The 90 minute 1985 documentary about Randy Turpin '64-Day Hero : A Boxer's Tale' is on tv on Wednesday 6th Nov. if anyone's interested.
It's on Talking Pictures - Sky Ch 328 / Freeview 81 / Virgin 445.
Documentary - 64 Day Hero - Wed 12pm Talking Pictures
Re: Documentary - 64 Day Hero - Wed 12pm Talking Pictures
Great fighter and a great documentary. Thanks for the heads up. I once had the pleasure to meet Randy's family in the early 1980s in London, including the daughter he shot just before he killed himself in May 1966. The tortured Randy believed that the toddler, Carmen, was another man's child but Carmen miraculously survived and grew up to be the spitting image of her late father.
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Fray Bentos
- Lightweight
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Re: Documentary - 64 Day Hero - Wed 12pm Talking Pictures
Watched at the time on Channel 4 - hell of a documentary.
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Fearful_Freddie
- Heavyweight
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Re: Documentary - 64 Day Hero - Wed 12pm Talking Pictures
Bump. Didn't realise Randy was Carol Vorderman's uncle.
Every now and then you read something that doesn't sit right in your own mind. Dick Tiger, for example, was completely written off before his shot at the world light-heavyweight title held by Jose Torres in the mid-1960s at Madison Square Garden. Tiger was only a middleweight but there was nothing to suggest that he was finished in top flight and weighing 11st 13lbs, he thumped his way to a unanimous 15-round decision over Torres and later beat him a second time.
Likewise, Cuba's Jose Legra was given no chance against Howard Winstone for the WBC featherweight title in Porthcawl in the summer of 1968 and you had to wonder why. Winstone, making his first defence, won the title with a dubious cuts stoppage of Japan's Mitsunori Seki in a disappointing affair at the Albert Hall. Winstone looked damaged goods after a long, hard career but had previously outscored Legra in a 10-rounder and was fighting on home soil in Wales. It counted for nothing as Legra went out and dropped the champion in the first round, then pounded on him until the belated stoppage in the fifth. Winstone was completely through.
Joe Bugner won British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles with an iffy decision over Henry Cooper in March 1971 and was favoured to do a number on Germany's Juergen Blin next time out in defence of the European belt. He scraped home on a split decision. Bugner then took on ageing Jack Bodell in defence of all three belts and was heavily favoured again but if Blin suggested that Bugner lacked something, Bodell proved it. The notoriously awkward challenger got stuck into big Joe and romped to a 15-round decision. Oh dear! Bugner was already proving that he could take it a lot better than he could dish it out.
Leon Spinks shook up the world when he outscored Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in February 1978 in his eighth pro fight. "Neon" Leon looked brilliant but went off the rails afterwards and had nothing when Ali licked him a few months later in New Orleans to win back the title. However, Spinks was still universally fancied to get past South Africa's Gerrie Coetzee in his next fight in June 1979 in Monte Carlo. Boxing News gave Coetzee, a big, burly, unbeaten fighter, absolutely no chance and the bookies agreed. Coetzee destroyed Spinks in the very first round, dropping him three times.
Mike Weaver gave Larry Holmes a brilliant fight in 1979 at the Garden but was another big underdog against John Tate a year later in Knoxville, Tate's hometown. Tate was unbeaten and defending the WBA heavyweight title but had never fought as well as Weaver, who possessed immense stamina for a muscled fighter. Weaver pulled out a knockout in the 15th and final round.
Sean O'Grady gave Jim Watt an outstanding fight here for the WBC lightweight title and went on to challenge Detroit's Hilmer Kenty for the WBA version. Kenty, the first Kronk fighter to win a world title, had never lost but struggled to get past New York's light-hitting Vilomar Fernandez in Detroit in 1980 and you wondered how the hard-hitting O'Gray would fare in Atlantic City a few months later. Kenty, a huge betting favourite, was never in the hunt as O'Grady hammered him for the full 15 rounds. Kenty never contended again.
Randy Turpin licked the great Sugar Ray Robinson for the world middleweight title in 1951 in London and put up stiff resistance in a quick rematch in New York, before Robinson nailed him in the 10th round. Robinson subsequently retired and it was Turpin who was fancied to lick Bobo Olson for the vacant title in Madison Square Garden in 1953, but Olson roughed him up and dropped him twice on the way to an easy 15-round decision. You knew then that Turpin's time at the top was over.
Likewise, Cuba's Jose Legra was given no chance against Howard Winstone for the WBC featherweight title in Porthcawl in the summer of 1968 and you had to wonder why. Winstone, making his first defence, won the title with a dubious cuts stoppage of Japan's Mitsunori Seki in a disappointing affair at the Albert Hall. Winstone looked damaged goods after a long, hard career but had previously outscored Legra in a 10-rounder and was fighting on home soil in Wales. It counted for nothing as Legra went out and dropped the champion in the first round, then pounded on him until the belated stoppage in the fifth. Winstone was completely through.
Joe Bugner won British, Commonwealth and European heavyweight titles with an iffy decision over Henry Cooper in March 1971 and was favoured to do a number on Germany's Juergen Blin next time out in defence of the European belt. He scraped home on a split decision. Bugner then took on ageing Jack Bodell in defence of all three belts and was heavily favoured again but if Blin suggested that Bugner lacked something, Bodell proved it. The notoriously awkward challenger got stuck into big Joe and romped to a 15-round decision. Oh dear! Bugner was already proving that he could take it a lot better than he could dish it out.
Leon Spinks shook up the world when he outscored Muhammad Ali for the world heavyweight title in February 1978 in his eighth pro fight. "Neon" Leon looked brilliant but went off the rails afterwards and had nothing when Ali licked him a few months later in New Orleans to win back the title. However, Spinks was still universally fancied to get past South Africa's Gerrie Coetzee in his next fight in June 1979 in Monte Carlo. Boxing News gave Coetzee, a big, burly, unbeaten fighter, absolutely no chance and the bookies agreed. Coetzee destroyed Spinks in the very first round, dropping him three times.
Mike Weaver gave Larry Holmes a brilliant fight in 1979 at the Garden but was another big underdog against John Tate a year later in Knoxville, Tate's hometown. Tate was unbeaten and defending the WBA heavyweight title but had never fought as well as Weaver, who possessed immense stamina for a muscled fighter. Weaver pulled out a knockout in the 15th and final round.
Sean O'Grady gave Jim Watt an outstanding fight here for the WBC lightweight title and went on to challenge Detroit's Hilmer Kenty for the WBA version. Kenty, the first Kronk fighter to win a world title, had never lost but struggled to get past New York's light-hitting Vilomar Fernandez in Detroit in 1980 and you wondered how the hard-hitting O'Gray would fare in Atlantic City a few months later. Kenty, a huge betting favourite, was never in the hunt as O'Grady hammered him for the full 15 rounds. Kenty never contended again.
Randy Turpin licked the great Sugar Ray Robinson for the world middleweight title in 1951 in London and put up stiff resistance in a quick rematch in New York, before Robinson nailed him in the 10th round. Robinson subsequently retired and it was Turpin who was fancied to lick Bobo Olson for the vacant title in Madison Square Garden in 1953, but Olson roughed him up and dropped him twice on the way to an easy 15-round decision. You knew then that Turpin's time at the top was over.