Last week, Bellator star Michael ‘Venom’ Page returned to the boxing ring for his second professional fight at York Hall in his hometown of London, England, dazzling fans with his showboating and unique in-ring theatrics.
‘MVP’ KO’d opponent Michal Ciach (1-6) just three weeks after outclassing David Rickels at Bellator 200, earning his second straight win in the squared circle.
Despite his wildly entertaining fighting style, Page has been criticized for facing sub-par opponents. But, according to him, it’s ‘extremely difficult’ to get the attention of a fighter with a winning record – especially in the boxing scene.
“(It’s) understandable what an ‘0’ means for a lot of boxers,” Page MMA Junkie’s Fernanda Prates and Abbey Subhan in a recent interview. “For a lot of anybody in combat, it means a lot in terms of their next paycheck and the development in their career. Their fans, their social, everything. We’re like, ‘Yeah, that guy’s got a good record, so let’s call them out’ – 10-2s, 10-0, he’s 12-0, he’s 12-1, whatever it is. And they’re like, ‘Not interested.’
“They’ve got a career that they want to improve. They don’t want to be on TV with that happening to them, and I understand it because it knocks them backside. Frustratingly so for me, but, at the same time, I have to take my time. I know a lot of people are like, ‘We want you to fight this person, that person’ – it’s just not that simple. I understand it. Hopefully, I want people to start thinking, ‘You know what, I can get the better of him,’ and they take that risk and jump in there.”
Fans are hoping Page will return to Bellator against British rival Paul ‘Semtex’ Daley, but the London Shootfighter says it takes longer to book fights in MMA than it does boxing, which is why he’s hoping to notch another boxing win before he returns to the cage.
“It takes a little while to kind of get the promotional side and just the opponents and stuff in terms of the MMA,” Page said. “Because they have a plan on what show they want me on. They’re businessmen, so they understand exactly what the best thing to do is. It’s a bit more of a chess game there, so I’m thinking it might take a little bit longer.
“I’m hoping to try and get another boxing fight in before having to jump back in the cage. It might change, but I’m saying now: Maybe one more boxing (match), August, early August, then straight on to an MMA fight, September, November, whenever I can strive for that.”
Page is undefeated in both MMA and boxing, and fans and critics alike hope to see the 31-year-old tested against a top-tier opponent in his next bout under the Bellator banner.
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