Alicia Page RIH Greg Page, and I'm sorry for loss. I was just in prison with Crowe and he speaks so highly about your father. Believe it or not this night changed Crowes life. Again sorry for your loss.
As a current older boxer it's hard to refrain from the stage that makes us feel deeply skilled and full of knowledge. It's a place that entourages, coaches and promoter pull the fighter out even though you noticed the "signs"... I'm no where near the status of Greg Page he had 58 wins 48 by KO!! amazing! But I can see the deep love he couldn't let go of but as professional boxers works her at every minute. It works just the other way for referees and coaches, those entourages should have been there at 33:50 or sooner. We need troops to wave the white flag for us because we are warriors but lifestyle and we were born for this! We can't look back on past but we can enjoy the Legacy of the slick Greg Page! Thank you for publishing this Ms. Page ~ R.I.P Mr. Page and My thoughts are with the Page family~
I was ring announcer hat night... the fight changed my life. Had to see the whole picture of boxing for what it was... so much happened behind the scenes that still makes my stomach churn.
Bestbizpage I was sitting on a wooden bench outside a firehouse where I was working, at 8th & Broadway, in Cincinnati. I was catching a smoke looking at the high Hamilton County Jail that sat across the street from the firehouse. The movement of someone’s shadow throwing jabs while ducking and popping caught my attention through one of the jail’s rectangular windows on the second floor. I wondered if it was the man that I once gave a staff too, a boxer by the name of Dale Crowe, as he waited for his trial on charges of murder. I found this hard to believe, to fathom, that Dale Crowe could kill a man. I used to say that Dale had the heart of a child. I still think of him that way. We are all children of the Great Mystery but I couldn’t believe he had the mind of a killer. I first met Dale Crowe when my son was taking boxing lessons at the Shamrock Gym in Covington, Kentucky. Everything at the boxing gym was free and so I thought I’d return a favor to the gym’s owner, a stocky, tough talking, older guy, Terry O’Brian. Terry was a former middle-weight brawler from Covington. He also was once a bodyguard to a Kennedy. Terry was promoting the upcoming fight with another guy, a thug, by the name of Ray Tora. The upcoming fight would help to bring the needed funds to the gym to keep it open. I told Ray and Terry that for a small fee, I’d help with the fight’s promotion. Terry and I then agreed to a $350 offer for my services of promotion. The upcoming boxing match was called Gloves of Destruction, and on the fight card it had several fights with some big Cincinnati names in boxing printed on it. I was working hard at getting the fighter’s media coverage until one day I had gotten the word that the fight card would be changed. The main event was now going to be Dale Crowe vs. Greg Page for the Heavy Weight Belt of Kentucky. It brought excitement to everyone involved with the fight -- the Main event being changed from a heavy-middle weight bout to a heavy-weight bout -- and with a former heavyweight champ of the world, Greg Page, on the card. Dale Crowe had a shot for a knockout against Page and we all began to see a knockout as the only way for Dale to get into the heavyweight rankings. When I first met Dale he was twenty four years old. I thought he was a good guy right off the bat. His smile filled the Shamrock Gym and he seemed to joke with all the other boxers that would work-out with him. Dale was solid, built like a brick house, tattoos of Chinese stars stretched around both his biceps. Tattoos were also inked to his back, one of a black crow descending above a skyline of the City of Cincinnati. He also had a tattoo of his young son’s face below his right chest peck. There were times that Dale and I would take our boys out for pizza. And over a couple of beers we would reminisce about where we came from, what our dreams were, where we where allowing the fight against Page to lead us. We knew that Page had never been knocked out, and we knew that a knockout for Crowe would be the stepping-stone for both of us. The whole boxing scene in Cincinnati seemed wide open for us to conquer, and if we played our cards right, we had a chance to own it. After awhile of promoting the fighters I got to know Dale well. He liked to call me at late at night when he was hanging out with his ladies. It was a joking kind of thing but I think he liked to impress me and at times and he did impress me. But most of all, I felt Dale was becoming my “in” with boxing in Cincinnati. I was doing better with the promotion and ticket sales for the bout since Crowe and Page were added to the card. The ticket sales were going so well that I felt that I knew that I had a found a future in the fight game. I had dreams of being bigger then Don King himself. On the night of the fight, I walked into a nightclub where the fight was being fought, a place called Peel’s Palace. It was a dump and I was happy that the lights were dimmed to hide the grime on the walls. A fighter on the card, Stephen (Millennium Hawk) Pryor, was the first fighter that complained about the dressing room at Peels, and he was complaining about dead rats in the locker room. Soon more complaints flooded in from the men fighting that night. The promoters, Terry and Ray, found me before I found them. I told them of the concerns that the fighters brought to my attention. Terry told me that he would take care of them. He also told me they were missing a ring announcer for the fight and he asked me if I could handle it. And since I was the only one that was wearing a tie, dress shirt, and dress pants, I told him that I would. The few fights that went on before Crowe vs. Page were not exciting at all, as they had thrown a few men into the ring that were not on the fight card. All of the big names on the card, except for Robert Tubbs, were scratched from the card. I had my concerns about this happening but Terry and Ray assured me that everything was fine because all we had to come up with was the Main Event between Crowe and Page. The fix was in and many Cincinnati fighters that were on the fight card were angry. Their names were only placed on the fight card for a good draw, but in the end, they wouldn’t fight, and when you don’t fight, you don’t get paid. That’s the way it is in the sport of boxing, as long as the main event happens, no ticket-holder can demand a refund, but some people did, and I was happy when the last undercard on the fight was over. I had entered into the center of the ring when it was time for the main event. Greg Page was just disrobing. ‘Feel The Knockout Power Of The Lord’ was printed in red letters on the back of his robe. His being out of shape showed, you could see it, as the fat rolls of his belly were numerous. His body moved slow as he shadow boxed in his corner with blue gloves on. Dale Crowe was wearing red gloves and he just kept moving his neck from side-to-side. His arms were loose and he hopped around waiting for my announcement to begin. I introduced them both to the crowd. The smoke filters were not working and smoke began to hover over the ring. And with the only regret that I still carry, I yelled deeply into a microphone that evening, “Let’s Rumble!” And then the bell rang and it seemed like Crowe was looking for a knockout right away, but Page handled Crowe’s punches well, and after the first round the fight seemed to find middle ground. Page had the majority of good clean punches finding their mark, as Crowe’s blows were filled with a lot of rabbit punches between a good shot here and there. It seemed to go that way until the tenth and final round. With only a minute remaining in the fight, I thought that it was going to be a draw, it didn’t look like Crowe was going to get the KO we wanted. Then a final hit happened, and it happened with fifteen seconds left in the fight. as Crowe landed a short left to the jaw of the former heavyweight champ of the world. Crowe then moved in with his body towards Page and Page stumbled back falling into the ropes, and then dropping hard to the canvass, his head landed on the bottom rope directly above the where the judges and Commissioner Kerns of the Kentucky Athletic Commission sat. The referee started the countdown and when he yelled “knock out” the final bell rang. We had done it! We had knocked Page out! I quickly jumped into the ring and raised the hand of Crowe. Page sat alone and stunned on the ring’s floor. He was trying to untie his right glove with his other gloved hand. I then announced to the crowd that Crowe was the winner and new Heavyweight Champion of Kentucky by knockout. All hell then broke loose in the ring, as Page drifted into unconsciousness and people started yelling and screaming for a doctor. Page needed oxygen but there wasn’t any to be found. Kerns, of the Kentucky Athletic Commission, was even refusing to call an ambulance. But as Page declined further into unconsciousness, Kerns finally called for an ambulance. When the ambulance arrived, they placed Greg Page in full spinal immobilization and hauled him away. It wasn’t until the next morning that I found out that they had to open his skull to relieve the hemorrhaging pressure to his brain. Media outlets were soon calling my home. I tried to stick up for the promoters of the fight the best I could and always wanted to extend prayers to the family of Page. Dale Crowe went into hiding and came out after I set up a couple interviews with the local media. After the interviews were over Dale said that he had enough of the attention and that he needed to get out of Cincinnati for awhile. I believe he traveled to Florida and I wouldn’t see him again for months. Those that were in Page’s corner that evening kept throwing blame towards Ray and Terry and also towards the Kentucky Athletic Commission, as Greg Page laid in the hospital at U.C. in Cincinnati. Many of their concerns weren’t being addressed and the public wasn’t being updated on Page’s condition. With all the mud slinging going on, it seemed like Greg Page was in the hospital forever. And while he was there, a local Firefighter, by the name of Bill Ellison, fell through the floor of a burning building. Ellison also lay dying in the hospital at the same time Page was there. One day I just wished death upon Page. It came as a shock to me but I just wished he would die. His stay in Cincinnati had become too overdrawn, and I had gotten sick of all my attention being placed on him when a fellow firefighter lay dying too. The firefighter, Bill Ellison, never made it out of the hospital alive but Greg Page did. He was released with sever paralysis and brain damage. After his release, I really began to dig deep into the Spirit of who I was becoming. Somehow, a monster had been exposed. I had created it within me, for I wished death upon a man and meant it. I’ve never done that before. Mere words hold much power as even my ‘let’s rumble’ yelled out at Peels Palace the night of the fight came back to haunt me. Riots broke out in Cincinnati and I was stationed at Engine 5 in a neighborhood called Over-the Rhine, in the heart of all the mayhem that broke out. Murders began to quickly rise, I had young men began die in my arms. After the riots, I put the fight behind me, and began walking the streets of Cincinnati, uncovering those hidden to what I came to see as living under a blanket of poverty. I began working hard for Latino undocumented workers on getting them out of Over-the-Rhine, as they had became silent victims of crime and violence, they didn’t bank their money because they couldn’t, and word spread that the immigrants of Over-the-Rhine were holding cash. Soon, late night break-ins and violence against them became commonplace. And after making a fire run on another family beaten and robbed during the night. It was then that I received a call to return, just something in my heart that told me that I’d regret it if I didn’t.
Peter Deane Crowe Returns From out of nowhere I received a call from Dale Crowe. It was surprising because I hadn’t heard from Crowe since he left for Florida shortly after the fight against Greg Page. He called to ask a favor and it was about me getting back into boxing. He had an upcoming bout with another former heavyweight champ, Michael Moorer, a a southpaw like himself, and he needed promotion. I had promised myself to stay away from the fights but I thought one last one for an old friend won’t hurt. We set up a time and place to meet at a park that overlooked the skyline of Cincinnati, and the day was overcast when I loaded film into my Canon camera waiting to meet him there. My son and nephew came along to keep me company, as I promised them a Cincinnati Red’s game afterwards. We waited for a long while until a small car pulled up and Dale with his large muscular frame stepped out wearing sandals, gym shorts, and a white t-shirt. We embraced when we greeted each other. We then took some time to catch-up on the months that had passed since the Greg Page tragedy. From my pocket I pulled out a poem I had written the day before about Dale winning the Kentucky Heavyweight Belt. I handed it to him, he read it slowly, and handed it back to me. I then asked him if he would like me to send it out with his press release. "No," he answered. "The poem makes me look like something that isn’t real. I'm not a cartoon." I was disappointed, but thought it was ok, as I would not want to paint him as someone that he wasn’t comfortable being. I showed him my camera and told him that we would just take a few photos with the Cincinnati skyline behind him. He quickly positioned himself at the edge of a cliff, and I started snapping away. I told Dale that it look nice to get some shots with his tattoos showing. He suddenly looked as if he was lost and confused. I thought this was strange because he always loved to show-off his tattoos. But after his moment's pause, he removed his shirt. I was shocked into silence, as a feeling hit me like I was just hit in the gut. “Are you ok, Dale?” I asked. ”Yea, sure… Why?” He replied. ”That’s not a tattoo that someone usually puts on their body without some sort of pain being involved,” I said steering at his abdomen. ”You mean the crucifixion?” I couldn’t take my eyes of his new tattoo, centered in the middle of his torso. A feeling came over me that I didn’t want to be there any longer. I had no reason to still be involved in the fight game where images pain and brutality are repeated over and over again. But I stayed and continued with what I was doing, a promise was made, and to Dale that I couldn't break. Days later, we met again. I had delivered the developed photos of the photo shoot as he was setting up for an interview at a boxing gym in Norwood, Ohio. Ever since that day, I have not seen him in person, but closely followed his story in the world of boxing through newspaper clippings and articles in boxing publications here and there. At one point in time, Page, in his wheelchair, was Crowe's corner-man. It was a story about forgiveness. Also, during this time Crowe was meeting weekly with a psychiatrist and was taking Zoloft and other medications to combat depression. My prayers were always with him. After the fight with Moorer, Crowe’s boxing days were coming to an end. I read on how Crowe had "freaked out" at the sight of his own blood during the fight against Moorer. In the article he was quoted was saying "I don't want to end up like that (Page). My heart goes out to him. I'm afraid to hit anyone, or get hit, and have that happen again. I just don't know if I want to do it again."
Peter Deane Grace Played Out As time went on I began to hear less and less about Crowe's boxing career until one day it seemed Crowe totally dropped out of the world of boxing. A close friend of his told me that he wasn't boxing any longer and that he had a job busting tires in a car shop north of Cincinnati. I tried calling Dale in December 2003. I was having an art show on Main Street, titled, Mychal’s Island. The show was named after a Franciscan priest killed on 9-11. The show was to the people of Cincinnati for what I had learned from them since the Greg Page incident. Page confirmed that he would be at the art show and Crowe never returned my calls. The art show went on without him on the day after Christmas. And I fell apart when Greg Page showed up with his wife Patricia. I quickly grabbed the handles of his wheel chair and walked him around showing him all my paintings, photos, and poetry, and things of beauty. I showed him the things I did for the poor in Cincinnati since the tragic evening at Peel's Palace. "The night you went down, Mr. Page, was not in vain, it has produced good. Believe me,” I said then continued. “Many have been helped." “Praise Jesus,” Page said smiling. I then asked Page for forgiveness for wishing him dead. He asked me why I thought such a thing. and I told him. Greg Page then forgave me. Since the night of the art show, life went on as it should, and every now and again I’d bump into someone that knew Crowe or Page and I'd ask how they were doing. And it seemed that all was cruise control with Page working on his recovery and trying to pay his bills. and Crowe was still always busting tires somewhere north of Cincinnati. It remained that way until a day in February of 2006 when I picked up the Cincinnati Enquirer and read that Crowe had been charged with murdering someone in the August of 2002. The week that Crowe was charged with murder, Greg Page was readmitted to a hospital in Louisville with respiratory failure. The pain of hearing about Dale Crowe was probably too much for him. Also, that same week of Crowe’s arrest, the run-down nightclub where the fight was held, Peel’s Palace, burnt to the ground. On May 2nd, of that same year of Crowe’s arrest, Crowe pled guilty to killing his friend, Frank Branam. "Obviously, there's a dark side to you," said Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge, Patrick Dinkelacker, who sentenced Dale Crowe to 20 years in prison on the same day Crowe pled guilty to fracturing Branam's skull with blows to the head, then strangling him.
I was just reading what a fiasco this was at the end. No ambulance on hand, no paramedics, no oxygen. The ring doctor who was not even licensed in Kentucky and was under suspension in Ohio, left the arena and had to be found and brought back in. 22 minutes passed before an ambulance finally arrived. What a shame.
Kentucky’s boxing Commission’s fault to what happened after the punch people and Doolin standing around and not helping him..And see I was 140 fighting guys 180 and it shouldn’t have happened when your lean..5 lbs is a lot of weight
Wow. He hit Greg with the straight left and hurt him. But Greg didn't fall. Dale clenched him, paused, and violently slammed him down into the ropes where his head likely received extreme torque from the ropes. This is horrible.
RIP brother, you left your legacy. Our hearts are with the family, Greg was a magnificent fighter, I too feel the pain of his ending, God bless this warrior.
Sadly this fight came 17 years to the day of Greg Page's first world title fight against Tim Witherspoon. Respect any man that steps through those ropes. Greg Page will never be forgotten. Legend.
I regret not knowing of Greg Page's passing when I posted my comment, nor that Crowe murdered somebody. But it underscores the negligence of everyone involved in this tragedy. My heart goes out to his family.
As an outsider, you usually only see the sportsman, but the real value of a human being only really becomes clear to you when he is no longer with you. My great respect for the boxer Greg Page, who knocked down a Prime Tyson, and my deepest sympathy for his family, especially Alicia.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I was THERE when Tyson and Greg were sparring. Page PUSHED Tyson down he did not knock him down. It was all bullshit. I was 4 feet from the ring when it happened.
Greg was a better amateur then Professional and he still won the Championship but He was a Future Champion Prospect That Don King signed and paid before the work was done and Greg kinda got spoiled and it cost him his hunger that he had as a amateur where he was always in shape
Greg fought so many tough contenders for so long. He should not have been fighting at this stage. He should have stayed retired after the Seldon fight in 93. But he had a name so Kushner threw him in with young good fighters like Robert Davis right before this and he took a lot of punishment. Punishment he didn't need
This was no way for a very, very good fighter like Greg Page to go out. I still remember the buzz around boxing after the LeDoux contest, he had so many gifts...
That was so irresponsible for that facility to host a boxing match and not have any medical staff on hand or even oxygen for that matter. It was disturbing to watch very few people who seemed to care at all that Greg Page was lying so awkwardly against the ropes unconscious for so long without medical attention. He was a very accomplished fighter throughout his career and didn't deserve to go out like that. RIP to your Dad and God bless you
Great fighter, just a shame some of the great ones don't hold onto their money and end up fighting for small purses well past their prime. Boxing is the hardest sport with the training, dieting and making weight and then there is just how dangerous it is with the number of head shots they can possibly take. Died doing what he loved, RIP Greg Page.
The Page/Crowe bout was notorious for several reasons. The "knockout" was actually a shove, not a punch, and though outclassed at 42 by Crowe, who was in his twenties, the reason he remained unconscious was because of the way his head snapped when he hit the bottom rope. Perhaps more significant was the fact that the only ringside physician was utterly inexperienced, was not licensed to practice in Kentucky where the fight took place and left the ringside immediately after the fight. Page remained where he fell, with his head on the rope until they could hunt down the doctor, and though there was a stretcher on hand there was no trained staff to carry it out of the ring and no ambulance standing by. It was many minutes before anyone thought to call 911, and Page has been totally paralyzed ever since. His family sued Kentucky for negligence but I don't know the outcome.
NOT correct. It was the result of a hard left to the chin. Please reply in slow motion and see this is correct. Also, as you know he died from the injuries sustained from the left hook. Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Page_(boxer)
A head bouncing off the ropes is VERY DANGEROUS. Men have died from this type of accident before. Horrifying. There were no Doctors, Ambulance, Medical Personnel or Oxygen, as required by State Law. Page suffered setbacks the rest of his life after this before dying. He Had won a 1.2 million settlement against the State of Kentucky. This injury was the result of having been pushed down to the canvas with 10 seconds left in the fight.
And it is heartbreaking knowing that Greg fought all sorts of A-1 competition, only to be reduced to minor circuit fights with no medical staff onsite.
So sad. I've been a boxer on the unlicensed circuit and seeing a young lad die changed my opinion on the sport. It is and always will be dangerous but could be made safer. These guys were the real deal rip
I do not see what he hit his head on that caused the brain bleed. I did see that hella hit he took prior to the push. Would someone please point out when and what he hit his head on in this video plz?
It was the punch before the push his head was at a funny angle and it was turned far already and when he got hit him it probably burst something and he pushed him it bust it more all the years of boxing sparring amateur to this night all of it had something to do with it and the b.s after the fight the lies from Greg own corner good things don’t happen when you have evil people around you trust me I know.
Doolin thought he could make his Name off of Greg and instead of telling him to do other things he tried to use him and then denied any doing in this tragedy then made the statement he pulled out $5000 in Cash out and Offered it to Greg not to fight here becuz it was Beyond surviving that he wouldnt let a dog fight in there it’s was that terrible so Why did he let Greg Fight then? does he look like somebody that don’t want him to fight? Hell No he’s James dogshit Doolin and brings Doom and Gloom dark clouds around nothing but trash negative b.s for his fighters he don’t know boxing he never boxed how can you train fighters when you never boxed b.s..He the only one calling his gym Louisville Legend And Legendary Trainer lol who’s he trying to fool Legend? kelly Mays has done better than he has Doolin get away from him I know he ain’t shit..Fake phoney and full of Boloney
Greg was suppose to fight him about 1978...But it was in Cuba and you cant win those fights..Greg had a cold and didnt go..But did beat the Russian that beat Teofito Stevenson twice once by knockout once by decision Igor Vysority.
@@chrisslaughter5552 I think they was supposed to fight like 3 times. The time he caught a cold in Moscow and lost 14 pounds and also got pneumonia or something, the world championships which happened during his prom and graduation, and late 1977, when Stevenson's stove blew up. I think Greg beats Teo, but only if he is on point.
No they were suppose to In Cuba But Greg didn’t go Becuz he didn’t think he could win there even if he did but Greg did beat the Russian that beat Stevenson Twice...Stevenson would tire in tight fights but he had that Jab And Right Hand So he always had a good chance no matter the fight watch him against John Tate he was somewhere over the Rainbow
@@Belburg Greg was my stablemate at Baxter Boxing Club in Louisville in the late 70’s Greg has a style that only he had he kinda got some Ali in it with being on his toes all the time but Grag was a better amateur then a Pro and the reason is Don King signed him and he was spoiled before he did anything but he started to quit training after he won a big fight he wouldn’t build on it and he was up and down the whole time as a Pro but a great guy who never reached his potential as a Pro.
So sad to see this happen to Dale Crowe. He was never the same again. Thank the Lord the good people at Crime In Sports podcasting did that show in his memory.
@@pmolczan You can't serious. Crowe clearly shoved Page with a lot of force to drop him. The hard left to the chin of Page didn't indicate he was going down. Dale committed the foul leading to Page nearly dying. He should have been disqualified or the bout should have been declared NC 'no contest'. Crowe seems to take pride in hurting people. He Strangled and murdered a guy in 2002...dumped the body in a trash bin. He's a roided up dirtbag. Hope he rots in hell.
![Max Baer vs Pat Comiskey [High Quality]](/img/1.gif)
R.I.P DAD I LOVE AND MISS YOU SO MUCH : [
R.i.P to ur dad, .my respects
Represented Louisville.
Hi Alica, I know how it feels. My dad has liver cancer and God knows what will happen later. Anyway, sorry about your dad. My respects.
Hi, I mean Alicia. Sorry to spell your name wrong.
Alicia Page RIH Greg Page, and I'm sorry for loss. I was just in prison with Crowe and he speaks so highly about your father. Believe it or not this night changed Crowes life. Again sorry for your loss.
As a current older boxer it's hard to refrain from the stage that makes us feel deeply skilled and full of knowledge. It's a place that entourages, coaches and promoter pull the fighter out even though you noticed the "signs"... I'm no where near the status of Greg Page he had 58 wins 48 by KO!! amazing! But I can see the deep love he couldn't let go of but as professional boxers works her at every minute. It works just the other way for referees and coaches, those entourages should have been there at 33:50 or sooner. We need troops to wave the white flag for us because we are warriors but lifestyle and we were born for this! We can't look back on past but we can enjoy the Legacy of the slick Greg Page! Thank you for publishing this Ms. Page ~ R.I.P Mr. Page and My thoughts are with the Page family~
Brings tears to my eyes to see Page injured at the end.
I was ring announcer hat night... the fight changed my life. Had to see the whole picture of boxing for what it was... so much happened behind the scenes that still makes my stomach churn.
I haven't said let's rumble since.
Explain some of what happened Peter?? Would like to know what went down leading up to the fight. RIP Greg.
Bestbizpage I was sitting on a wooden bench outside a firehouse where I was working, at 8th & Broadway, in Cincinnati. I was catching a smoke looking at the high Hamilton County Jail that sat across the street from the firehouse. The movement of someone’s shadow throwing jabs while ducking and popping caught my attention through one of the jail’s rectangular windows on the second floor. I wondered if it was the man that I once gave a staff too, a boxer by the name of Dale Crowe, as he waited for his trial on charges of murder.
I found this hard to believe, to fathom, that Dale Crowe could kill a man. I used to say that Dale had the heart of a child. I still think of him that way. We are all children of the Great Mystery but I couldn’t believe he had the mind of a killer.
I first met Dale Crowe when my son was taking boxing lessons at the Shamrock Gym in Covington, Kentucky. Everything at the boxing gym was free and so I thought I’d return a favor to the gym’s owner, a stocky, tough talking, older guy, Terry O’Brian.
Terry was a former middle-weight brawler from Covington. He also was once a bodyguard to a Kennedy. Terry was promoting the upcoming fight with another guy, a thug, by the name of Ray Tora. The upcoming fight would help to bring the needed funds to the gym to keep it open. I told Ray and Terry that for a small fee, I’d help with the fight’s promotion. Terry and I then agreed to a $350 offer for my services of promotion.
The upcoming boxing match was called Gloves of Destruction, and on the fight card it had several fights with some big Cincinnati names in boxing printed on it. I was working hard at getting the fighter’s media coverage until one day I had gotten the word that the fight card would be changed. The main event was now going to be Dale Crowe vs. Greg Page for the Heavy Weight Belt of Kentucky. It brought excitement to everyone involved with the fight -- the Main event being changed from a heavy-middle weight bout to a heavy-weight bout -- and with a former heavyweight champ of the world, Greg Page, on the card. Dale Crowe had a shot for a knockout against Page and we all began to see a knockout as the only way for Dale to get into the heavyweight rankings.
When I first met Dale he was twenty four years old. I thought he was a good guy right off the bat. His smile filled the Shamrock Gym and he seemed to joke with all the other boxers that would work-out with him. Dale was solid, built like a brick house, tattoos of Chinese stars stretched around both his biceps. Tattoos were also inked to his back, one of a black crow descending above a skyline of the City of Cincinnati. He also had a tattoo of his young son’s face below his right chest peck.
There were times that Dale and I would take our boys out for pizza. And over a couple of beers we would reminisce about where we came from, what our dreams were, where we where allowing the fight against Page to lead us. We knew that Page had never been knocked out, and we knew that a knockout for Crowe would be the stepping-stone for both of us. The whole boxing scene in Cincinnati seemed wide open for us to conquer, and if we played our cards right, we had a chance to own it.
After awhile of promoting the fighters I got to know Dale well. He liked to call me at late at night when he was hanging out with his ladies. It was a joking kind of thing but I think he liked to impress me and at times and he did impress me. But most of all, I felt Dale was becoming my “in” with boxing in Cincinnati. I was doing better with the promotion and ticket sales for the bout since Crowe and Page were added to the card. The ticket sales were going so well that I felt that I knew that I had a found a future in the fight game. I had dreams of being bigger then Don King himself.
On the night of the fight, I walked into a nightclub where the fight was being fought, a place called Peel’s Palace. It was a dump and I was happy that the lights were dimmed to hide the grime on the walls. A fighter on the card, Stephen (Millennium Hawk) Pryor, was the first fighter that complained about the dressing room at Peels, and he was complaining about dead rats in the locker room. Soon more complaints flooded in from the men fighting that night.
The promoters, Terry and Ray, found me before I found them. I told them of the concerns that the fighters brought to my attention. Terry told me that he would take care of them. He also told me they were missing a ring announcer for the fight and he asked me if I could handle it. And since I was the only one that was wearing a tie, dress shirt, and dress pants, I told him that I would.
The few fights that went on before Crowe vs. Page were not exciting at all, as they had thrown a few men into the ring that were not on the fight card. All of the big names on the card, except for Robert Tubbs, were scratched from the card. I had my concerns about this happening but Terry and Ray assured me that everything was fine because all we had to come up with was the Main Event between Crowe and Page.
The fix was in and many Cincinnati fighters that were on the fight card were angry. Their names were only placed on the fight card for a good draw, but in the end, they wouldn’t fight, and when you don’t fight, you don’t get paid.
That’s the way it is in the sport of boxing, as long as the main event happens, no ticket-holder can demand a refund, but some people did, and I was happy when the last undercard on the fight was over.
I had entered into the center of the ring when it was time for the main event. Greg Page was just disrobing. ‘Feel The Knockout Power Of The Lord’ was printed in red letters on the back of his robe. His being out of shape showed, you could see it, as the fat rolls of his belly were numerous. His body moved slow as he shadow boxed in his corner with blue gloves on.
Dale Crowe was wearing red gloves and he just kept moving his neck from side-to-side. His arms were loose and he hopped around waiting for my announcement to begin. I introduced them both to the crowd. The smoke filters were not working and smoke began to hover over the ring. And with the only regret that I still carry, I yelled deeply into a microphone that evening, “Let’s Rumble!”
And then the bell rang and it seemed like Crowe was looking for a knockout right away, but Page handled Crowe’s punches well, and after the first round the fight seemed to find middle ground. Page had the majority of good clean punches finding their mark, as Crowe’s blows were filled with a lot of rabbit punches between a good shot here and there. It seemed to go that way until the tenth and final round.
With only a minute remaining in the fight, I thought that it was going to be a draw, it didn’t look like Crowe was going to get the KO we wanted. Then a final hit happened, and it happened with fifteen seconds left in the fight. as Crowe landed a short left to the jaw of the former heavyweight champ of the world. Crowe then moved in with his body towards Page and Page stumbled back falling into the ropes, and then dropping hard to the canvass, his head landed on the bottom rope directly above the where the judges and Commissioner Kerns of the Kentucky Athletic Commission sat.
The referee started the countdown and when he yelled “knock out” the final bell rang. We had done it! We had knocked Page out! I quickly jumped into the ring and raised the hand of Crowe. Page sat alone and stunned on the ring’s floor. He was trying to untie his right glove with his other gloved hand. I then announced to the crowd that Crowe was the winner and new Heavyweight Champion of Kentucky by knockout.
All hell then broke loose in the ring, as Page drifted into unconsciousness and people started yelling and screaming for a doctor. Page needed oxygen but there wasn’t any to be found. Kerns, of the Kentucky Athletic Commission, was even refusing to call an ambulance. But as Page declined further into unconsciousness, Kerns finally called for an ambulance.
When the ambulance arrived, they placed Greg Page in full spinal immobilization and hauled him away. It wasn’t until the next morning that I found out that they had to open his skull to relieve the hemorrhaging pressure to his brain.
Media outlets were soon calling my home. I tried to stick up for the promoters of the fight the best I could and always wanted to extend prayers to the family of Page. Dale Crowe went into hiding and came out after I set up a couple interviews with the local media. After the interviews were over Dale said that he had enough of the attention and that he needed to get out of Cincinnati for awhile. I believe he traveled to Florida and I wouldn’t see him again for months.
Those that were in Page’s corner that evening kept throwing blame towards Ray and Terry and also towards the Kentucky Athletic Commission, as Greg Page laid in the hospital at U.C. in Cincinnati. Many of their concerns weren’t being addressed and the public wasn’t being updated on Page’s condition.
With all the mud slinging going on, it seemed like Greg Page was in the hospital forever. And while he was there, a local Firefighter, by the name of Bill Ellison, fell through the floor of a burning building. Ellison also lay dying in the hospital at the same time Page was there. One day I just wished death upon Page. It came as a shock to me but I just wished he would die. His stay in Cincinnati had become too overdrawn, and I had gotten sick of all my attention being placed on him when a fellow firefighter lay dying too.
The firefighter, Bill Ellison, never made it out of the hospital alive but Greg Page did. He was released with sever paralysis and brain damage. After his release, I really began to dig deep into the Spirit of who I was becoming. Somehow, a monster had been exposed. I had created it within me, for I wished death upon a man and meant it. I’ve never done that before.
Mere words hold much power as even my ‘let’s rumble’ yelled out at Peels Palace the night of the fight came back to haunt me. Riots broke out in Cincinnati and I was stationed at Engine 5 in a neighborhood called Over-the Rhine, in the heart of all the mayhem that broke out. Murders began to quickly rise, I had young men began die in my arms.
After the riots, I put the fight behind me, and began walking the streets of Cincinnati, uncovering those hidden to what I came to see as living under a blanket of poverty. I began working hard for Latino undocumented workers on getting them out of Over-the-Rhine, as they had became silent victims of crime and violence, they didn’t bank their money because they couldn’t, and word spread that the immigrants of Over-the-Rhine were holding cash. Soon, late night break-ins and violence against them became commonplace.
And after making a fire run on another family beaten and robbed during the night. It was then that I received a call to return, just something in my heart that told me that I’d regret it if I didn’t.
Peter Deane Crowe Returns
From out of nowhere I received a call from Dale Crowe. It was surprising because I hadn’t heard from Crowe since he left for Florida shortly after the fight against Greg Page. He called to ask a favor and it was about me getting back into boxing. He had an upcoming bout with another former heavyweight champ, Michael Moorer, a a southpaw like himself, and he needed promotion.
I had promised myself to stay away from the fights but I thought one last one for an old friend won’t hurt. We set up a time and place to meet at a park that overlooked the skyline of Cincinnati, and the day was overcast when I loaded film into my Canon camera waiting to meet him there. My son and nephew came along to keep me company, as I promised them a Cincinnati Red’s game afterwards.
We waited for a long while until a small car pulled up and Dale with his large muscular frame stepped out wearing sandals, gym shorts, and a white t-shirt. We embraced when we greeted each other. We then took some time to catch-up on the months that had passed since the Greg Page tragedy.
From my pocket I pulled out a poem I had written the day before about Dale winning the Kentucky Heavyweight Belt. I handed it to him, he read it slowly, and handed it back to me. I then asked him if he would like me to send it out with his press release.
"No," he answered. "The poem makes me look like something that isn’t real. I'm not a cartoon."
I was disappointed, but thought it was ok, as I would not want to paint him as someone that he wasn’t comfortable being. I showed him my camera and told him that we would just take a few photos with the Cincinnati skyline behind him.
He quickly positioned himself at the edge of a cliff, and I started snapping away. I told Dale that it look nice to get some shots with his tattoos showing. He suddenly looked as if he was lost and confused. I thought this was strange because he always loved to show-off his tattoos. But after his moment's pause, he removed his shirt.
I was shocked into silence, as a feeling hit me like I was just hit in the gut.
“Are you ok, Dale?” I asked.
”Yea, sure… Why?” He replied.
”That’s not a tattoo that someone usually puts on their body without some sort of pain being involved,” I said steering at his abdomen.
”You mean the crucifixion?”
I couldn’t take my eyes of his new tattoo, centered in the middle of his torso. A feeling came over me that I didn’t want to be there any longer. I had no reason to still be involved in the fight game where images pain and brutality are repeated over and over again. But I stayed and continued with what I was doing, a promise was made, and to Dale that I couldn't break.
Days later, we met again. I had delivered the developed photos of the photo shoot as he was setting up for an interview at a boxing gym in Norwood, Ohio. Ever since that day, I have not seen him in person, but closely followed his story in the world of boxing through newspaper clippings and articles in boxing publications here and there.
At one point in time, Page, in his wheelchair, was Crowe's corner-man. It was a story about forgiveness. Also, during this time Crowe was meeting weekly with a psychiatrist and was taking Zoloft and other medications to combat depression. My prayers were always with him.
After the fight with Moorer, Crowe’s boxing days were coming to an end. I read on how Crowe had "freaked out" at the sight of his own blood during the fight against Moorer. In the article he was quoted was saying "I don't want to end up like that (Page). My heart goes out to him. I'm afraid to hit anyone, or get hit, and have that happen again. I just don't know if I want to do it again."
Peter Deane Grace Played Out
As time went on I began to hear less and less about Crowe's boxing career until one day it seemed Crowe totally dropped out of the world of boxing. A close friend of his told me that he wasn't boxing any longer and that he had a job busting tires in a car shop north of Cincinnati. I tried calling Dale in December 2003.
I was having an art show on Main Street, titled, Mychal’s Island. The show was named after a Franciscan priest killed on 9-11. The show was to the people of Cincinnati for what I had learned from them since the Greg Page incident.
Page confirmed that he would be at the art show and Crowe never returned my calls. The art show went on without him on the day after Christmas. And I fell apart when Greg Page showed up with his wife Patricia. I quickly grabbed the handles of his wheel chair and walked him around showing him all my paintings, photos, and poetry, and things of beauty. I showed him the things I did for the poor in Cincinnati since the tragic evening at Peel's Palace.
"The night you went down, Mr. Page, was not in vain, it has produced good. Believe me,” I said then continued. “Many have been helped."
“Praise Jesus,” Page said smiling.
I then asked Page for forgiveness for wishing him dead. He asked me why I thought such a thing. and I told him. Greg Page then forgave me.
Since the night of the art show, life went on as it should, and every now and again I’d bump into someone that knew Crowe or Page and I'd ask how they were doing. And it seemed that all was cruise control with Page working on his recovery and trying to pay his bills. and Crowe was still always busting tires somewhere north of Cincinnati.
It remained that way until a day in February of 2006 when I picked up the Cincinnati Enquirer and read that Crowe had been charged with murdering someone in the August of 2002.
The week that Crowe was charged with murder, Greg Page was readmitted to a hospital in Louisville with respiratory failure. The pain of hearing about Dale Crowe was probably too much for him. Also, that same week of Crowe’s arrest, the run-down nightclub where the fight was held, Peel’s Palace, burnt to the ground.
On May 2nd, of that same year of Crowe’s arrest, Crowe pled guilty to killing his friend, Frank Branam. "Obviously, there's a dark side to you," said Hamilton County Common Pleas Judge, Patrick Dinkelacker, who sentenced Dale Crowe to 20 years in prison on the same day Crowe pled guilty to fracturing Branam's skull with blows to the head, then strangling him.
I was just reading what a fiasco this was at the end. No ambulance on hand, no paramedics, no oxygen. The ring doctor who was not even licensed in Kentucky and was under suspension in Ohio, left the arena and had to be found and brought back in. 22 minutes passed before an ambulance finally arrived. What a shame.
Kentucky’s boxing Commission’s fault to what happened after the punch people and Doolin standing around and not helping him..And see I was 140 fighting guys 180 and it shouldn’t have happened when your lean..5 lbs is a lot of weight
Wow. He hit Greg with the straight left and hurt him. But Greg didn't fall. Dale clenched him, paused, and violently slammed him down into the ropes where his head likely received extreme torque from the ropes. This is horrible.
RIP brother, you left your legacy. Our hearts are with the family, Greg was a magnificent fighter, I too feel the pain of his ending, God bless this warrior.
Sadly this fight came 17 years to the day of Greg Page's first world title fight against Tim Witherspoon. Respect any man that steps through those ropes. Greg Page will never be forgotten. Legend.
Well said and thanks he was a great guy too
That wasn't a knock out He pushed Him
Delayed KO plus the turnbuckle
@@matsonruddell8795 A lot of people disagree but I hear what you saying.
Greg page in his prime kills dale Crowe
Exactly he shouldn’t have been there
How ironic that would be.
I regret not knowing of Greg Page's passing when I posted my comment, nor that Crowe murdered somebody. But it underscores the negligence of everyone involved in this tragedy. My heart goes out to his family.
As an outsider, you usually only see the sportsman, but the real value of a human being only really becomes clear to you when he is no longer with you.
My great respect for the boxer Greg Page, who knocked down a Prime Tyson, and my deepest sympathy for his family, especially Alicia.
Sorry to burst your bubble but I was THERE when Tyson and Greg were sparring. Page PUSHED Tyson down he did not knock him down. It was all bullshit. I was 4 feet from the ring when it happened.
A sad and tragic end for a legend.
Greg page was more skilled in his day than people give him credit for
Greg was a better amateur then Professional and he still won the Championship but He was a Future Champion Prospect That Don King signed and paid before the work was done and Greg kinda got spoiled and it cost him his hunger that he had as a amateur where he was always in shape
@@chrisslaughter5552 he was heavyweight champ nothing tops that man
Page was from Kentucky billed as the next Ali at 1 time.
@Steven Corwin I remember when those were the words about Page.
In his young age, Page moved like Ali.
@@Papote44 from Louisville and Louisville has had 4 Heavyweight Champions alot for a Small town can you name them?
Greg fought so many tough contenders for so long. He should not have been fighting at this stage. He should have stayed retired after the Seldon fight in 93. But he had a name so Kushner threw him in with young good fighters like Robert Davis right before this and he took a lot of punishment. Punishment he didn't need
Indeed.
This was no way for a very, very good fighter like Greg Page to go out. I still remember the buzz around boxing after the LeDoux contest, he had so many gifts...
Spider Rico had better corner men
I remember seeing Greg Page on front cover of Ring magazine in the 1980's He was a hell of a fighter.RIP.
Still fought like a champion.Thats what they do,its their calling and no one can stop them.
It's a sad ending to a sad book. A sad book that Page wrote.
He was fighting for 1500$. He was broke. Like damn man losing your life cause of that. Rip🙏🏼
Comments like that must be lovely for family of his to hear you say.. Maybe learn when to stfu
It looks like Page was ignored for some time not like a Vegas big fight with proper people there on the spot ?
Exactly smh
That was so irresponsible for that facility to host a boxing match and not have any medical staff on hand or even oxygen for that matter. It was disturbing to watch very few people who seemed to care at all that Greg Page was lying so awkwardly against the ropes unconscious for so long without medical attention. He was a very accomplished fighter throughout his career and didn't deserve to go out like that. RIP to your Dad and God bless you
Great fighter, just a shame some of the great ones don't hold onto their money and end up fighting for small purses well past their prime. Boxing is the hardest sport with the training, dieting and making weight and then there is just how dangerous it is with the number of head shots they can possibly take. Died doing what he loved, RIP Greg Page.
The Page/Crowe bout was notorious for several reasons. The "knockout" was actually a shove, not a punch, and though outclassed at 42 by Crowe, who was in his twenties, the reason he remained unconscious was because of the way his head snapped when he hit the bottom rope. Perhaps more significant was the fact that the only ringside physician was utterly inexperienced, was not licensed to practice in Kentucky where the fight took place and left the ringside immediately after the fight. Page remained where he fell, with his head on the rope until they could hunt down the doctor, and though there was a stretcher on hand there was no trained staff to carry it out of the ring and no ambulance standing by. It was many minutes before anyone thought to call 911, and Page has been totally paralyzed ever since. His family sued Kentucky for negligence but I don't know the outcome.
Uh, you did not see the devastating left Page got hit with JUST before he went down?
andrewsward46 That's sad.
NOT correct. It was the result of a hard left to the chin. Please reply in slow motion and see this is correct. Also, as you know he died from the injuries sustained from the left hook.
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Page_(boxer)
CORRECT
A head bouncing off the ropes is VERY DANGEROUS. Men have died from this type of accident before. Horrifying. There were no Doctors, Ambulance, Medical Personnel or Oxygen, as required by State Law. Page suffered setbacks the rest of his life after this before dying. He Had won a 1.2 million settlement against the State of Kentucky. This injury was the result of having been pushed down to the canvas with 10 seconds left in the fight.
I just realized this was his last fight. I can't finish this....R.I.P. Champ
Always thought highly of Greg Page.
Christ, this was amateur night.
And it is heartbreaking knowing that Greg fought all sorts of A-1 competition, only to be reduced to minor circuit fights with no medical staff onsite.
God Bless !!!
So sad. I've been a boxer on the unlicensed circuit and seeing a young lad die changed my opinion on the sport. It is and always will be dangerous but could be made safer. These guys were the real deal rip
This chump would of never beat Greg in his prime RIP champ
Believe it or not it is a boxing trivia and unusual boxing historical fight in Kentucky.
I seen this fight the crew didn’t even notice about greg situation they should put necessary equipment for his condition
I do not see what he hit his head on that caused the brain bleed. I did see that hella hit he took prior to the push. Would someone please point out when and what he hit his head on in this video plz?
It was the punch before the push his head was at a funny angle and it was turned far already and when he got hit him it probably burst something and he pushed him it bust it more all the years of boxing sparring amateur to this night all of it had something to do with it and the b.s after the fight the lies from Greg own corner good things don’t happen when you have evil people around you trust me I know.
Greg Page was one of the better heavyweights of the era. RIP champ!
Человек лежит без сознания, возможно умирает, а вокруг разгуливает победитель, хвастаясь поясом. Это жутко.
sickening....just sickening
Go back and watch Page vs Ledoux to see what Page was, or at least could have been.
Why was Greg Page fighting this guy?
Doolin thought he could make his Name off of Greg and instead of telling him to do other things he tried to use him and then denied any doing in this tragedy then made the statement he pulled out $5000 in Cash out and Offered it to Greg not to fight here becuz it was Beyond surviving that he wouldnt let a dog fight in there it’s was that terrible so Why did he let Greg Fight then? does he look like somebody that don’t want him to fight? Hell No he’s James dogshit Doolin and brings Doom and Gloom dark clouds around nothing but trash negative b.s for his fighters he don’t know boxing he never boxed how can you train fighters when you never boxed b.s..He the only one calling his gym Louisville Legend And Legendary Trainer lol who’s he trying to fool Legend? kelly Mays has done better than he has Doolin get away from him I know he ain’t shit..Fake phoney and full of Boloney
I don't think him and Teofilo Stevenson ever fought in the amateurs. That would have been one of the greatest three rounds you ever saw. RIP Champ.
Greg was suppose to fight him about 1978...But it was in Cuba and you cant win those fights..Greg had a cold and didnt go..But did beat the Russian that beat Teofito Stevenson twice once by knockout once by decision Igor Vysority.
@@chrisslaughter5552 I think they was supposed to fight like 3 times. The time he caught a cold in Moscow and lost 14 pounds and also got pneumonia or something, the world championships which happened during his prom and graduation, and late 1977, when Stevenson's stove blew up. I think Greg beats Teo, but only if he is on point.
No they were suppose to In Cuba But Greg didn’t go Becuz he didn’t think he could win there even if he did but Greg did beat the Russian that beat Stevenson Twice...Stevenson would tire in tight fights but he had that Jab And Right Hand So he always had a good chance no matter the fight watch him against John Tate he was somewhere over the Rainbow
@@chrisslaughter5552 I was saying that because Greg mentioned some issues with the AAU as well. But that is interesting to know.
@@Belburg Greg was my stablemate at Baxter Boxing Club in Louisville in the late 70’s Greg has a style that only he had he kinda got some Ali in it with being on his toes all the time but Grag was a better amateur then a Pro and the reason is Don King signed him and he was spoiled before he did anything but he started to quit training after he won a big fight he wouldn’t build on it and he was up and down the whole time as a Pro but a great guy who never reached his potential as a Pro.
$1.2m final out of court settlement not enough, imo. RIP Champ.
That’s so weird that a push resulted in so much damage... terrible.
may the lord have mercy
on greg page soul
in the name of jesus christ
we pray and ask this amen
Tragic the sad part is Page was having success as a boxing trainer for 3 years retired was co training Oliver MCcall when he won the title
Sad but not guilt I think it's a sad accident
RIP
So sad to see this happen to Dale Crowe. He was never the same again. Thank the Lord the good people at Crime In Sports podcasting did that show in his memory.
Dale Crow and his crew will be remembered as bad sportsmen. Shame on them.
I grew up near Crowe, same neighborhood. A bunch of angry people from that area...lol
sparkytd interesting.What area are you from?
Used to be a factory town called Norwood Ohio. Mostly West Virginia and Kentucky transplants there when we were young.
greg a way more advanced ali
He pushed him into the ropes. Terrible.
I was ther
Conception's in animals Souls inside Humans body's YESMadame Sorcieres ?
Poor Greg Page only made 900 for this fight.
1200$ but it still was chicken feed
No, it was 1,500 I believe
Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Page_(boxer)
It's all over the internet he was paid $1500.00
Sad day, the basterds didn’t have a Dr there. He laid there for 36 minutes without help😔😞😞
The white guy pushed him down. That's not a knock out, that's a foul. Where was this anyway?
Norwood Partz Kentucky nightclub Louisville to be exact.
Nope, he actually connected with a hard left on the chin. This was the result of the knockdown. Yes he pushed up but he was already down in his arms
@@pmolczan You can't serious. Crowe clearly shoved Page with a lot of force to drop him. The hard left to the chin of Page didn't indicate he was going down. Dale committed the foul leading to Page nearly dying. He should have been disqualified or the bout should have been declared NC 'no contest'. Crowe seems to take pride in hurting people. He Strangled and murdered a guy in 2002...dumped the body in a trash bin. He's a roided up dirtbag. Hope he rots in hell.
@@richardharrison859 couldn’t of said it any better
All for a crummy $500
strongman415 Are you serious $500??
I was 1,500 Source: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Page_(boxer)
greg page was the most gifted heavyweight I've ever seen
@Christopher Mosley Really??
He was very overrated .
what a waste of talent Page was. It looks like he took a dive here.
Could of been a great fighter