96 Facts About Randolph Turpin

Randolph Turpin was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 2001.

Randolph Turpin's life story was a classic tale of, from rags to riches and back again.

Randolph Turpin was born in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, to a black father, Lionel, who had been born in British Guiana in 1896.

Randolph Turpin came to England to fight in World War I Randolph Turpin met Randolph's mother after coming out of hospital following treatment for his injuries sustained towards the end of the war.

Randolph Turpin died within a year of Randolph's birth, having never really recovered from the lung damage caused by a gas attack.

Randolph Turpin nearly drowned when he was a child, when he became trapped underwater whilst swimming.

Randolph Turpin got angry and screamed "I'm not the lickerest".

Randolph Turpin actually lost his first amateur contest by decision but then went on to only lose another two contests in a total of 100 fights.

Randolph Turpin won three national junior titles and won the senior ABA championship in 1945 at welterweight and in 1946 at middleweight.

Randolph Turpin fought for Great Britain in the annual televised match against the US in 1946, scoring a first-round knockout in his contest.

Randolph Turpin is not quite so accurate with his gun as with his fists, he has fired 200 cartridges in one afternoon without killing a bunny.

Randolph Turpin was approached by many top professional managers but decided to turn professional with George Middleton, a local man who managed his brother Dick.

Randolph Turpin made his professional debut in London on 17 September 1946 stopping Gordon Griffiths.

Randolph Turpin scored another 14 victories before drawing over six rounds with Mark Hart in 1947.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin was knocked down four times and retired on his stool at the end of round five.

Randolph Turpin had embarked on a weight training regime designed by a man called Arthur Batty and built up his physical strength.

Randolph 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.

Randolph Turpin developed a knockout punch with either hand and became a formidable force for any fighter to deal with.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin had subsequently avenged the loss to LaMotta, beating him a total of five times.

Many people listened to the fight on the wireless to see if Randolph Turpin could beat Robinson.

Randolph Turpin was not overawed by the occasion and took the fight to Robinson from the first bell.

Randolph Turpin was the first British fighter to hold the world middleweight title since Bob Fitzsimmons in 1891.

Randolph Turpin again gave Robinson a hard fight and it was fairly even going into the 10th round.

Randolph Turpin managed to knock Turpin down with a big right-hand punch.

Randolph Turpin got up at the count of seven and was then trapped against the ropes and taking a sustained beating when the referee Ruby Goldstein stopped the fight.

Randolph Turpin planned on building a gymnasium at the castle for young boxers to train in.

Randolph Turpin fought Don Cockell in 1952 for the British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles.

Randolph Turpin regained the European Middleweight Title in 1953 with a points victory over Charles Humez, and was recognised as world champion in Europe.

Randolph Turpin had not trained properly for the fight.

Randolph Turpin won the first three rounds but then faded badly and was outpointed over 15 rounds having been floored in the ninth and tenth rounds.

Randolph Turpin spent much of the fight trapped on the ropes taking punches at close quarters to the head and body.

Randolph Turpin was never the same fighter after the punishment he absorbed in that fight and thereafter became a diminished fighting force.

Randolph Turpin suffered a first round stoppage loss to Tiberio Mitri who was not known as a big puncher.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin's eyes had become misaligned and his peripheral vision was starting to deteriorate.

The British Board of Boxing control made Randolph Turpin have a full medical, but decided that he was fit enough to continue his career.

Randolph Turpin was fighting bigger men, who were just as strong as he was and could absorb his punches whilst punching, as hard as he did.

Randolph Turpin still dominated at a domestic level and in 1955 he beat Alex Buxton to take the British and Commonwealth Light Heavyweight Titles.

Randolph Turpin came out of retirement in 1956 and scored two wins before losing on points to Hans Stretz in Germany.

In other words, they thought that Randolph Turpin might get hurt, which would damage the image of boxing.

Randolph Turpin had his final fight in 1958 when he was badly knocked out by Yolande Pompey.

Randolph Turpin was knocked flat on his back by a right-hand punch to the side of the head.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin had two unlicensed fights in 1963 and 1964 against opponents who were making their professional debuts and he stopped both of them.

Randolph Turpin was charged in 1945 with trying to commit suicide following a lovers' tiff with his then girlfriend Mary Stack, after swallowing liniment.

Randolph Turpin married his first wife Mary in 1947.

Randolph Turpin believed that he was cheating on her with other women behind her back.

Randolph Turpin stated that he was not averse to using his fists, to settle arguments between them.

Randolph Turpin initially said that he had stayed at a friend's house.

Randolph Turpin didn't believe him and thought that he had spent the night with another woman.

Randolph Turpin had then told her that it was none of her business what he got up to in his own time.

Randolph Turpin denied her allegations but did admit to slapping her face when she had sworn at him and called him names.

Randolph Turpin met Adele Daniels when training in America for the return fight with Robinson.

Randolph Turpin lost touch with her when he went back home but they rekindled their relationship when he returned to America for the Olson fight.

Randolph Turpin was arrested but she dropped the charges during the course of the subsequent trial and settled for an out of court payment.

Randolph Turpin denied her allegations and stated that she was trying to get her revenge on him for reneging on his promise to marry her.

Randolph 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 Randolph Turpin had committed adultery with his wife.

Randolph Turpin met his second wife Gwyneth the daughter of a Welsh farmer whilst training for the Robinson fight at Gwrych Castle in Wales.

Randolph Turpin had a keen interest in reading American comic books, when he wasn't busy training, he would often be found reading them on the grounds of Gwrych Castle in the evenings and when he was done, he'd fold them into his pocket, he was interested in reading poetry.

Randolph Turpin bought The Great Ormes Head hotel with his business partner Leslie Salts.

The business never made money and It became a drain on his resources and was eventually sold at a loss in 1961, prior to Randolph Turpin being made bankrupt.

Randolph Turpin had been advised not to go ahead with the investment by his manager because he didn't believe that Salts was trustworthy.

Randolph Turpin had been free and easy with his money when in his prime.

Randolph Turpin said that he wanted to take control of his own finances and his manager obliged.

Randolph Turpin's 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.

Randolph Turpin had been paid in cash for his share of the film rights for televising the fight.

Randolph Turpin didn't declare this amount to HMRC and gave the money to one of his contacts for safe keeping.

Randolph Turpin couldn't take legal action against the person to recover his money because he had not declared it as income for tax purposes.

Randolph Turpin kept appealing the assessments forwarded to him by the Inland Revenue in the belief that he had already paid all the tax due to them.

Randolph Turpin had not kept good financial records and didn't have receipts for a lot of the expenses that he had claimed against his income.

Randolph Turpin claimed to have never received much of the money that he was said to have earned.

Randolph Turpin's eyes are affected, 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.

Under the bankruptcy laws of that time Randolph Turpin was ordered to pay two pounds a week towards clearing his debt and was discharged from bankruptcy in 1965.

Randolph Turpin had purchased a transport cafe in Leamington prior to being made bankrupt which was in his wife's name.

Randolph Turpin 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 Randolph Turpin said that he didn't have anyone looking after his financial affairs in relation to his wrestling earnings and added that he had not received any claims from the revenue on his earnings.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin was in dire financial straits, but would still stand his round on a night out with his friends.

Randolph Turpin stated that he received more injuries from wrestling than he ever did during his boxing career.

Randolph Turpin had stopped wrestling and the cafe now provided his only source of income and the flat above it his home.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin was found dead from gunshot wounds in the flat above the transport cafe on 17 May 1966.

Randolph Turpin had a wound to the head and a second wound to his heart which had killed him.

Randolph Turpin's daughter was rushed to hospital and managed to make a full recovery.

From all accounts, Randolph Turpin had been a doting father to his daughters.

Randolph Turpin implied that the boxing promoter Jack Solomons was involved, although there is no evidence to back up this allegation.

Randolph Turpin had been badly beaten up by four men.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin 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.

Randolph Turpin's death came less than a year after that of Freddie Mills, who was Britain's other post-war boxing world champion.

Randolph Turpin had died under mysterious circumstances and was ruled to have taken his own life, although some claimed he had been murdered by gangsters.

Randolph Turpin was inducted as a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame in Canastota, New York in 2001.

Randolph Turpin was a simple man, a naive man and he needed friends to protect him from the spongers.

Randolph Turpin wrote a poem titled 'The comeback road' the final verse of which is as follows:.