Randolph Turpin, the man who dethroned a legend

By Matt Bozeat

SIXTY years ago, one of Britain’s greatest fighters was facing up to life without boxing.

On August 22, 1964, in a ring in Malta, Randolph Turpin threw his last punch.

Banned from boxing by the British Boxing Board of Control because of health concerns and troubled by debt, Turpin picked up what would prove to be his boxing pay day by stopping Charles Seguna in the second round on cuts.

Less than two years later, he was dead, with an inquest ruling he had committed suicide.

‘The Leamington Licker’ left behind the Lonsdale belt and memories of the night he dethroned one of the sport’s all-time greats, Sugar Ray Robinson.

That was at Earls Court on July 10, 1951 and weeks later, Turpin gave an interview where he revealed the secret behind a win that made him a British sporting hero that has been unearthed by Marc Williams of The Loneliest Sport webpages.

“When I said that I was ready to box 15 rounds, if necessary, with Ray Robinson for the world’s middleweight championship, I knew most people didn’t give much for my chances of lasting the full distance of the fight.

“Well, those who were surprised by the turn that events took can stand by for another shock: Ray dictated the way the fight went from the first bell almost to the last round. It isn’t often that the loser decides which way a contest shall be fought: it’s still more rare for the fellow who wins to admit it.

“But that’s the truth. Ray made the first move every time. When he ducked, I ducked. When he moved around, I moved too. When he feinted, I feinted. I watched him more carefully than a cat watches a mouse.

“This was all done deliberately, of course. That was the key of my secret plan for victory.

“There were many times when I was sorely tempted to go in and give Robinson everything I had. Then a warning mental buzzer would tell me that if I chased him I might run straight into the trap in which he had caught so many other opponents.

“After the fight was over, a friend told me that Robinson’s seconds had said their corner was puzzled by the unorthodox way I fought. That tickles me. If there was ever a case of the biter being bitten or chickens coming home to roost this was it.

“I took my cue from Robinson – did everything he did except, naturally, that some of our punches were different.

“Apparently the American champ never tumbled to the game I was playing. If they did, they never found the answer. That was where I had the edge on Ray. For, though he knew little about me, I knew everything about him.

“By the end of the first round I felt I had all the answers to whatever he was likely to produce. His moves were so familiar to me, it seemed like I had been boxing against him for years. I was able to react so quickly that I’m sure none of the spectators realised my strategy. 

“How did that happen? Here’s the story.

“My manager, George Middleton, was asked to take a match for me against Mel Brown. Middleton wasn’t at all keen for accepting the bout. I was willing to fight anyone, but he said it was a question of policy – that I would gain nothing by beating Brown. He was a very awkward opponent and I would lose a lot if he beat me.

“Middleton kept his eyes and ears open and discovered that Mel, who had been a sparring partner of world heavyweight champ Ezzard Charles, also knew a lot about Ray Robinson.

“So when this fight (against Robinson) came along, Middleton arranged for Mel to be one of my main sparring partners.

“That deal was a vital move in my prefight campaign. Mel Brown knew far more about Ray Robinson than we thought.

“He took the Robinson machine to pieces for me and showed me exactly how it worked.

“Mel not only showed me Ray’s pet punches, he showed me all the moves in Robinson’s book and how to counter them.

“In particular, he explained how to deal with the bolo punch so well that every time Robinson let it go, my elbows were already tucked well into place. I think I took every one of those blows on an arm or elbow. If one did get through, I can honestly say its force had been taken out of it so that I didn’t notice it.

“Mel showed me how Ray would lock my arm in the clinches and how to deal with that trick by hitting him with my free hand. That countermove wasn’t popular with the referee, Eugene Henderson, but what else could I do?

“In the dressing room after the fight, Henderson told me he was sorry he had to stop us a few times, but added: ‘If you want warnings, you’ll get ‘em.’

“There was one other important thing that Mel explained to me. He said Robinson would break first and go back if we stood together in a four-handed slugging match. You can see how well this worked out.

“I had expected to learn something from Robinson, but found I knew it all – if that sounds like a boastful way of putting it, you know what I mean!

“What I’m trying to say is that Mel hadn’t missed a single detail in Robinson’s style. I think it’s true to say I learned more from him in a couple of dozen rounds of sparring than in all my previous fights put together.

“In addition, Mel and Johnny Williams, our Rugby heavyweight, were ideal workout opponents. My actual physical preparation demanded speed, weight and ring experience from my sparring partners. I had plenty of helpers who had one of two of these qualifications, but not until Mel and Johnny arrived was I really able to let myself go while in training.

“There was an amusing sequel to this – at least I can see the funny side of it.

“Mel was fighting Dave Sands, the Empire champion, just before I was due in the ring with Robinson. He was beaten. Later when I sympathised with him, Mel retorted: ‘Yes, you killed me for him !’

“But despite all those preparations, I made one mistake. I thought Robinson would hit harder than he did.

“You know me well enough to believe I would admit that, now that it’s all over, if I’d been hurt, but I wasn’t.

“I had a slightly swollen lip, but that’s all. There was no pain to keep me awake after the fight.

“The worst punch I took was a left hook that landed near the temple. That one made my ears buzz for a second or two, but it didn’t daze me. All it did was make me realise that, barring accidents, I had him. I’d smothered his bolos, I’d taken one of his pet hooks without even feeling like going down. That gave me new confidence.

“My worst moment? I should say it was when we came out for the ninth round. That was fresh ground for me. I’d never gone beyond eight rounds before and I was just a shade nervous of how I would shape up.

“I’d been doing the equivalent of 15 rounds or more in my training, but I don’t pretend to think that’s as good as the real thing. Yet not only did I last that ninth round all right. I then realised I was getting stronger and stronger as the fight went on. In a way that discovery was as pleasing as being declared the winner. 

“Here I must confess that, although, as I said, I was prepared to go on for 15 rounds, in my heart I had not expected the fight to last all that time. I had believed one or the other of us would go down somewhere round the ninth round. In fact, neither of us took a count. That must have surprised everyone.

“As I explained earlier, I didn’t go all out against Ray for fear of walking into a trap. But I can tell you he took some pretty hefty wallops. It didn’t disturb me when I found I couldn’t put him down for I was fully confident about the result – he wasn’t getting through as often nor as hard as I had expected.

“All the same, I wasn’t sure of victory until the final bell.”