Randolph Turpin (v Sugar Ray Robinson)For he was a Jolly Good Fellow!

As we were informed by Steve Bunce recently, the biggest fight in British boxing history is among us soon with David Haye's latest mouth watering offering, and so I came to think about the other classic fights involving British boxing.Apologies if there has been a thread on the subject over the last year-anyway.. a recent article of mine on Herol Graham touched on his tragic shortcomings and his battle with mental illness and thoughts of suicide;sadly Turpin did take his own life.

Few fight fans will still remember the night of10 July 1951, when Randolph Turpin provided them with the most exciting night British boxing has enjoyed since the Second World War.A convincing defeat of the legendary Sugar Ray Robinson,regarded by many now and then as the best pound-for-pound boxer ever,suggested the 23-year old Turpin would become an all-time great himself.However Robinson managed to win the return and Turpin’s complex private life began to erode his remarkable talent.He still had an outstanding career but never again stood on the heights alongside Robinson.The depths came when he took his own life less than 15 years after his great victory, when the 18,000 inside the Earl’s Court arena had spontaneously sung “For he’s a jolly good fellow”.

The bad fortune that seemed to follow Randolph Adolphus Turpin for most of his life did not take long to manifest itself.Only three months after his birth on 7 July 1928 in Leamington Spa his father died,having never recovered properly from being gassed in The Somme in the First World War.He had emigrated from British Guiana,and was said to be the first black man to live in Leamington.Boxing was in the blood of the family he married into,his children’s grandfather being tommy Whitehouse a respected bare-knuckle fighter.

When Randy aged nine joined the Leamington Boys club, a police officer spotted his great talent for boxing.Randolph began his amateur career when he was twelve.He was immediately outstanding ,and won junior titles in 1943 at 112lb,in 1944 at 133lb and in 1945 at 147 lb, at which weight (welter) he won the ABA title,the youngest man and the first black man to become an ABA champion.He became a middleweight ,became the Navy and Inter-Services champion winning a second ABA title,fought for England against USA , knocking out their star middleweight,Harold Anspach, with a single punch in the first round.In 1946 he turned professional and had immediate success,building up a magnificent physique .Broad-shouldered and a slim waist gave him a Superman apperance,and the great American boxing writer A.J.Liebling,seeing him in New York for his second Robinson fight, said he had never seen such a big strong middleweight.

His private life however showed signs of turmoil,he threatened his girlfriend with suicide should she decide to leave him.Marrying briefly he had to admit to beating his wife and he was divorced .The case affected his boxing and this was the first indication that his ascent to greatness would be hindered by his inability to prevent personal upheavals inhibiting his ring performances.Unlike many champions who seem to channel their distress and setbacks into aggression in the ring, Turpin never could and would fight with no heart.
However, at the peak of his powers he was able to add the European title(1951) to his British title (1950) by knocking out the Dutchman Luc Van Dam in an electrifying 48 seconds. His big opportunity came soon, as Sugar Ray Robinson,former unbeaten world welterweight and newly crowned middleweight champion,was on a triumphal three-month tour of Europe,during which he warmed up to accept a challenge from Turpin with six non-title fights. The 23 year old was given no chance,even by British critics and fans.The experienced radio commentators themselves were so mesmerised by the reputation of the great man that they failed to convey how easily Turpin was winning the fight,so that millions of listeners were denied the mounting pleasure and expectation of Turpin’s performance.Not so the crowd inside Earl’s Court arena,who were singing before the end.

Robinson had never met a fighter like Turpin before,a man who crouched low and threw powerful punches with both hands from all angles.He later said; “Turpin does everything wrong-right”.As Turpin was cheered back to his dressing room, Robinson was gracious..”You were real good.I have no alibis.I was beaten by the better man.” The US fans could hardly credit the news.”Unbelieveable-Robinson beaten!” ran the New York Times placards.

Robinson,as was standard in those days had a return clause in his contract,and the return fight took place at the Polo Grounds,New York only 64 days later.Naturally all Americans wanted to see for themselves the new sensation of boxing against the old master.The fight broke records for the spectators it drew for a non-heavyweight bout,and the only previous nine fights that had grossed more were also for heavyweight bouts.Turpin began slowly in New York but after nine rounds the fight was close,maybe even level.Turpin split Ray’s left eyebrow so badly in the tenth that Ray gambled on a desperate all-out assault. It worked.Turpin was dropped by a right for a count of seven and then Robinson attacked a still groggy Turpin on the ropes with a barrage of punches.Turpin ducked and swayed and refused to go down again but was not fighting back and the referee Ruby Goldstein stepped in with eight seconds to go of the round remaining.Many thought this action premature and Turpin would perhaps have been in better physical condition to continue than Robinson, whose eyebrow was so badly cut.

Although Turpin recovered his form well, winning the British and Empire light-heavyweight titles,he lost to Carl “Bobo” Olson in his attempt at regaining the world title.In 1966 he was made bankrupt and, tragically, in 1966 he took his own life after receiving a final demand from the inland revenue.Turpin, the most feted and popular sportsmen in post-war austerity Britain, who had attracted as many friends and women as he could muster only fifteen years previously,left a melancholy poem about the true nature of the sport in which he so excelled in the note he had left.

Great read about a guy who should be more renowned in British sporting history. Not much more I can add1

Good article andy,

Didnt know much on Turpin so always interesting to get some knowledge on the subject,

Cracking read Andy, the more I think about the turpin Robinson fight there is an argument it may just be the best ever performance by a Brit, easy to say Robbo underestimated him or his schedule sent him in a bit burned out but you can always come up with mitigation for most performances, Robbo was rightly regarded as the best in the world at the time and Turpin deserved the victory, exceptional win and such a pity his subsequent form could not match up to this fight.

Great stuff Andy, a largely overlooked great, although his statue in Warwick town centre ensures that he will never be forgotten.

Lovely stuff, Andy. As others have said, it's a shame that Randy couldn't quite replicate his 1951 form in the latter years of his career, although European and Empire title across two weights was probably a more meritorious feat back then than it is now, and goes some distance to debunking the myth that Robinson was the only high point of his career.

Given Ray's often contemptuous attitude towards his opponents, I think it says a lot that he was so effusive in his praise for Turpin. His trepidation at facing Turpin was evident even before the fight, it seems; "Right there and then at the weigh in, Turpin impressed me. His torso looked as if it were carved from oak. If he could box even a little bit, I was in trouble."

There's also a great video on TouTube (will try to have a look and post it later) of the two of them exchanging compliments in their post-fight interviews after the second bout in New York.

I think there's enough evidence in place to say that Turpin would have always been a bit of a nightmare for Robinson. It's easy, I suppose, to find all sorts of excuses as to why Ray lost so surprisingly to Randy, his partying on his tour of Europe beforehand being the most obvious. However, it's worth noting that Turpin gave him absolute hell in the rematch, and Ray can have no excuses made for him in the way of complacency there - this was a determined and supremely focused Robinson. In Herb Boyd's biography of him, 'Pound for Pound' (a fine read, by the way), Robinson's second wife Edna Mae recounted how a wounded Robinson, his pride visibly dented, spent most of the return voyage back to the States muttering to himself "I'll beat him next time...So help me God, I'll beat him."

Cracking article.

Nice one, Andy. It somehow escaped me that Turpin had committed suicide and its a sad end for someone who should be more widely recognised as a British sporting hero.

Yes Chris "Pound for Pound" was a great read, although I was very surprised to hear that Ray was no stranger to the old domestic knockabout himself.These guys were no angels but they did conduct themselves with class in public,the example you cite in him praising Turpin being a case in point. you will know that Miles Davis, the king of cool, looked up to Robinson for his physical grace which he believed had some parallel with his own musical genius.Can't see anyone being inspired by Chisora or Haye in fifty years time, can you?
anyway cheers for the input everybody

I finished reading Sugar Rays Robinsons 'Sweet Thunder' last week and this fight along with Turpins fall from grace was well covered in there. Such a shame but some people just can't control their inner demons.

Great read and I recommend it to anyone and everyone to get a true grasp on what life was like back then for Walker Smith Jnr better known as Sugar Ray Robinson.

Thanks, Shaeksoul,and "Sweet Thunder" sounds a great read.Why not post a write-up in the book review section here?

I wasn't aware that there was a book review section to be honest andy. I'm going off shift now and will be back on in two days, will get when posted then. Cheers dude.

andygf wrote:Yes Chris "Pound for Pound" was a great read, although I was very surprised to hear that Ray was no stranger to the old domestic knockabout himself.These guys were no angels but they did conduct themselves with class in public,the example you cite in him praising Turpin being a case in point. you will know that Miles Davis, the king of cool, looked up to Robinson for his physical grace which he believed had some parallel with his own musical genius.Can't see anyone being inspired by Chisora or Haye in fifty years time, can you?anyway cheers for the input everybody

If we're comparing the genius of Miles Davis to that of SRR then surely any inspiration from Chisora must be evidenced in Jedward.

Hi Dave ,it was a comparison from the ornery one himself, not my words.But you're doing Jedward a dis-service