter. But itโs just not your world. I have to be realistic. When I come to in this world I have to do the four rounds, six rounds and work my way up. Because I respect the sport. Heโs going to the top, and to be fair if I was given that opportunity as well I would still take the fight financially speaking. Letโs say the moneyโs taken away, youโd have train a lot longer than youโre training and now youโre going to be doing all these press tours, you need all that extra time to be training. And even then [heโs against] someone thatโs done it his whole life,โ Page said.
โI genuinely believe he has no chance and Iโm a fan of McGregor.โ