Bellator welterweight striker Michael Page hasn’t fought in MMA in almost a year, but for those who wish to see the Brit return to combat sports, he’ll be making his pro boxing debut on October 20th.
Page (12-0), who was given clearance to box by Bellator president Scott Coker, will be on the undercard of former heavyweight champion David Haye’s first show as a promoter. His opponent is 33-year-old Spaniard Jonathan Castano, whose record is 2-11-1 (2 KOs). Alternatively, you can say that Castano has knocked out every fighter he’s beaten. The fight is scheduled for four rounds and is essentially as bare minimum as you can get for a normal pro boxing debut.
It’s unknown whether or not Page vs. Castano will be televised, but the card will be broadcast on Dave in the United Kingdom and feature a heavyweight main event between 2016 Olympic silver medalist Joe Joyce (pro debut) and Ian Lewison (12-3-1, 8 KOs). This is by no means a major card, so the odds Page getting a juicy payday out of fighting a 2-11-1 foe are extremely low.
The expectation for next year is that Bellator MMA books Page against fellow countryman Paul Daley, who is coming off a spectacular KO of Lorenz Larkin in September. Daley and Page have publicly feuded in the past and it would be a major fight for the UK MMA scene at the very least. Page’s last MMA bout was an uninspiring split decision win over Fernando Gonzalez in November 2016.