Randolph Turpin

Randolph Adolphus Turpin (7 June 1928 – 17 May 1966), better known as Randy Turpin, was an English boxer in the 1940s and 1950s. In 1951 he became world middleweight champion when he defeated Sugar Ray Robinson.[2][3] He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.[4]

Statue of Randolph Turpin in Market Square, Warwick, Warwickshire, England

Randolph Turpin
Statistics
Real nameRandolph Adolphus Turpin
Nickname(s)The Leamington Licker[1]
Weight(s)Middleweight
Light heavyweight
Height5 ft 9 12 in (1.77 m)
Reach74 12 in (189 cm)
NationalityEnglish
Born(1928-06-07)7 June 1928
Leamington, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom
Died17 May 1966(1966-05-17) (aged 37)
Leamington, Warwickshire, England, United Kingdom
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights75
Wins66
Wins by KO45
Losses8
Draws1
No contests0

Early life

Randolph Turpin was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, to a black father Lionel who was born in British Guyana now known as Guyana in 1896. He had come to England to fight in the First World War. He had met Randolph's mother after coming out of hospital following treatment for his injuries sustained in the battle of the Somme. He died within a year of Randolph's birth, having never really recovered from the lung damage caused by a gas attack.[5] This left Randolph's mother Beatrice (née Whitehouse, 1904–1974), to raise five children.[6][7]

Being a widow with five children to look after, Beatrice struggled to make ends meet on a small war pension and had to work from morning to night as a domestic cleaner to earn money.[8] As a result she was forced to send some of her children to live with relatives. However, she remarried in 1931 to a man named Ernest Manley, who became stepfather to the children and the family were once again reunited. Beatrice was the daughter of a former bare knuckle fighter and was by all accounts a feisty woman who would tell her children to stand up for themselves when they were subjected to racial abuse.[7]

Randolph was the youngest of the five children. Lionel Jr (commonly known as Dick) was the eldest followed by Joan, John (commonly known as Jackie) and Kathleen. Although he was born in Leamington he actually grew up and went to school in the nearby town of Warwick. He nearly drowned when he was a child when he became trapped underwater whilst swimming. The accident resulted in a burst eardrum which left him partially deaf in one ear. He also nearly died from double pneumonia and bronchitis.[7]

Contrary to popular belief his nickname the 'Leamington Licker' did not come from the fact that he was born in Leamington and was a professional boxer. It originated from his childhood. Randolph, Jackie and Joan were all born in June. Randolph on the 7th, Jackie on the 13th and Joan on the 19th. When the month of June came around, because Randolph's birthday came first, he thought that made him the eldest of the three. Joan would tell him that he was the littlest. He would get angry and scream "I'm not the lickerest" (he couldn't pronounce the word littlest properly). Following a bit of goading he would charge at her with both fists flailing. As a result 'Licker' became the family nickname for him.[7]

Amateur career

He started boxing in the boxing booths at local fairs with his brother Jackie in a double act called 'Alexander and Moses'. Where they fought for nobbins (money thrown into the ring by the spectators).[7] His amateur boxing career commenced at the Leamington Boys Club and continued when he joined the Royal Navy. He actually lost his first contest by decision but then went on to only lose another two contests in a total of 100 fights. He won three national junior titles and won the senior ABA championship in 1945 at welterweight and in 1946 at middleweight. In 1945 he won both the junior and senior ABA titles in the same season, the only person to have completed such a feat and the first black boxer to win a senior ABA championship. The rules have been changed over the years meaning that junior boxers can no longer enter the senior championships. He also fought for Great Britain in the annual televised match against the USA in 1946 and scored a first round knockout in his contest.[9]

Professional career

He was approached by many top professional managers but decided to turn professional with George Middleton a local man who managed his brother Dick.[3] He made his professional debut in London on 17 September 1946 stopping Gordon Griffiths. He scored another 14 victories before drawing over six rounds with Mark Hart in 1947. He suffered two defeats in 1948 the first a points decision to Albert Finch over eight rounds and the second a stoppage defeat to Jean Stock. Turpin was knocked down four times and retired on his stool at the end of round five.[9] It was said that these two defeats were as a result of marital problems that he was experiencing at that time. On the day of the Stock fight he had been notified that his wife had been given custody of their son and he had told his brother Dick that he didn't feel like fighting and wouldn't be at all surprised if he lost.[10] After the Stock fight he took a five month break from the sport to try and sort his personal life out.

He had embarked on a weight training regime designed by a man called Arthur Batty and built up his physical strength.[11] Weight training was frowned upon in boxing circles because it was thought that it made fighters muscle-bound and inflexible in their movements. Turpin proved to be the exception to this rule and many of his future opponents including Sugar Ray Robinson would comment on his immense physical strength. Turpin developed a knockout punch with either hand and became a formidable force for any fighter to deal with.[3]

He then went on a winning streak where he avenged the two defeats that he had suffered and in the process picked up the British Middleweight Title and the vacant European Middleweight Title. Incidentally his brother Dick had been the first non-white fighter to win a British Title when he had beaten Vince Hawkins in 1948 for the British Middleweight Title, following the removal of the colour bar that had been in place.

In 1951 Sugar Ray Robinson, who is considered by many to be the greatest boxer of all time, embarked on a European tour. The final leg of the tour was a fight for the world title with Randolph Turpin in London. Few people gave Turpin a chance of winning against Robinson and in fact many people thought that it was a mismatch and that Turpin could be badly hurt.[12] Robinson had been unbeaten as an amateur and had only lost one fight out of a total of 132 as a professional, and that was to Jake LaMotta. He had subsequently avenged the loss to LaMotta, beating him a total of five times.

On 10 July 1951 a crowd of 18,000 turned up at Earls Court to watch Turpin fight Robinson. Many people listened to the fight on the wireless to see if Turpin could beat Robinson. Turpin was not overawed by the occasion and took the fight to Robinson from the first bell. Robinson had trouble dealing with Turpin’s awkward style of fighting and was manhandled by Turpin in the clinches. By the 15th round Turpin was ahead on points and only had to survive the round to win. At the end of the fight Turpin’s glove was raised by the referee in victory.[13] He was the first British fighter to hold the world middleweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1891. He had become an overnight sporting hero. Two days later he was given a civic reception before a crowd of 10,000 people in his home town of Leamington with the mayors of both Leamington and Warwick present.[3][14][15]

Boxing in the 1950s was a mainstream sport alongside football and cricket and with the advent of television it was increasing in popularity. Britain was still recovering from the impact of the war and was a bleak place to live for a lot of people, with rationing of food still in place. As such, the victory of a British fighter over an American fighter who was already being regarded as a superstar in the sport of boxing, was something for the whole nation to cheer about.[7]

In order to get the fight with Robinson, Turpin had to sign a contract that contained a 90 day return clause. Meaning that if he won he had to give Robinson a return fight within 90 days of the original fight. The return fight took place on 12 September 1951 at the Polo Grounds, New York before a crowd of 61,370 people. Turpin again gave Robinson a hard fight and it was fairly even going into the 10th round. Robinson sustained a bad cut and in desperation went for a knockout. He managed to knock Turpin down with a big right hand punch. Turpin got up at the count of nine and was then trapped against the ropes and taking a sustained beating when the referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight. Some people said that the stoppage was premature but by today's standards it was not. Turpin's reign had lasted only 64 days.[16][17][18]

In an article written in April 1952, it mentions that Randolph wanted to retire in 'one or two years' and go into business with Leslie.T.Salts (owner of Gwrych Castle) and teach youngsters across Britain to fight in 'ideal surroundings' of Gwrych, instead of the hard school he experienced as a youth, he planned on building a gymnasium at the castle to help the youth train in.[19]

Turpin fought Don Cockell in 1952 for the British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles. He stopped Cockell in the 11th round.[20] Cockell went on to give Rocky Marciano a good fight at heavyweight. He regained the European Middleweight Title in 1953 with a points victory over Charles Humez and was recognised as world champion in Europe.[21] However he was not recognised in America and was nominated to fight for the vacant world title against Carl 'Bobo' Olsen. The title had become vacant following the retirement of Sugar Ray Robinson.

The fight against Olson took place at Madison Square Gardens in 1953. Turpin had not trained properly for the fight (the reason became apparent after the fight). He won the first three rounds but then faded badly and was outpointed over 15 rounds having been floored in the ninth and tenth rounds. Turpin spent much of the fight trapped on the ropes taking punches at close quarters to the head and body. After the fight Turpin was urinating blood indicating that he had suffered damage to his kidneys from Olson's sustained body punches.[3][22]

The Olson fight was the turning point in Turpin's career. He was never the same fighter after the punishment he absorbed in that fight and thereafter became a diminished fighting force. In addition he was having trouble making the middleweight weight limit of 72.5 kg.[9]

Turpin suffered a first round stoppage loss to Tiberio Mitri who was not known as a big puncher. In Rome in 1954 when he was caught by a left hook and half punched and half pushed to the canvas. He fell heavily and hit the back of his head on the ring floor, staggering to his feet only to collapse into the ropes before again regaining his feet. The referee decided he was in no fit state to continue and stopped the fight.[23] Mitri had exploited a flaw in Turpin's boxing technique whereby he dropped his right hand which was supposed to protect his chin, leaving him exposed to a left hook. In his younger days his reflexes had been fast enough to prevent such a thing from happening. But as he aged his reflexes began to slow and his punch resistance diminished. In addition he was suffering from eye problems. His eyes had become misaligned and his peripheral vision was starting to deteriorate. The British Board of Boxing control (BBBC) made Turpin have a full medical but decided that he was fit enough to continue his career.[9]

Following a nine month break, Turpin returned as a light heavyweight (79.38 kg) but could no longer be considered a true world title contender in this weight division. Although there was talk of matching him against Archie Moore for the world title. He was fighting bigger men, who were just as strong as him and could absorb his punches whilst punching as hard as he did. Thus taking away some of the advantages he had enjoyed whilst boxing as a middleweight. He still dominated at a domestic level and in 1955 he beat Alex Buxton to take the British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles. However, in October of that year he was knocked out by the unheralded Canadian dock worker Gordon Wallace. Suffering four knockdowns in the process and announced his retirement.[9]

He came out of retirement in 1956 and scored two wins before losing on points to Hans Stretz in Germany.[24] In November of that year he beat Alex Buxton again for the British Light Heavyweight Title. The BBBC stopped a proposed fight between Turpin and Willie Pastrano from going ahead because they thought that it was not in the best interests of boxing. In other words they thought that Turpin might get hurt, which would damage the image of boxing.[9] He had his final fight in 1958 when he was badly knocked out by Yolande Pompey. Turpin was knocked flat on his back by a right hand punch to the side of the head. He gamely tried to get up four times but each time stumbled whilst trying to regain his feet and fell back onto the canvas before being counted out.[3] He had knocked Pompey down in the first round but instead of trying to finish him off had touched gloves in a gesture of sportsmanship, which may well have cost him the fight.[9]

The BBBC stopped him acting as a sparring partner for Terry Downes in 1961. Because of their fears concerning the cumulative effect on his physical health of the punishment he had absorbed during the course of his boxing career. He had two unlicensed fights (not licensed by the BBBC) in 1963 and 1964 against opponents who were making their professional debuts and he stopped both of them.

Personal life

After leaving school Randolph worked as a labourer on building sites. In 1945 he decided to join the Royal Navy and was given the title of assistant cook. However, as he was talented at boxing he was allowed to spend most of his time training for upcoming contests. He stayed in the Navy until 1948.[9]

He was charged in 1945 with trying to commit suicide following a lovers' tiff with his then girlfriend Mary Stack after swallowing liniment. Attempted suicide was at that time a criminal offence. However, the incident was investigated and was determined to be accidental.[9]

He married his first wife Mary (née Stack, 1928-2019) in 1947. However, the marriage was not a happy one. The problems between them stemmed from the fact that they were both teenagers when they married and as such were still immature. She believed that he was cheating on her with other women behind her back. In addition he had a controlling personality and was short-tempered. She stated that he was not averse to using his fists to settle arguments between them. She accused him of domestic abuse in 1948. Stating that he had attacked her hitting her with a broom handle with such force that it broke. When she had cried out "Don't hit me any more. I am expecting a baby." He had said "Well, I'll soon fix that" and kicked her in the stomach whilst she was lying on the floor, where he had knocked her. Turpin denied her allegations but did admit to slapping her face when she had sworn at him and called him names. The charges against him were dismissed at the end of the court case. They had a son together called Randolph Turpin Jr but were eventually divorced in 1953. Following the divorce Turpin became estranged from his son.[9][25]

Turpin met Adele Daniels when training in America for the return fight with Robinson. They started a relationship and he promised to marry her and bring her to England. He lost touch with her when he went back home but they rekindled their relationship when he returned to America for the Olson fight. Following the fight she accused him of rape and assault. Turpin was arrested but she dropped the charges during the course of the subsequent trial and settled for an out of court payment. Turpin denied her allegations and stated that she was trying to get her revenge on him for reneging on his promise to marry her.[26] The incident led to Randolph falling out with his brother Dick whom he blamed for telling Daniels what had happened in his first marriage.[3]

Turpin developed a reputation for being a playboy and womaniser during his peak years and was named in a divorce action, where a husband alleged that Turpin had committed adultery with his wife.[9][27]

Turpin met his second wife Gwyneth (née Price, 1925-1992) the daughter of a welsh farmer whilst training for the Robinson fight at Gwrych Castle in Wales. They married in 1953 and had four daughters, Gwyneth, Annette, Charmaine and Carmen.[3][28]

Business dealings and bankruptcy

Turpin bought The Great Ormes Head hotel with his business partner Leslie Salts.[29] The business never made money and Salts pulled out leaving Turpin to run it on his own. It became a drain on his resources and was eventually sold in 1961 prior to Turpin being made bankrupt.[3] He had been advised not to go ahead with the investment by his manager because he didn't believe that Salts was trustworthy.[9]

Turpin had been free and easy with his money when in his prime. His attitude towards money was that it was for spending and that as he had earned it he could spend it as he pleased. However, he took this philosophy too far and failed to keep track of his spending. In addition, he became a soft touch for anyone with a hard luck story and gave money away or lent it to people whom he considered to be his friends. Turpin once said "I am really a most illiterate man about money."[9] During the course of his career he is estimated from records kept by his manager, to have grossed in the region of £300,000. Which would be the equivalent of £7,000,000 in today's money when re-valued by the rate of inflation.[3][30]

Prior to the second Robinson fight the system had been that an accountant dealt with the financial matters and his manager countersigned cheques for Randolph to withdraw money from his boxing earnings. However, after the second Robinson fight he said that he wanted to take control of his own finances and his manager obliged. His manager said that he tried to impress upon Randolph that boxing was a short career and that he should put some money away, so that he would have something to fall back on when his career was over. However, he wouldn't take notice and continued spending money at a prodigious rate.[3]

He seemed to be under the impression that his manager and accountant were deducting the tax before paying his money to him. However, that was not the case and he was held responsible for paying the tax on his earnings. Turpin kept appealing the assessments forwarded to him by the Inland Revenue (HMRC) in the belief that he had already paid the tax due. HMRC assessed him on what they estimated he had earned over the period and sent him a tax bill for £100,000 for unpaid tax for the years where he had not made a payment.[3]

Turpin had not kept good financial records and could not prove how much money he had received or what had happened to it. He claimed to have never received much of the money that he was said to have earned.[3]

The tax bill was eventually reduced to £17,126 following an emotional appeal by his accountant Max Mitchell in which he said: "As time goes on the punching power of a boxer is enfeebled. The longer he pursues his profession his brain through constant pummelling is numbed. His eyes are effected, deafness overtakes him and in effect he is lucky that in the prime of his manhood he doesn't turn into a two legged vegetable. And yet no allowance is given to a boxer by the Inland Revenue for the inevitable remorseless wasting away he undergoes because of the exacting nature of his profession. Is that fair? Therefore I claim that my client's expenses should be allowed although estimated, in view of the tax advantages allowed to industrialists." However, by this time Turpin only had assets worth £1,204 left and was declared bankrupt for an amount of £15,922 in 1962.[3][31] Under the bankruptcy laws of that time Turpin was ordered to pay two pounds a week towards clearing his debt and was discharged from bankruptcy in 1965.[9]

He had purchased a transport café in Leamington prior to being made bankrupt which was in his wife's name. The building was under threat of compulsory purchase by the council when he bought it. However he still went ahead, despite people telling him not to do so. He put up a plaque behind the counter which said "That which seldom comes back to him who waits is the money he lends to his friends."[3] He worked at a scrapyard owned by his manager and then started to make a living as a wrestler.[32]

He wrestled for a number of years but again made the mistake of not putting money aside to pay the tax bill on his wrestling earnings. At the bankruptcy hearing Turpin said that he didn't have anyone looking after his financial affairs (an accountant) in relation to his wrestling earnings and added that he had not received any claims from the revenue on his earnings. At that the assistant receiver said "You might be coming in here again then?" Turpin replied "No Sir, I don't think that is possible."[9]

To begin with he was billed as a boxer versus a wrestler and was paid over £100 for this type of contest. However, as time went on the novelty of seeing a former world boxing champion in the wrestling ring wore off. He was forced to actually start wrestling and accept in the region of £25 for a contest. Apparently he was amateurish at wrestling but received many bookings on the back of his name. He had only received rudimentary instructions on how to wrestle from his friend George Kidd and he was only doing it because he needed the money. To earn sufficient money he started going on wrestling tours throughout the country and to kill the boredom in the evenings would go out drinking with his new wrestling friends. At his bankruptcy hearing he had said "When you go out with the wrestling boys you can spend up to £10 to £15 a night." [9] Turpin stated that he received more injuries from wrestling than he ever did during his boxing career. Particularly to his back and legs as a result of being thrown around the ring.[3]

Death

Three days before his death, Turpin had received a final demand from HMRC for £800 unpaid tax on his wrestling earnings. However, he had already spent the money he had earned from wrestling so he faced the prospect of being made bankrupt for a second time. Also, the council had decided to go ahead with the compulsorily purchase of the property where he lived, to turn it into a car park. He had stopped wrestling and the café now provided his only source of income and the flat above it his home.[9]

Since retiring from boxing, he had suffered from depression because of his money troubles. In addition, his personal doctor stated that he thought Turpin had become punch-drunk from all the blows that he had taken to the head during his boxing career. This had led to him becoming morose in his later years. He had become bitter about his boxing career, believing that he had been exploited by having to pay the tax on money that he had never received. Whenever strangers tried to talk to him about his time in the ring he would change the subject.[9]

He was found dead from gunshot wounds in the flat above the transport café on 17 May 1966.[33] He had a wound to the head (the bullet lodged against his skull and did not enter his brain) and a second wound to his heart which had killed him.[9] His daughter Carmen, who was 17 months old at the time, also had two bullet wounds and it was assumed that he had shot her before taking his own life. His daughter was rushed to hospital and managed to make a full recovery. From all accounts, Turpin had been a doting father to his daughters.[9]

His death was ruled suicide at the inquest.[9] However, his family believed that he had been murdered and that it had been made to look like suicide, because he had left a typed letter written in 1964 stating that attempts had been made on his life to prevent him from getting money that he was owed and from talking to the authorities about business deals in the world of boxing. He stated that he was not scared of death but that they had now started threatening to harm his wife and children. He implied that the boxing promoter Jack Solomons was involved, although there is no evidence to back up this allegation. He had also been badly beaten up by four men. He had brushed it off at the time, stating that it must have just been some of the fans who had taken a disliking to him following one of his wrestling contests.[3][7][34]

He had drifted apart from his brothers and sisters because they did not get on with his wife Gwyneth, and in a suicide note left pinned to the door of the room where he was found, he had told her not to give anything to them and that she should go back to Wales because that was the place where they had been happiest.[3]

His death came less than a year after that of Freddie Mills, who was Britain's other post-war boxing world champion. He had also died under mysterious circumstances and was also ruled to have taken his own life, although some claimed he had been murdered by gangsters.

Memorial

Due to the circumstances behind his death Turpin became somewhat of a forgotten hero. Turpin was inducted as a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame in Canastota, New York in 2001. There is a statue of him in Market Square, Warwick.[35] On his headstone it states that he was 38 when he died. He was actually 37 as he was 20 days short of his 38th birthday.[36]

At his funeral the Reverend Eugene Haselden said "At the height of his career Randolph was surrounded by those who regarded themselves as friends and well-wishers. But he was deserted by many as he lost his position and money. The fickleness of his friends and the incompetent advice must have weighed so heavily upon him that he was forced to desperation. Randolph was a simple man, a naive man and he needed friends to protect him from the spongers. To our shame he was let down. The tragedy is not his failure alone, but the failure of our whole society."[9][37]

Following his comeback after the loss to Gordon Wallace. Turpin wrote a poem titled 'The comeback road' the final verse of which is as follows:

"So we leave this game which was hard and cruel.
And down at the show on a ringside stool.
We’ll watch the next man, just one more fool."

Professional boxing record

Professional record summary
75 fights 66 wins 8 losses
By knockout 44 5
By decision 18 3
By disqualification 4 0
Draws 1
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
75 Win 66–8–1 Charles Seguna TKO 2 (6) Aug 22, 1963 Schreiber Sports Ground, Valetta
74 Win 65–8–1 Eddie Marcano KO 6 (10) Mar 19, 1963 Wisbech
73 Loss 64–8–1 Yolande Pompey KO 2 (10) Sep 09, 1958 Perry Barr Stadium, Birmingham
72 Win 64–7–1 Redvers Sangoe TKO 4 (10) Jul 22, 1958 Football Ground, Oswestry
71 Win 63–7–1 Eddie Wright TKO 7 (10) Apr 21, 1958 Granby Halls, Leicester
70 Win 62–7–1 Wim Snoek PTS 10 Feb 11, 1958 Sportsdrome, Birmingham
69 Win 61–7–1 Uwe Janssen TKO 8 (10) Nov 25, 1957 Granby Halls, Leicester
68 Win 60–7–1 Sergio Burchi TKO 2 (10) Oct 28, 1957 Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham
67 Win 59–7–1 Ahmed Boulgroune TKO 9 (10) Sep 17, 1957 Granby Halls, Leicester
66 Win 58–7–1 Arthur Howard PTS 15 Jun 11, 1957 Granby Halls, Leicester
65 Win 57–7–1 Alex Buxton TKO 5 (15) Nov 26, 1956 Granby Halls, Leicester
64 Loss 56–7–1 Hans Stretz PTS 10 Sep 21, 1956 Ernst Merck Halle
63 Win 56–6–1 Jacques Bro KO 5 (10) Jun 18, 1956 Perry Barr Stadium, Birmingham
62 Win 55–6–1 Alessandro D'Ottavio TKO 6 (10) Apr 17, 1956 Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham
61 Loss 54–6–1 Gordon Wallace KO 4 (10) Oct 18, 1955 Harringay Arena, Harringay
60 Win 54–5–1 Polly Smith PTS 10 Sep 19, 1955 Perry Barr Stadium, Birmingham
59 Win 53–5–1 Alex Buxton KO 2 (15) Apr 26, 1955 Harringay Arena, Harringay Won vacant commonwealth and BBofC british light heavyweight title
58 Win 52–5–1 Jose Gonzalez KO 7 (10) Mar 08, 1955 Earls Court Arena, Kensington
57 Win 51–5–1 Ray Schmit DQ 8 (10) Feb 15, 1955 Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham
56 Loss 50–5–1 Tiberio Mitri TKO 1 (15) May 2, 1954 Stadio Torino, Roma Lost EBU middleweight title
55 Win 50–4–1 Olle Bengtsson PTS 10 Mar 30, 1954 Earls Court Arena, Kensington
54 Loss 49–4–1 Bobo Olson UD 15 Oct 21, 1953 Madison Square Garden, New York For vacant The Ring middleweight title
53 Win 49–3–1 Charles Humez PTS 15 Jun 09, 1953 White City Stadium, White City Won vacant EBU middleweight title
52 Win 48–3–1 Walter Cartier DQ 2 (10) Mar 17, 1953 Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington
51 Win 47–3–1 Doug Miller PTS 10 Feb 16, 1953 Granby Halls, Leicester
50 Win 46–3–1 Victor d'Haes KO 6 (10) Jan 19, 1953 Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham
49 Win 45–3–1 George Angelo PTS 15 Oct 21, 1952 Harringay Arena, Harringay Won vacant commonwealth middleweight title
48 Win 44–3–1 Don Cockell TKO 11 (15) Jun 10, 1952 White City Stadium, White City Won BBofC British and vacant commonwealth light heavyweight title
47 Win 43–3–1 Jacques Hairabedian KO 3 (10) Apr 22, 1952 Harringay Arena, Harringay
46 Win 42–3–1 Alex Buxton TKO 7 (10) Feb 12, 1952 Harringay Arena, Harringay
45 Loss 41–3–1 Sugar Ray Robinson TKO 10 (15) Sep 12, 1951 Polo Grounds, New York Lost The Ring middleweight title
44 Win 41–2–1 Sugar Ray Robinson PTS 15 Jul 10, 1951 Earls Court Arena, Kensington Won The Ring middleweight title
43 Win 40–2–1 Jackie Keough TKO 7 (10) Jun 05, 1951 White City Stadium, White City
42 Win 39–2–1 Jan de Bruin KO 6 (15) May 7, 1951 Butts Stadium, Coventry Retained EBU middleweight title
41 Win 38–2–1 Billy Brown KO 2 (10) Apr 16, 1951 Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham
40 Win 37–2–1 Jean Stock TKO 5 (10) Mar 19, 1951 Granby Halls, Leicester
39 Win 36–2–1 Luc van Dam KO 1 (15) Feb 27, 1951 Harringay Arena, Harringay Won vacant EBU middleweight title
38 Win 35–2–1 José Eduardo López KO 1 (10) Jan 22, 1951 Embassy Sportsdrome, Birmingham
37 Win 34–2–1 Tommy Yarosz DQ 8 (10) Dec 12, 1950 Harringay Arena, Harringay
36 Win 33–2–1 Jose Alamo Medina KO 2 (15) Nov 13, 1950 Drill Hall, Abergavenny
35 Win 32–2–1 Albert Finch KO 5 (15) Oct 17, 1950 Harringay Arena, Harringay
34 Win 31–2–1 Eli Elandon KO 2 (8) Sep 05, 1950 Vicarage Road (Watford FC), Watford
33 Win 30–2–1 Gustave Degouve PTS 8 Apr 24, 1950 Ice Rink, Nottingham
32 Win 29–2–1 Richard Armah RTD 6 (8) Mar 06, 1950 Davis Theatre, Croydon
31 Win 28–2–1 Gilbert Stock PTS 8 Jan 31, 1950 Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington
30 Win 27–2–1 Pete Mead TKO 4 (10) Nov 15, 1949 Harringay Arena, Harringay
29 Win 26–2–1 Roy Wouters TKO 5 (10) Sep 19, 1949 Butts Stadium, Coventry
28 Win 25–2–1 Jean Wanes RTD 3 (10) Aug 22, 1949 King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester
27 Win 24–2–1 Cyrille Delannoit TKO 8 (10) Jun 20, 1949 St Andrews (Birmingham City FC), Birmingham
26 Win 23–2–1 William Poli DQ 4 (8) May 3, 1949 Earls Court Empress Hall, Kensington
25 Win 22–2–1 Mickey Laurent TKO 3 (8) Mar 25, 1949 King's Hall, Belle Vue, Manchester
24 Win 21–2–1 Doug Miller PTS 8 Feb 21, 1949 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
23 Win 20–2–1 Jackie Jones TKO 5 (8) Feb 07, 1949 Drill Hall, Coventry
22 Loss 19–2–1 Jean Stock RTD 5 (10) Sep 21, 1948 Harringay Arena, Harringay
21 Win 19–1–1 Alby Hollister PTS 8 Jun 28, 1948 Villa Park, Birmingham
20 Loss 18–1–1 Albert Finch PTS 8 Apr 26, 1948 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
19 Win 18–0–1 Vince Hawkins PTS 8 Mar 16, 1948 Harringay Arena, Harringay
18 Win 17–0–1 Gerry McCready TKO 1 (6) Feb 17, 1948 Harringay Arena, Harringay
17 Win 16–0–1 Freddie Price KO 1 (8) Jan 26, 1948 Drill Hall, Coventry
16 Draw 15–0–1 Mark Hart PTS 6 Oct 20, 1947 Harringay Arena, Harringay
15 Win 15–0 Jimmy Ingle TKO 3 (8) Sep 09, 1947 Butts Stadium, Coventry
14 Win 14–0 Leon Fouquet KO 1 (8) Jun 23, 1947 Drill Hall, Coventry
13 Win 13–0 Mart Hart PTS 6 Jun 03, 1947 Harringay Arena, Harringay
12 Win 12–0 Kouider Jury VII PTS 6 May 27, 1947 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
11 Win 11–0 Ron Cooper RTD 4 (6) May 12, 1947 Walhamstow Avenue F.C., Walthamstow
10 Win 10–0 Bert Sanders PTS 6 Apr 28, 1947 Walhamstow Avenue F.C., Walthamstow
9 Win 9–0 Tommy Davies KO 2 (8) Apr 15, 1947 Harringay Arena, Harringay
8 Win 8–0 Frank Dolan TKO 2 (8) Apr 01, 1947 Seymour Hall Baths, Marylebone
7 Win 7–0 Bert Hyland KO 1 (6) Mar 18, 1947 Royal Albert Hall, Kensington
6 Win 6–0 Johnny Best TKO 1 (8) Feb 18, 1947 Seymour Hall Baths, Marylebone
5 Win 5–0 Dai James KO 3 (8) Jan 24, 1947 Birmingham
4 Win 4–0 Jimmy Davis KO 4 (6) Jan 14, 1947 Seymour Hall, Marylebone
3 Win 3–0 Bill Blything KO 1 (8) Dec 26, 1946 Birmingham
2 Win 2–0 Des Jones PTS 6 Nov 19, 1946 Seymour Hall Baths, Marylebone
1 Win 1–0 Gordon Griffiths TKO 1 (6) Sep 06, 1946 Harringay Arena, Harringay

See also

References

  1. "Hall of Fame Friday: Randy Turpin". 13 March 2010. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  2. "Why we should not forget the ephemeral glory of Randolph Turpin". The Independent. 10 July 2018. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  3. "Watch Sixty-four Day Hero: A Boxer's Tale". BFI Player. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  4. "The Voice of Sport salutes Randolph Turpin". www.voice-online.co.uk. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  5. "Lionel Fitzherbert Turpin".
  6. Frith, David (2001). Silence of the Heart - Cricket Suicides. Edinburgh, Scotland: Mainstream Publishing. p. 18. ISBN 184018406X.
  7. Jackie Turpin Battling Jack Turpin: You Gotta Fight Back
  8. "Mrs Lionel Turpin, mother of British middleweight boxer and European... | Boxer, Lionel, European". Pinterest.
  9. Jack Birtley The Tragedy of Randolph Turpin, New English Library Ltd, 1975. ISBN 0450023567
  10. Foreigners Three English Lives Caryl Phillips Vintage 2008 ISBN 9780099488859
  11. "The Nelson Gym Arthur Batty The Turpin Brothers". www.mirrormist.com.
  12. "The remarkable night Sugar Ray Robinson met his match, recalls Steve Bunce". The Independent. 4 July 2016. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  13. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  14. "Leamington Spa. Randolph Turpin".
  15. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  16. Mee, Bob (10 July 2001). "Turpin the legend is back on his pedestal". The Daily Telegraph. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  17. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  18. Staff, B. N. "On This Day: Sugar Ray Robinson regains his world middleweight title with dramatic victory over Randolph Turpin".
  19. The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, Washington) 06 Apr 1952, Sun - Page 65
  20. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  21. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  22. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tJqVOi6kFEw&t=2459s
  23. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  24. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  25. "Randy Turpin's Wife Seeks Divorce in London - Jet Magazine, April 9, 1953". 13 November 2011 via Flickr.
  26. Pathé, British. "New York - Turpin Charged". www.britishpathe.com.
  27. Company, Johnson Publishing (5 November 1953). "Jet". Johnson Publishing Company via Google Books.
  28. "Boxer Randolph Turpin 2nd Wife Gwyneth Christening Editorial Stock Photo - Stock Image | Shutterstock". Shutterstock Editorial.
  29. "Llandudno - Great Orme - The Summit Complex and Visitor Centre - North Wales UK". www.greatorme.org.uk.
  30. "Inflation calculator". www.bankofengland.co.uk.
  31. "From boxer to bankrupt". 29 June 2009 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  32. "Video". www.youtube.com. Retrieved 27 September 2020.
  33. "On This Day: Boxer Randolph Turpin kills himself after trying to murder daughter". uk.eurosport.yahoo.com. Retrieved 4 January 2019.
  34. "Boxing legend's son speaks out; TURPIN'S DOWNFALL WAS A DISGRACE FOR TOWN, TV PROGRAMME TOLD. - Free Online Library". www.thefreelibrary.com.
  35. "Tribute to boxing's 'Leamington Licker'". 10 July 2001 via news.bbc.co.uk.
  36. "Randolph Adolphus "Randy" Turpin (1928-1966) -..." www.findagrave.com.
  37. "Randolph Adolphus Turpin, the 'Leamington Licker' | Leamington History Group".

Further reading

  • James Morton Fighters: The Sad Lives and Deaths of Freddie Mills and Randolph Turpin, Time Warner Paperbacks, 2005. ISBN 0-7515-3321-1
  • Kirk Lake The Last Night of the Leamington Licker, Rough Trade Books, 2018.
  • Jack Birtley The Tragedy of Randolph Turpin, New English Library Ltd, 1975. ISBN 0450023567
  • Jackie Turpin Battling Jack Turpin: You Gotta Fight Back, Mainstream Publishing Company (Edinburgh) Ltd, 2005. ISBN 1845960645
Achievements
Vacant
Title last held by
Tiberio Mitri
EBU Middleweight Champion
27 February 1951 2 May 1954
Succeeded by
Tiberio Mitri
Preceded by
Sugar Ray Robinson
World Middleweight Champion
10 July 1951 – 12 September 1951
Succeeded by
Sugar Ray Robinson
Titles in pretence
Vacant
Title last held by
Les Darcy
Australian recognition
World Middleweight Champion
BBBC recognition

9 June 1953 – 21 October 1953
Lost bid for undisputed title
Middleweight status
Preceded by
Marcel Cerdan
Latest born world champion to die
May 17, 1966 December 14, 1971
Succeeded by
Dick Tiger
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