Randy Turpin - Europe's best middleweight boxer of the 1940s and 1950s.

Randolph Adolphus ('Randy') Turpin  (also known as The Leamington Licker) was born on the 7^th of June 1928  in Leamington Spa in the Midlands, Turpin was the last of five children. His father, Lionel, originated from British Guiana, and, after fighting in the First World War, had settled in Britain. Less than a year after Turpin's birth his father suddenly died in 1929., leaving Beatrice Turpin a widow and single mother. Struggling to survive, she later remarried and settled in Warwick, where Turpin spent his formative years.

Influenced by his brother Dick, he began boxing in the early 1940s, as did Jack, the second eldest. Although potential title contenders, the British Boxing Board of Control stated that non whites could not compete for championship belts. The Turpins' reputation in the boxing world later became instrumental in the lifting of this ban in January 1948. Shortly after, Dick Turpin became the first black fighter to win a British title, paving the way for his brother Randolph.

Turpin turned professional in London in 1946, a little after turning 18. Trained by his elder brother Dick, Randolph knocked out Gordon Griffiths in his first bout. Turpin put together a string of 16 wins all over the United Kingdom in a row, until drawing in 6 rounds versus Mark Hart in his last bout of 1947.

Three more wins followed, including a disqualification win in 8 rounds against important challenger Tommy Yarosz. He then met European Middleweight champion Luc Van Dam in London, whom he knocked out in the first round to seize the European championship.

Three wins later, he found himself facing Albert Finch who inflicted on Turpin his first defeat, an 8-round decision loss. After one more win he lost again, knocked out in 5 rounds by Jean Stock in London.

Turpin was determined not to lose again after the Stock defeat, and put together another string of wins, which reached 12 (including a 4 round disqualification win against William Poli). Rematched with Finch, this time with the British Middleweight title on the line, Turpin avenged his first loss and won his first championship by knocking out Finch in five rounds on 17 October 1950 at Harringay Arena.

Four wins followed after that, including a rematch with Stock, against whom he avenged his second defeat, knocking him out in 5 rounds.

Turpin set up training at Gwrych Castle, Abergele, North Wales for several months in preparation for his fight with America's Sugar Ray Robinson for the world title.

On 10 July 1951 in front of 18,000 people at Earls Court in London, then world middleweight champion Sugar Ray Robinson travelled to London and risked his title against Turpin, who won the world title by beating Robinson on a 15-round decision.

It was a rare world title win by a Briton over an American at a time when there were only eight world champions - one for each weight division. And it should not be forgotten that Robinson would not only win the world middleweight title a record five times but be voted "the greatest boxer pound for pound of all time'' in a world poll.

 

His win over Robinson gave him such celebrity that even many people who were not boxing fans knew who he was and the castle were he was based for his return fight was constantly hounded by fans and tourists.

His days as a world champion didn't last long, however, and when he made his first trip outside his homeland for a fight, he lost his crown to Robinson by a tenth round TKO with eight seconds left in the round at the Polo Grounds in New York on 12 September 1951.

According to Eddie Phillips his chief sparing partner - "Randolph went to New York to defend his title in a return match against Robinson [in September, 1951]. I was present at a meal in Sugar Ray's Harlem apartment when Robinson offered Randolph a guaranteed third bout in exchange for Randolph agreeing to invest in Robinson's then extensive business empire. Not only that, but Robinson promised to make Randolph a full partner in that third fight, which would be exclusively promoted by them in London. As Robinson said at the time, they could have made a financial killing for that bout, but Randolph never took Sugar Ray up on it - maybe if he had then, financially, things might have been so different for Randolph, whose bankruptcy contributed to his death”.

This turned out to be the beginning of Turpin's problems, because he would begin to miss the sweet life that being a world boxing champion gave him.

He tried to regain his former status, and three fights later, beat Don Cockell in 11 rounds by a knockout to conquer the British Commonwealth Light Heavyweight title.

Turpin went back down in weight, and beat Georges Angelo to regain his British Middleweight title, and put on another string of wins, leading to his challenge of Bobo Olson for the World Middleweight title that Robinson had left vacant after retiring.

His second trip to New York turned into another 15 round defeat, this time at the hands of Olson.

In 1954, he went to Rome where he lost his European Middleweight title by a knockout in the first round to Tiberio Mitri.

He kept trying mightily as he could to regain his former condition as a world champion and even retained his British Middleweight title a few times in his next ten fights, but he lost two of them to obscure opponents.

After that, he managed another winning streak against some obscure boxers, but by 1958 it was clear his best days in boxing were long over. He lost that year to Yolande Pompey, another future world title challenger, by a knockout in 2 rounds in Birmingham, and retired in 1959.

In 1962, he began another comeback, but the comeback only lasted 2 fights, both of which he won, the last one being held in Malta on the 1^st of September 1964 against 

A Maltese Charles Seguna whom he defeated by KO in round 2..

He retired with a record of 66 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw. Of his 66 wins, 48 came by knockout.

By now he was so short of money that he resorted to professional wrestling. His name meant that he drew moderate crowds for a short time but in the end this venture was not a success because he was a fighter not a showman.

According to articles, reports and a biography, Turpin couldn't deal with the obscurity resulting from the loss of his crown. In Llandudno in Wales, he bought a public house on the Great Orme, which today retains several genuine arte-facts from his career. Between 1952 and 1961, he was the registered licensee.

Turpin had not handled his money well, and his life spiraled out of control. He fell foul of the Inland Revenue in 1962 for unpaid taxes.

After being declared bankrupt, Turpin in a disturbed frame of mind committed suicide by shooting himself in 1966. It is reported that on the same day, he tried to kill his 17-month-old daughter by shooting her twice. She survived and went home after 18 days..

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.

On the 10 July 2001 - Sir Henry Cooper unveiled a replica bronze statue of Turpin - nicknamed the "Leamington Licker" - exactly 50 years after his greatest win.

The plaque below the statue reads:

In honour of Randolp Adolphus Turpin - Middleweight Champion of the World 1951

In Palace, Pub and Parlour The whole of Britain held it's breath - Celer et audox

Chairman Adrian Bush Sculptor Carl Payne.