Strange Case of James Page AKA Mighty Quinn, From Boxing Champion to Bank Robber
By Robert Brizel, Head RCM Boxing Correspondent
Welterweight James Page, nicknamed ‘Mighty Quinn’, turned pro with a first round knockout of Luis Silva in December 1990. He would go on to win 25 of 28 bouts, knocking out 19 opponents and losing three decisions early in his career. After winning the Worlds Boxing Association Fedelatin Welterweight title and defending it twice, Page won the vacant WBA World Welterweight title by knocking out Andrey Pestryev in the second round in France on October 1998.
Page defending his WBA title three times, with 12 round decisions over Jose Luis Lopez and Sam Garr, and an eleventh round stoppage of Freddie Pendleton. In February 2001, after 19 months inactivity, Page lost his WBA world title by seventh round stoppage on Andrew ‘Two Heads’ Lewis in Las Vegas.
With previous convictions for robber and drug offenses, Page embarked on a second career as a bank robber. He was arrested in December 2001 after robbing a Bank of America branch in Atlanta, Georgia, his second bank robbery of the day. He had robbed another bank in Alpharetta, Georgia a week earlier. He was caught driving his 1999 Cadillac, which he had purchased with his championship wining, and six thousand dollars in loot in his pocket.
After serving 11 years in Federal prison for bank robbery, Page was released in 2012. A boxing comeback ended in failure when Page was knocked out in the second round by Rahman Mustafa Yusubov, a journeyman with a losing record. Tusubov’s win over Page was his only win in over a fighter with a winning record in seven years. Yusubov’s victory over Page was his only win in his last 11 pro bouts-a clear sign Page, who claimed to trained for his comeback during his time in prison, had nothing left.
In June 2013, Page was arrested in West Oakland, California, after being identified as the button down bandit’ in conjunction with at least eight bank robberies. Page was identified as the robber who wore long sleeved button down collar shirts in each robbery committed in the East San Francisco Bay area. In all, Page had robbed two Chase banks, two American banks, three Wells Fargo Banks, and another Bank of America.
His return to society brief, Page will undoubtedly never make into the Pro Boxing Hall of Fame. Precisely why Page acquired a passion for bank robbery nobody knows. He went from boxing champion to bank robbery to jail, back to boxing, and then onto bank robbery again. It is a road likely no other professional boxing in the history of the ring will follow.
The final record of James Page: 25 wins, five losses, 19 knockouts, 8 WBA regional and world title bouts, 1 flashy Cadillac, and 9 bank robberies. Truth be told, the ‘Mighty Quinn’ was a rotten thief. His name will be forgotten in time. Robberies refer to bad decisions in boxing. In James Page’s case, turning to a life of crime was a bad decision.
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