Former welterweight champion sentenced for bank robbery
By Associated Press, September 6, 2003
ATLANTA: Former world welterweight champion James Page was sentenced Friday to 11 years in federal prison for bank robbery.
Page, 32, who the WBA title in 1998, was sentenced on three bank robbery counts he pleaded guilty to last year.
A high school dropout who grew up near San Francisco, Page was arrested in December 2001, 45 minutes after he robbed a Bank of America Branch in Atlanta. Police said they saw his 1999 Cadillac, which he bought with his championship earnings, parked outside a bar four miles from the bank. They found almost $6,000 in his pocket.
Earlier that day, Page had attempted to rob another bank, according to court records, which said he also robbed an Alpharetta bank a week earlier. Page had previous convictions for robbery and drug offenses.
He knocked out Andrei Pestriaev in Paris to win the vacant WBA welterweight championship in 1998. He defended the title three times.
James Page gets 11 years...
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TerribleTerry
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 5272
- Joined: 29 Aug 2003, 12:30
Caveman Lee got hard time for something similar. Came across a story on Lee you might find interesting by Aram "Rocky" Alkazoff.
The inmates with me were all black men between the ages of 18 to over 70. I was the only non black, which meant nothing in here. The men were skinny, underfed, and most of them looked like they stepped right out of crack cocaine habits. All the conversation was "fornicate this and fornicate that", and "pussy this and pussy that", and arguments over "who makes more money, Mike Jordan or Oprah Winfrey?" and ignorant stuff like that. I wanted to put in ear plugs. But before putting my head down, I did notice one convict who was looking at me in a curious way.
Now usually in a prison situation when a convict is staring at another convict, it can lead to violence. In Detroit it is called 'Marquetteing' someone. Marquette is the name of the highest security prison in the Michigan system. Staring at someone with an attitude means you want to do him harm of some sort. But this was different. You could tell this guy meant no harm. The vibrations were different.
Taking a good look at him, I noticed his skin was very jet black, and smooth. His hair was long and 'nappy', but his eyes were bright and alert, and his teeth very large and bright. I also noticed that his forearms hanging out of his jail blouse were muscular, bottomed off by well formed knuckles and hands. He was about 35 or so and healthier than the others.
"Hey man is your name Rocky?" he asked. "Didn't you box at Kronk back in the seventies or early eighties?"
"Yeah I used to work out there and spar with guys", I answered, getting up and moving next to him. "I just like boxing, keeping in shape."
"How come you didn't go pro?" he asked. "You were alright. Hit hard with that right hand too."
"Too old," I laughed. "I was older than I looked. Man, I started boxing in Chicago in the sixties, but I didn't go anywhere with it. You know, I wanted to be a casanova."
We both started laughing and slapped hands.
"Yeah I was a young fool," I went on. "Didn't take advantage of what I might have had. But later on when I moved to Detroit, and I was involved in the street life, I still liked to go to the gym and spar."
"Well, you held your own," the dark skinned man said. "You look like you're still ready."
"I been down five years," I said, still not knowing who the man was. "I been working out. Say, I'm not good with names. I forgot yours."
"William Lee," he said, smiling those big white teeth. "
"Caveman Lee!" I thought. "This kid fought Hagler for the title! What the hell was he doing here?"
"Caveman, God damm," I said, and we hugged each other. "What the hell are you doing here man? I heard you was locked up years ago for some armed robbery or something."
"I did five years," he answered.
"What are you doing here now?" I asked.
He looked down sadly. Our whole mood changed.
"Armed robbery again. I got fifteen to life."
"What the hell happened?" I asked further.
"I got caught up again," he said. "I messed up. Started getting high. I messed up bad. You know. Didn't know what to do with myself. Ran out of money. I messed up bad." I saw he was down in the dumps, and so was I for that matter. I thought to change the subject.
"What the hell happened against Hagler?" I asked. "I figured you were going to go to war with the guy. You got the break when Goodwin pulled out, and I figured you would fight him like a animal."
"I wanted to," he said, perking up at the mention of boxing. "I planned to. When Mickey pulled out and I got my chance, I was in good shape. But the fight with the Puerto Rican took too much out of me Rock."
"LoCicero?" I asked. "Man, what a fight! They used to show the highlights on ESPN all the time. I was locked up when I finally saw it. LoCicero was a tough monkey huh?"
"Real tough," he said. "I thought one of us was gonna die. Johnny LoCicero was a tough dude. He could hit, but I wanted that fight so bad. I woulda' died rather than lose. But against Hagler it was different, Rock."
"What happened, William?"
"Man it was a different atmosphere," he said, shaking his head. "It was too clean. Too controlled. Hagler was so smooth, so confident. He came right out and nailed me. It wasn't as hard as LoCicero hurt me, but it was still hard. He was too good. I stayed down. To be honest with you Rock, I think the LoCicero fight took it out of me. I wasn't the same. Then I got a few bucks and everything got crazy."
He looked at me and snuck in a smile, and I started smiling back. We both understood.
"Yeah I know that feeling too William," I remarked.
"Oh well," he said resigning himself to his fate. "Now I start this shit again. I don't know how, but here I am."
I had been in his position five years ago, and an old fighter had picked me up with his encouraging words. I knew Caveman was down and depressed, and I wanted to say something to pick up his spirits.
"Caveman do me a favour," I asked.
"What Rock?"
"I know this is gonna be tough, but I want you to remember something," I said. "You fought a hall of famer for the middleweight title. The real title, not some alphabet title. You got knocked out, but plenty of guys have got knocked out. Point is you were in there with Hagler. How many guys can say that?"
Caveman put his head down sadly into his two strong hands, then picked it up looking at me.
"Man you fought Johnny LoCicero in the fight of the year," I went on. "That puts you in the class with Basilio and Sugar Ray, and Ali and Joe Frazier, with Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis man. You fought for the middleweight title man. The real title held by a hall of famer like Marvin Hagler. Man, that's the title that Monzon had, and Tony Zale."
"Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano," he murmured to himself. "They said LoCicero and me was like Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano."
"That's what I'm saying Caveman," I went on. "Forget this bullshit. If you didn't become a champ out in the streets, in the joint you can be a champ. You can get back in perfect condition and walk around like the champ. You can be in shape like a champ. You done things no one in here has done, nor hardly no one in the streets. You need to be proud of all that and keep your pride. Don't let these bastards steal it from you."
"They'll try to," he said nodding. "I know that."
"Well then," I said. "It's another fight and you gotta fight back. Once you're back in shape, start trying your best to get out of here. You can still get a parole. If you gotta do the time, do it like a champ. Don't mess around with bullshit in there. Stay away from booze and drugs and the sissies. You fought for the title. The real title. Now walk around like a champ. Inspire people who admire you, man."
"I see how you are Rock," he said. "I can do it."
"An old fighter named Curtis 'The Hatchetman' Sheppard who was doing a life bit too, gave me that advice," I said getting up, hearing my name called by a guard. "He saw I had life, and had heard I wanted to be a fighter when I was young. He inspired me to get in shape and then to stand up and fight this sentence, and walk around like the champ. You too Caveman. I did it and you can do it. Remember, you fought for the middleweight title, man. Tony Zale's title, Sugar Ray Robinson's title..."
I got up, and we hugged again. He kissed me on the cheek like a brother.
The inmates with me were all black men between the ages of 18 to over 70. I was the only non black, which meant nothing in here. The men were skinny, underfed, and most of them looked like they stepped right out of crack cocaine habits. All the conversation was "fornicate this and fornicate that", and "pussy this and pussy that", and arguments over "who makes more money, Mike Jordan or Oprah Winfrey?" and ignorant stuff like that. I wanted to put in ear plugs. But before putting my head down, I did notice one convict who was looking at me in a curious way.
Now usually in a prison situation when a convict is staring at another convict, it can lead to violence. In Detroit it is called 'Marquetteing' someone. Marquette is the name of the highest security prison in the Michigan system. Staring at someone with an attitude means you want to do him harm of some sort. But this was different. You could tell this guy meant no harm. The vibrations were different.
Taking a good look at him, I noticed his skin was very jet black, and smooth. His hair was long and 'nappy', but his eyes were bright and alert, and his teeth very large and bright. I also noticed that his forearms hanging out of his jail blouse were muscular, bottomed off by well formed knuckles and hands. He was about 35 or so and healthier than the others.
"Hey man is your name Rocky?" he asked. "Didn't you box at Kronk back in the seventies or early eighties?"
"Yeah I used to work out there and spar with guys", I answered, getting up and moving next to him. "I just like boxing, keeping in shape."
"How come you didn't go pro?" he asked. "You were alright. Hit hard with that right hand too."
"Too old," I laughed. "I was older than I looked. Man, I started boxing in Chicago in the sixties, but I didn't go anywhere with it. You know, I wanted to be a casanova."
We both started laughing and slapped hands.
"Yeah I was a young fool," I went on. "Didn't take advantage of what I might have had. But later on when I moved to Detroit, and I was involved in the street life, I still liked to go to the gym and spar."
"Well, you held your own," the dark skinned man said. "You look like you're still ready."
"I been down five years," I said, still not knowing who the man was. "I been working out. Say, I'm not good with names. I forgot yours."
"William Lee," he said, smiling those big white teeth. "
"Caveman Lee!" I thought. "This kid fought Hagler for the title! What the hell was he doing here?"
"Caveman, God damm," I said, and we hugged each other. "What the hell are you doing here man? I heard you was locked up years ago for some armed robbery or something."
"I did five years," he answered.
"What are you doing here now?" I asked.
He looked down sadly. Our whole mood changed.
"Armed robbery again. I got fifteen to life."
"What the hell happened?" I asked further.
"I got caught up again," he said. "I messed up. Started getting high. I messed up bad. You know. Didn't know what to do with myself. Ran out of money. I messed up bad." I saw he was down in the dumps, and so was I for that matter. I thought to change the subject.
"What the hell happened against Hagler?" I asked. "I figured you were going to go to war with the guy. You got the break when Goodwin pulled out, and I figured you would fight him like a animal."
"I wanted to," he said, perking up at the mention of boxing. "I planned to. When Mickey pulled out and I got my chance, I was in good shape. But the fight with the Puerto Rican took too much out of me Rock."
"LoCicero?" I asked. "Man, what a fight! They used to show the highlights on ESPN all the time. I was locked up when I finally saw it. LoCicero was a tough monkey huh?"
"Real tough," he said. "I thought one of us was gonna die. Johnny LoCicero was a tough dude. He could hit, but I wanted that fight so bad. I woulda' died rather than lose. But against Hagler it was different, Rock."
"What happened, William?"
"Man it was a different atmosphere," he said, shaking his head. "It was too clean. Too controlled. Hagler was so smooth, so confident. He came right out and nailed me. It wasn't as hard as LoCicero hurt me, but it was still hard. He was too good. I stayed down. To be honest with you Rock, I think the LoCicero fight took it out of me. I wasn't the same. Then I got a few bucks and everything got crazy."
He looked at me and snuck in a smile, and I started smiling back. We both understood.
"Yeah I know that feeling too William," I remarked.
"Oh well," he said resigning himself to his fate. "Now I start this shit again. I don't know how, but here I am."
I had been in his position five years ago, and an old fighter had picked me up with his encouraging words. I knew Caveman was down and depressed, and I wanted to say something to pick up his spirits.
"Caveman do me a favour," I asked.
"What Rock?"
"I know this is gonna be tough, but I want you to remember something," I said. "You fought a hall of famer for the middleweight title. The real title, not some alphabet title. You got knocked out, but plenty of guys have got knocked out. Point is you were in there with Hagler. How many guys can say that?"
Caveman put his head down sadly into his two strong hands, then picked it up looking at me.
"Man you fought Johnny LoCicero in the fight of the year," I went on. "That puts you in the class with Basilio and Sugar Ray, and Ali and Joe Frazier, with Jack Dempsey and Joe Louis man. You fought for the middleweight title man. The real title held by a hall of famer like Marvin Hagler. Man, that's the title that Monzon had, and Tony Zale."
"Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano," he murmured to himself. "They said LoCicero and me was like Tony Zale and Rocky Graziano."
"That's what I'm saying Caveman," I went on. "Forget this bullshit. If you didn't become a champ out in the streets, in the joint you can be a champ. You can get back in perfect condition and walk around like the champ. You can be in shape like a champ. You done things no one in here has done, nor hardly no one in the streets. You need to be proud of all that and keep your pride. Don't let these bastards steal it from you."
"They'll try to," he said nodding. "I know that."
"Well then," I said. "It's another fight and you gotta fight back. Once you're back in shape, start trying your best to get out of here. You can still get a parole. If you gotta do the time, do it like a champ. Don't mess around with bullshit in there. Stay away from booze and drugs and the sissies. You fought for the title. The real title. Now walk around like a champ. Inspire people who admire you, man."
"I see how you are Rock," he said. "I can do it."
"An old fighter named Curtis 'The Hatchetman' Sheppard who was doing a life bit too, gave me that advice," I said getting up, hearing my name called by a guard. "He saw I had life, and had heard I wanted to be a fighter when I was young. He inspired me to get in shape and then to stand up and fight this sentence, and walk around like the champ. You too Caveman. I did it and you can do it. Remember, you fought for the middleweight title, man. Tony Zale's title, Sugar Ray Robinson's title..."
I got up, and we hugged again. He kissed me on the cheek like a brother.
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MightyWarrior
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 13284
- Joined: 23 Jan 2003, 14:01
Great story that bennie - poor old Caveman, he was one of my favorites, the LoCicero fight was along the same lines as Foreman/Lyle - I think it won Ring round of the year.
I remember rushing home to catch his fight with Hagler on Grandstand.
I was sure he'd put up a great fight... but he was just never at the races; Halger put him over with a jab.
Do you know when that article was written, recently?
And sad to hear about Page - there were always rumours about his "past" even when he was a champ. Looks like it all caught up with him, I'd heard he had previous drug troubles too, just like Caveman Lee
I remember rushing home to catch his fight with Hagler on Grandstand.
I was sure he'd put up a great fight... but he was just never at the races; Halger put him over with a jab.
Do you know when that article was written, recently?
And sad to hear about Page - there were always rumours about his "past" even when he was a champ. Looks like it all caught up with him, I'd heard he had previous drug troubles too, just like Caveman Lee
I came across it on the CyberBoxing Zone, MW. I've always found the writers to be a friendly and approachable bunch on there. You may be able to email the writer, Aram "Rocky" Alkazoff, who also wrote a brilliant story on Curtis "The Hatchetman" Sheppard.MightyWarrior wrote:Great story that bennie - poor old Caveman, he was one of my favorites, the LoCicero fight was along the same lines as Foreman/Lyle - I think it won Ring round of the year.
I remember rushing home to catch his fight with Hagler on Grandstand.
I was sure he'd put up a great fight... but he was just never at the races; Halger put him over with a jab.
Do you know when that article was written, recently?
And sad to hear about Page - there were always rumours about his "past" even when he was a champ. Looks like it all caught up with him, I'd heard he had previous drug troubles too, just like Caveman Lee
I believe Lee is still in jail.
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MightyWarrior
- Heavyweight
- Posts: 13284
- Joined: 23 Jan 2003, 14:01
I haven't looked over there before, sounds good thanks for the tip.
I read a decent one on this link today, the writer Snow is low key but very good.
Didn't know anything about Rivera, but I'm watching him fight for the title in Germany ( on TV ) this weekend & it's interesting to see behind the scenes.
Might even keep me awake for the big fight later on!
http://www.boxingtalk.net/pages/snow12.htm
I read a decent one on this link today, the writer Snow is low key but very good.
Didn't know anything about Rivera, but I'm watching him fight for the title in Germany ( on TV ) this weekend & it's interesting to see behind the scenes.
Might even keep me awake for the big fight later on!
http://www.boxingtalk.net/pages/snow12.htm
Scott is NEVER going to be released.blocks wrote:Does anyone know if James Scott is still in the clink? I suspect he still may be there
In October 1978 at Rahway State Prison in New Jersey, inmate number 57735 scored a 12-round decision over Eddie Gregory (later Eddie Mustafa Muhammad). Twenty-five years later, James Scott remains inmate number 57735.
He was doing time for armed robbery when he fought Gregory, and, whilst incarcerated, was also convicted of a murder that had occurred in Newark, New Jersey.
Now he's serving a life sentence at South Woods State Prison in Bridgeton, New Jersey. Scott is 54 years old, and he'll almost surely die in prison. His fights are different, however. In 1984, he was transferred from Rahway to Trenton State Prison. Last year, he was transferred again, this time to South Woods.
"An inmate called Flo cut me," Scott explained during a 60-minute phone interview, "cut me on the side of the face. He got me from behind. Thirty-three stitches. I'll have a scar the rest of my life. He missed my jugular by a couple of inches. I got moved here."
Brief as it was, there was a time when Scott's back was always covered. He was arguably the best 175-pounder in boxing. While that brought status inside the prison walls, those on the outside weren't sure what to make of him - or what to do with him. The result was a moral dilemma.
"Politics gets into everything," Scott recalled. "People were wondering whether a prisoner should be allowed to fight for the world title. I had to try and do something to try and improve my prison life. Boxing had always been a big part of life in prison, so the warden said, 'If you get a sponsor, we'll give it a try.'
"The guards didn't protest because they made extra money working the fights. The image of the corrections department benefited. The state made money. Everybody benefited." (Scott's financial benefits were limited however; his biggest purse was $40,000 for his 1980 bout with Jerry Martin and he received just $4,000 of it, with New Jersey pocketing the rest).
Imagine if Scott had secured a shot at either of the world champions, Marvin Johnson or Matthew Saad Muhammad. How strange would that have been? How uncomfortable? What would've happened had he won? What would the rest of the world have thought of boxing then?
"Marvin was a southpaw who hit hard, but he was vulnerable to right hands, and I had a good right hand," said Scott. "The hardest one would've been Saad. He was the hardest hitter, but he bled kind of easy. It would've been hard, but I could've beaten him because I fought in close. That's how Dwight Braxton eventually beat him."
"Without question, Scott was at one point the best light heavyweight in the world," said HBO's Harold Lederman, who worked as a judge at four of Scott's Rahway fights. "He would've beaten anybody; he was long and lean, and he was a vicious bodypuncher. He'd hit so hard, you'd be in the audience and you'd say, 'Ouch!'"
One year after Scott introduced himself by upsetting Gregory, I attended his NBC-televised bout at Rahway against the WBA's leading contender Yaqui Lopez. The experience, of course, was nothing like covering a fight at Madison Square Garden or in Atlantic City. In fact, it was downright bizarre. And unsettling and depressing and intimidating. Rahway was a pale-green maximum-security prison and there wasn't a smiling face to be found.
"I remember the doors closing behind you," recalled Lederman. "There were a lot of young kids in there, and when you went home after Scott's fight, they weren't going with you. That made you think a whole lot."
Scott smothered Lopez, outmuscling him and setting a pace the perennial contender couldn't hope to match. "Of course I was in better shape," Scott said. "Working out was all I had to do."
On Scott's career graph, his points win over Lopez was the zenith. The WBC never ranked Scott, and, after listing him as high as number two, the WBA also opted to eliminate him from consideration. Nonetheless, Scott's three-year run, during which he fought on national television several times, was a unique chapter in boxing history.
He later dropped a decision to rising contender Jerry "The Bull' Martin, and in September 1981, he fought for the last time, losing on points to former fellow inmate and future world champion Dwight Braxton (later Dwight Muhammad Qawi).
"If you fight long enough, you're gonna lose," Scott mused. "If someone in the ring doesn't beat you, Father Time will."
Scott weighs 190 pounds now, and says that while he can still do a pushup or two, there's not enough protein in the prison food to keep him strong. He watches boxing "when they put it on TV here, which isn't too often." Asked to critique today's fighters, the only one he cared to mention was Roy Jones, who impresses him.
Twenty years ago, NBC's Marv Albert and Ferdie Pacheco seemingly spent as much time at Rahway as defence lawyers. But the TV cameras are a mere memory. Scott still receives the occasional request for an interview (journalists have to go through appropriate channels.) Still, he's hardly a celebrity anymore.
"I'm in a cell with two other guys," he said, "and James Scott doesn't mean anything to them. "I'm not popular anymore," he joked.
"But I've done my time, 27 years of it," Scott suddenly adds. "I should be out. But this is the hand I've been dealt. It's a bad hand, but it's my only one. You have to look through the manure to find something good. You know the old saying about the world being a stage and we're merely players? Well, I believe we have a part to play, and this is my destiny."
When I hung up the phone, I imagined that for Scott, the 'click' must have sounded like metal bars closing in front of him. Locking him up again. And distancing him even further from a time when number 57735 was instead number one.
It's extremely sad to hear about former boxers falling back into the type of life that boxing originally rescued them from.
I sincerely hope that Cavemen Lee listened to Rocky's advice and according to this link, he's been a free man for a couple of years now.
Long may it continue...
http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2pr ... ber=176292
I sincerely hope that Cavemen Lee listened to Rocky's advice and according to this link, he's been a free man for a couple of years now.
Long may it continue...
http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2pr ... ber=176292
Poor old William Lee. No picture. Just the bare facts on his incarceration. At least he's out.tolstoy wrote:It's extremely sad to hear about former boxers falling back into the type of life that boxing originally rescued them from.
I sincerely hope that Cavemen Lee listened to Rocky's advice and according to this link, he's been a free man for a couple of years now.
Long may it continue...
http://www.state.mi.us/mdoc/asp/otis2pr ... ber=176292