by David P. Greisman
Former welterweight titleholder James Page has pleaded guilty to robbing eight California banks over the course of about three months last year, a spree that raked in more than $20,000 but will bring him back to prison for an expected 20-year sentence, according to InsideBayArea.com.
“It was Page's local fame that helped take him down,” the article said. “A police officer who saw a photo released by authorities recognized the suspect as Page.”
Page, 42, went by the nickname of “Mighty Quinn” when he was in the ring. But he allegedly became what police called the “Button Down Bandit” during a crime spree that would mark another run afoul of the law, according to the San Jose Mercury News.
“By the time he won his title [in 1998], he had already served two stints in prison, including 10 months in San Quentin in late 1996 and 1997 after he was convicted of theft from a Concord athletic club,” the newspaper article said. “He was stripped of his title after he failed to appear at a mandatory fight in November 2000. In December 2001, he was arrested in the robbery of a bank in Atlanta and later sentenced to 11 years in federal prison.”
Page had a comeback fight in November 2012, losing a second-round knockout to an 8-9 opponent named Rahman Yusubov, according to BoxRec.com. That loss dropped his record to 25-5 with 19 knockouts.
Pick up a copy of David’s new book, “Fighting Words: The Heart and Heartbreak of Boxing,” at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsamazon or internationally at http://bit.ly/fightingwordsworldwide. Send questions/comments via email at fightingwords1@gmail.com

