Bounce Magazine January 2019

Historic
Night for
Turpin...
JANUARY 2019 | ISSUE #75
BY RALPH OATES
A series of articles which will feature boxing facts
from both the past to the present...
Sugar Ray Robinson was the
main man in boxing an excellent
fighter who was in every
sense a true artist in the ring.
Robinson was phenomenal
he could both box and punch
often making light work of
the many opponents who
stepped into the ring with him.
Realistically when taking a look
at the fighters around at the
time it appeared that few if any
looked capable of beating him.
When Randolph Turpin was
given a shot at the world
middleweight crown he looked
to have scant chance of getting
a victory over Robinson who
held the title. This was no
reflection on Turpin’s abilities
since he too was a good
fighter who knew his craft but
Robinson looked to be head
and shoulders above him.
On the night of the 10th July
1951 Robinson also a former
world welterweight king
entered the ring to cross
gloves with Turpin. The venue
for the contest was the Earls
Court Arena Kensington in
London. Robinson boasted
an outstanding record of 133
professional bouts with one loss
two draws and one no-contest.
Turpin came to the contest
with a resume of 43 paid bouts
with two defeats and one draw.
A good record but it dulled
when compared to Robinson’s
and it was noticeable that
the American had fought and
defeated a better calibre of
opponent than had his British
challenger. If Robinson was on
form he was more than capable
of scoring a victory inside the
distance either by a stoppage
or knockout. The outlook did
not look too bright for the
challenger.
However on the night Turpin
produced a performance which
stunned both Robinson and
the experts. The home fighter
was more than equal to the
American meeting him head
on in an exciting slugfest which
kept those in attendance on the
very edge of their seats. It was
possible that Robinson and his
management team had vastly
underrated the abilities of the
Briton. Those who witnessed
the fight could not believe what
they were watching, a British
fighter getting the better of an
outstanding American world
champion.
At the end of the fifteen round
contest Turpin was awarded
the points decision and was
amazingly the new world
middleweight champion. It
was a historic night for Turpin
who became the first British
born fighter to hold this title
since Bob Fitzsimmons who
won the championship on the
14 January 1891 when holder
Nonpareil Jack Dempsey retired
in round thirteen the venue
being the Olympic Club in New
Orleans.
This was a stunning result for
Turpin who was now a major
player in the sport his name
was now known worldwide
way beyond the UK. Shores. He
was the cream of the boxing
world. However Turpin did not
stay on the middle throne for
too long for he had to travel
across the Atlantic for a return
bout with Robinson. On the
12th September 1951 the pair
renewed their acquaintance at
the Polo Grounds in New York.
Turpin gave of his best but this
time Robinson came out on
top and hence stopped him in
the tenth stanza to regain the
title in a contest scheduled for
fifteen rounds. For Turpin the
party was over his time at the
top may have been brief but at
least he reached the top. There
was no disgrace for Turpin in
this defeat since Sugar Ray
Robinson was a genuine all
time great. Turpin could always
lay claim to the fact that he had
defeated Sugar Ray when he
was still in his prime and not
when he was passed his best.
Few fighters can make that
claim against Robinson.
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