# The 64 Day Reign of Randolph Turpin.



## Ian8777 (Oct 5, 2015)

On the 17th May, 1966, the customers at Gwen’s transport cafe in Leamington Spa were going about their lives as usual. Factory workers, truckers, and builders were crammed into the small smoky cafe and over the sounds of sizzling bacon, boiling kettles, and scraping chairs the conversations were dominated by the forthcoming World Cup football finals and talk of Bob Dylan’s forthcoming 'gone electric' appearance at the Manchester Free Press Hall. Had Dylan’s song a change is gonna come been playing over the cafe’s small transistor radio it would have provided a fitting soundtrack to the events that had taken place that morning in the small upstairs flat. While customers ate cooked breakfasts and drank mugs of tea downstairs, a change had in fact come that would shock the world of professional boxing. The former World Middleweight Boxing Champion Randolph Turpin lay dead in a pool of blood having shot himself in the head and heart. He left behind a wife, four daughters, and a son from a previous marriage.

The prone body of Randy Turpin marked the end of a life that had experienced success and tragedy at their fullest reaches. Turpin had become World Middleweight Champion in July of 1951 having beaten the seasoned American Sugar Ray Robinson at Earl’s Court Arena, London. No one had expected Turpin to win with many treating the match as joke including Robinson himself who with his entourage of models, barbers, masseurs, vocal coaches and dwarves treated the event more as a circus event than a championship bout. Robinson's disbelief that Turpin was a suitable contender was to be his undoing as in front of a packed home crowd Turpin proved himself worthy and gave the performance of his career. It is said that during the fight the whole country held it’s breath in Palace, pub and parlour as they watched the twenty-three year old battle for the World Title. When Turpin's hand was raised as victor, the eighteen thousand strong crowd at Earl’s Court Arena sang for he’s a jolly good fellow over and over. It was one of the great moments in British boxing history, but one that was sadly overshadowed by Turpin's out of ring activities that led to his decline and eventual demise.

Due to a clause in the contract Robinson demanded an immediate rematch and another fight was scheduled. In just over one and a half months time the pair fought again at the New York Polo Grounds in front of a record breaking 61,370 spectators. This time, with the support of a home crowd it was Robinson who was victorious and Turpin’s reign as World Middleweight Champion ended as abruptly as it had started. He had held the World Middleweight Title for just sixty-four days. According to those who knew him it was the loss of his title that marked the beginning of Turpin’s fifteen year fall into obscurity that eventually led to his suicide.

During Turpin’s period of decline he was arrested and went to court over allegations of rape. He lost his vast earnings through a combination of reckless living, loans given to so-called friends and bad business decisions that included buying the Great Orme Hotel in Llandudno, North Wales. But due to poor management, Turpin was forced to sell the hotel several years later at a loss of thousands of pounds. At the end of his boxing career Turpin was declared bankrupt by the Inland Revenue having been found guilty of tax-evasion. He denied that he had deliberately avoided paying tax and claimed that he had left all his financial affairs to his management. Turpin’s manager, George Middleton strongly denied any claim of wrong-doing concerning Turpin’s money. Middleton claimed that Turpin was simply incapable of financial responsibility and spent money like a child with no thought of the future.

Turpin fought again for the world middleweight championship title in New York but once more found defeat. This time at the hands of American Carl 'Bobo' Olsen. After the fight Turpin claimed that he had lost due to problems he was facing outside of the ring. The problems Turpin referred to were never publicly declared but it was assumed that he was referring to a young American woman called Adele Daniels who he had had an affair with during his first visit to New York two years previous. The young woman turned up at Turpin’s training camp full of scorn as to why he had not contacted her since. Daniels caused scene after scene which forced Turpin to stop his training. After the fight with Olsen, Adele Daniels accused Turpin of rape. She claimed he had attacked her on his first visit to the States. The case was eventually settled out of court with Daniels accepting a payment of $3500. The costs to Turpin were considerably greater both financially and emotionally. At the time of the case Turpin had been engaged to his future wife, Gwenneth, and the court case had put a terrible strain on their relationship.

Randy Turpin did manage to retain British and European belts but never again found the killer form he had produced on the night he became world champion and the once adored ‘Leamington Licker,’ became a target for the press due to so called ‘half-hearted and lacklustre performances.’ In September of 1958 Turpin was knocked out by Yolande Pompey in just two rounds. Turpin’s now wife, Gwen could see he was no longer the fighter he once was and implored him to stop boxing. Turpin was adamant he would continue to fight but was actually forced to retire due to eye problems. And with that, Randy Turpin’s professional boxing career was over.

With no source of income, heavy debts, and a young family to support Turpin turned to professional wrestling to keep him financially afloat. At first the move to wrestling proved to be a success with crowds packing out local sports halls to catch a glimpse of the former world champion. But as a professional boxer Turpin struggled with the showmanship and theatrical aspects of wrestling. Eventually, the public’s interest in Turpin waned which meant ever decreasing crowds which led to ever decreasing wages. Turpin’s pay was cut from £100 to £25 per bout. This meant he had to spend more time away from home to provide a suitable income. But Turpin wasn’t the kind to go away and lock himself in a hotel room after a bout. He would stay out all night with the other wrestlers and hangers-on that seemed to turn up whenever he had his wallet out. Despite his low earnings Turpin was still living the high life. He would think nothing of spending twenty pounds on a night out. He was living the the old adage of champagne lifestyle and lemonade wages. After four years of ever decreasing earnings Turpin quit the world of wrestling with no money to show for his time in the ring. He was forced to take any kind of employment ranging from working at a scrapyard and then working as a cook at the transport cafe he had bought for his wife, Gwen. He spent most of his remaining days brooding over the huge amount of earnings he had wasted, growing increasingly bitter and despondent. In the weeks leading to his death Randy Turpin became morose and insular, refusing to speak about his fighting career with anyone. He had become a twisted reflection of the world champion he had once been. Several months later, at the age of thirty-eight, Randolph Turpin took his own life.

Randolph Turpin retired with a professional record of 66 wins, 8 losses and 1 draw. 48 of his 66 wins came by knockout. He had held British, European and Commonwealth Middleweight and Light-Heavyweight titles. But for the majority of boxing fans it was his World Middleweight title that Randy Turpin will be best remembered for. A title that he held for sixty-four days. Many put his tragic tale down to mental health issues. Some claim that Turpin was just equipped to cope with the pressures of being on the world stage. There will always be questions as to why Turpin’s life came to such a tragic end. Maybe these lines from his own poem, ‘The comeback road,’ tell more about the inner state of Randolph Turpin than any news report, boxing journal, or biography has ever written.

‘The comeback road’
By Randolph Turpin.
So we leave this game which was hard and cruel.
And down at the show on a ringside stool.
We’ll watch the next man, just one more fool.​


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## Plasticweld (Oct 5, 2015)

Great read! thanks for sharing the only thing I caught was the lack of "Change" for the title of the Beatles song


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