From The Archives: Randolph Turpin (1947 article)

Here's something you won't find anywhere else on the internet. I give you PrizeFighting's first exclusive, courtesy of a friend in the Netherlands who came across an interesting magazine.

This is Tit-Bits magazine. I'd never heard of it either but apparently it was a big deal in British New Journalism once upon a time. I've transcribed the whole article below. A scan of the piece is also available at the end if you want to strain your eyes like I did or prefer to see it complete with formatting and visuals.

BRITAIN'S BEST BOXING HOPE FOR YEARS

But We Must Not Let Him Waste His Talents

By TERRY LEIGH-LYE (May 30th, 1947)

I am convinced that our most promising boxer at the moment is a young man who comes from Leamington named Randolph Turpin who served with the Royal Navy. This nineteen-year-old fighter is the man most likely to restore British boxing prestige. Yet because of his colour, though he may one day win the world championship, he can never under existing rules style himself British champion.

At the Albert Hall he knocked out in one round that experienced Irish fighter, Bert Hyland. To appreciate fully the value of this win it must remembered that Hyland had defeated the British welter-weight champion Ernie Roderick on points and had scored victories over some of our leading middle-weights. However, on this occasion he was rendered virtually helpless by the terrific punching of the young coloured boy, who finished off the fight with a blow that travelled only six inches, but had the whole power of his muscular right arm and body behind it.

Jimmy Wilde's Opinion

After the count the former fly-weight champion of the world, Jimmy Wilde, told me that in his opinion Turpin was the finest prospect this country had produced for years, and even at that immature stage would be a match for anyone at his weight in Britain.

What manner of man is this young ex-cook from the Navy? His manager, Mr. George Middleton, said to me: "Randy and his two brothers are three of the best boys I have ever handled during my long association with the sport; they are utterly without vice, and their behaviour outside the ring would not discredit anyone in any walk of life."

When writing of Randolph Turpin one is forced to mention his two fighting brothers, Dick and Jack. Both are older than Randy, Dick being twenty-six, a skilful [sic] boxer who has fought most of the leading middle-weights and as himself considered something of a hope before the war. But he went into the Army just when he was in his prime, and his long service in the Middle East did not do him any good in a boxing sense. However, his record for 1946 shows wins over such experienced fighters as Paddy Roche, Jack Lord, Johnny Boyd, Johnny Blake, and others.

Electrified the Crowd

Jackie, who is twenty, served with the Navy, and recently electrified the Albert Hall crowd by one of the finest prelimiary bouts ever seen there. His opponent was Sammy Ervin, another youngster who loves a fight, and before the second round was over the crowd were shouting themselves hoarse. Jackie won by a knock-out in the fifth round, with a right-hand punch that would have done credit to Randolph. There you have the picture, three clean-living young coloured boxers, all of them married, all of them respected in the town where they live, all of them subscribing to the support of their widowed mother.

In the first world war their father volunteered for the Army and was severely gassed in France. His death was directly traceable to this.
Randolph learned to box as soon as he was old enough to pull gloves on to his long, tapering fingers. A finely built youth, by the age of seventeen he showed signs of growing into a light heavy-weight, though he was not sufficiently tall to develop much over the cruiser-weight class.
After a successful career in junior A.B.A tournaments, he entered for a novices' competition (senior class) and won with ease.

First Title Thrill

In 1945, the same year that he entered the senior division of amateur boxing, Turpin became welter-weight champion. I do not suppose that, however many successes the future may bring, he will ever experience a thrill quite comparable with the winning of his first A.B.A title.

The following year Turpin moved into the middle-weight class (11st. 6lb.), and on the championship. However, I imagine the highlight of 1946 for Turpin was his sensational win at Wembley over the American, H. Anspach, whom he knocked out in the first round while representing Great Britain. That was undoubtedly the sensation of the evening, and every critic agreed that Turpin was the outstanding amateur of the year.
Also in 1946 Turpin represented Great Britain in Paris, but was right out of form and lucky to draw with his opponent, A. Escudie.

All this time one was hearing rumours that young Randolph was going to turn professional and many well-known managers were reported on different occasion to have persuaded him to sign articles appointing them his representative. However, while Randy was quite prepared to enter the paid ranks, the existence of the colour bar made him histate about taking the plunge. Still, most people were surprised when he eventually signed up with modest, quietly spoken George Middleton instead of one of the more garrulous managers of the "Big City Slicker" variety.

Turpin's choice was unquestionably wise; he knew George Middleton, who was a product of his home town and already handling his brother Dick's business.

Turpin's first professional fight took place Harringay on the night that Bruce Woodcock knocked out Gus Lesnevich. His opponent was Gordon Griffiths, who, inspite of his courage, proved no match for the "Leamington Flash" and the referee stopped the fight at the end of the first round, after Griffiths had sustained terrific punishment.

Lesson in Ringcraft

Turpin's next fight proved something of an anti-climax, and showed that however successful he had been as an amateur, he was not yet fully conversant with professional ringcraft. His opponent was the experienced Welsh middle-weight, Des Jones, and the fight took place at Seymour Hall. Jones, who fought an evasive battle, by his ringcraft on many occasions made Turpin look ridiculous, and though Randy won on points many people said he was only a "flash in the pan," and "nothing like the fighter he had been cracked up to be." That, of course, is typical of boxing crowds. They never seem to realize that a fighter is human, and, like us all, experiences an "off night."

K.O. in 98 Seconds

Turpin proved to the doubters that he was of championship material in his next fight, when he went to Birmingham and knocked out Billy Blything in 98 seconds. From then on his record has been one run of successes, with knock-out victories over the promising Bethnal Green fighter, Jimmy Davies, and a two-round victory over the Australian Johnny Best. Against Best Turpin boxed like a champion. The Australian had previously defeated his brother Rick, and Randy, out to wipe that blot off the family escutcheon, punished Best with every blow in boxing. To me, one of the most encouraging signs of Randy's class was the fact that five minutes before the contest he was sleeping peacefully on a table in the crowded dressing-room, proving that he had the right temperament for big boxing.

A Great Show

Only one fighter apart from Des Jones has gone the distance with the coloured boy, and I must admit that I was delighted to see it happen. His opponent was the Kilburn middle-weight, Ted Saunders, who is managed by the former welter-weight champion of the world, Ted "Kid" Lewis. The "Kid" is a great friend of mine and on the day of the fight I lunched with him, and he confided to me how desperately keen he was that Saunders should make a good showing and confute certain people who had accused him of over-matching his protégé. Well, Saunders went the distance, and in spite of losing on points put up a great show.

Looking Ahead

I believe our young man from Leamington is heading for a world's championship. Because of his age he is forbidden, under a ruling of the British Boxing Board of Control (an excellen regulation) to box more than six three-minute rounds until he is twenty, and many of the top-class men at his weight feel that they would be demeaning themselves by accepting contests of such short duration. In consequence promoters are finding it difficult to get first-class opponents for him.

It is more than likely than in another twelve months Turpin will mature into a light heavy-weight (12st. 7lb), and my adivce for him is shortly to pay a visit to the United States, get thoroughly toughened up, and also gather the varied experience which a barn-storming tour of that country would afford him.

It would be a tragedy if this young man's potentialities were to be wasted. He has the heart, the brain, and the body to bring back a world's championship to Britain. The rest is up to those who handle his fighting life.

Back to your regularly scheduled programming

Interesting, ain't it? It's hard to imagine a young fighter today being hyped up to the same extent.

Turpin would go on to lose two fights in 1948, though both losses would be avenged. He did not follow the writer's advice on fighting in America or moving up in weight. Why was the writer so insistent that Turpin move up to light-heavyweight? Probably because the middleweight scene was ridiculously stacked at that point. Rocky Graziano and Tony Zale were at the top of the picture, Jake LaMotta and Sugar Ray Robinson were in the mix to move up from welterweight as well. Turpin was good but it would take a very brave man to say he could beat the greatest pound-for-pound fighter to ever grace Jah's green earth.

And yet Randolph Adolphus Turpin did the impossible. In 1951, he became world's middle-weight champion and only the second ever fighter to defeat Ray Robinson. The return fixture was not as glorious.

BONUS!

• The writer Terry Leigh-Lye, AKA Captain Edward James Margetson Leigh-Lye (1909-1985), was reportedly the BBC boxing commentator in the 1950s/60s, an amateur boxer himself in his youth, and published several books on the sport too.
  • Despite the title of Captain and obligatory mentions to Europe's wars in the article, Mr. Leigh-Lye never left Yorkshire as far as I can tell.
• The magazine cost "2 1⁄2 d." or two-and-a-half pence if I'm not reading the pre-decimal currency wrong. Adjusted for inflation, that comes to about 40p (appr. 50¢ or €0,60) in today's money.
• I thought this article could be a source for some lost info about a young Turpin but his early career appears to be well-documented, though the dates on Wikipedia are wrong.
• I didn't put "[sic]" next to 'realize' because I figured that, like soccer, it was originally widely-used in British English.
• The "Kilburn middle-weight, Ted Saunders" is either a mistake by the writer or a mistake in the record books. Every other online source lists the Kilburn fighter under the name Bert Sanders, though some sources do give his surname as Saunders.
• There's a very good Turpin documentary from the 80s available for free via the BFI (British Film Institute), it's called 64 Day Hero: A Boxer's Tale (note: UK only)
  • Jack Birtley's 1970s book, The Tragedy of Randolph Turpin, is also available for free on the Internet Archive
• Reprinting this without any permission probably violates some kind of copyright law. Oh well.