Michael 'Venon' Page: 'Chris Eubank Jr. Threw a Hissy Fit After We Sparred'
Michael 'Venon' Page: 'Chris Eubank Jr. Threw a Hissy Fit After We Sparred'
These days, a week seemingly can't go by without the worlds of mixed martial arts and professional boxing crossing paths.Whether it's the noise of a potenti
These days, a week seemingly can't go by without the worlds of mixed martial arts and professional boxing crossing paths.
Whether it's the noise of a potential Conor McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather super fight, or the news that the former unified WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has set up an MMA franchise league in India, the sports are increasingly being linked to one another at the highest level.
Even on the British combat sports scene, the biggest stars of the British domestic boxing and MMA can't seem to stay clear from one another and it appears that a spat is brewing between Bellator MMA welterweight Michael Page and British middleweight boxing champion Chris Eubank Jr.
According to Page, the disagreement between the two of them began after a recent sparring session where Page claims he got the better of the 26-year-old son of the British boxing legend Chris Eubank. Page recalled their sparring session on 'The Long Ball Street' podcast released earlier this week.
"He didn't like me a lot--no he didn't like me a lot," Page said. "I got more than one up him, way more than one up him. I was saying this the other day, I will happily do it with cameras in front of me and broadcast it to the world, and I guarantee he wouldn't do it.
"That was just boxing, just boxing," he reiterated. "It's something we are always asked to do. Because we are mixed martial artists, my coach will always bring the best boxers and get them to come in. He'll say 'you have to be as good as them' and even if we aren't as good as them we at least have to be competent boxers.
"My coach also brings in top kickboxers and also top Jiu Jitsu guys and he will always put me in against them in their style. They have the advantage I have to be even. It's not like you can be destroyed by these guys, you have to be a match for everybody."
Related: Michael 'Venom' Page Seeking Perfection in 2016
Page then went into greater detail about his sparring session with Eubank Jr. and according to the Bellator MMA welterweight, things ended on a sour note.
"We drove down to Brighton and went to his gym," Page said. "I sparred him. Boxers seem to be a bit more diva-ish than the guys in MMA, he threw a bit of hissy fit afterwards and left."
Page later revealed why he believes he has so much success when facing boxers.
"I find boxers slightly easier, way more powerful hands wise, but slightly easier because I have less to worry about," Page said. "It means I can be more creative because the way I can dip my head in boxing, I can't get away with that in MMA. I also can't get taken down so I can be a lot more creative."
Whether it's the noise of a potential Conor McGregor versus Floyd Mayweather super fight, or the news that the former unified WBA and IBF light-welterweight champion Amir Khan has set up an MMA franchise league in India, the sports are increasingly being linked to one another at the highest level.
Even on the British combat sports scene, the biggest stars of the British domestic boxing and MMA can't seem to stay clear from one another and it appears that a spat is brewing between Bellator MMA welterweight Michael Page and British middleweight boxing champion Chris Eubank Jr.
According to Page, the disagreement between the two of them began after a recent sparring session where Page claims he got the better of the 26-year-old son of the British boxing legend Chris Eubank. Page recalled their sparring session on 'The Long Ball Street' podcast released earlier this week.
"He didn't like me a lot--no he didn't like me a lot," Page said. "I got more than one up him, way more than one up him. I was saying this the other day, I will happily do it with cameras in front of me and broadcast it to the world, and I guarantee he wouldn't do it.
"That was just boxing, just boxing," he reiterated. "It's something we are always asked to do. Because we are mixed martial artists, my coach will always bring the best boxers and get them to come in. He'll say 'you have to be as good as them' and even if we aren't as good as them we at least have to be competent boxers.
"My coach also brings in top kickboxers and also top Jiu Jitsu guys and he will always put me in against them in their style. They have the advantage I have to be even. It's not like you can be destroyed by these guys, you have to be a match for everybody."
Related: Michael 'Venom' Page Seeking Perfection in 2016
Page then went into greater detail about his sparring session with Eubank Jr. and according to the Bellator MMA welterweight, things ended on a sour note.
"We drove down to Brighton and went to his gym," Page said. "I sparred him. Boxers seem to be a bit more diva-ish than the guys in MMA, he threw a bit of hissy fit afterwards and left."
Page later revealed why he believes he has so much success when facing boxers.
"I find boxers slightly easier, way more powerful hands wise, but slightly easier because I have less to worry about," Page said. "It means I can be more creative because the way I can dip my head in boxing, I can't get away with that in MMA. I also can't get taken down so I can be a lot more creative."