Marcel Cerdan versus Randy Turpin
Posted: 06 Mar 2023, 20:52
15 rounds.
It's very difficult to say because even though the Frenchman had over a hundred matches most of them were against Europeans of little note and his experience on the world stage was so short-lived that it is hard to say who he could have beaten and who he couldn't have beaten.
After all he died in a plane crash on his way to fighting Jake LaMotta in a rematch, as he claimed his shoulder blew out in the first fight. That being said Ring Magazine listed him as one of the top 20 greatest middleweights of all time even with his career at the top being short as it was.
As for Turpin, there were other guys out there who became superstars by beating the shell of Ray Robinson like Paul Pender. But beyond the Robinson fights, Turpin seemed to be out of his depth against world beaters as he lost to the limited but fun Bobo Olson. Most of the names on his record you would not recognize with maybe the exception of Don Cockell who would later go on to fight Rocky Marciano for the heavyweight title.
If I had to make a bet I would drop money on the Frenchman because it seemed to me he had more success against world class guys than Turpin did, even though Cerdan was only at the top for a short time. 15 round decision for Cerdan.