BoxRec

OK, at the risk of getting attacked like a yuppie walking through Harlem im going to argue that he is...

Most of Randys rep appears to have come from the fact that he beat SRR in a massive shock and went on to have a sad life resulting in his untimely death..

But what did that SRR fight actually prove? Anyone who has seen the rest of the Sugar mans European tour will tell you he looks poor, stories of excessive partying prevail to this day!! Yes, it was a good win, a great win but he didnt beat a prime Robinson..some would argue Turpin fought better in the rematch..

He would then go on to lose to Bobo Olsen, no disgrace but he didnt put in a performance that places him above the any of Britains great...

He would go on to get starched by Miti and beat Don Cockell...

Has one fight ever built a guys rep more that SRR-Turpin? I would say no and maintain that although Turpin was good, he wasnt GREAT

Turpin had all the natural talent that a fighter could want - skill, speed, and above all a tremendous punch. His downside was that he could be a bit inconsistent and easily influenced and sidetracked by matters and attractions outside of the ring.

In the context of the question of his "greatness" I would offer the opinion that on the world scale he wouldn't rank as an all-time great, though it would be unfair to downgrade his win over Robinson and put it down solely to SRR being overly confident about the fight. If Turpin had been totally focused on his ring career at his peak he would have been a more potent force at world level and over a longer period.

On the British scene I would rate Turpin as one of the ten best fighters in Britain since WW2. That may sound illogical in the context of my above comment about his lack of "greatness" on the world stage - but I think he was so superior in talent to his British rivals that he could get away with being less than fully focused, plus he could hold his own on the world stage.

In response to the question of a reputation being based mainly on one win, I think he runs that risk - though as records currently stand you might justifiably state that Joe Calzaghe will be remembered solely for his win over Lacy, Tarver for beating the shell of RJJ, Hatton for beating Kosta, and so on.

Just my opinion...J

He's not overrated at all, he gave Robinson hell in their rematch as well when Robinson was in top condition... unfortunately Turpin couldnt handle the pressures of success and fame and his career and private life fell apart after the Robinson fights... he hardly trained for the Olsen fight because of a variety of outside problems and he was never the same fighter afterwards... but at his best he was undoubtedly one of the greats... the Robinson he beat may not have been 100% but he was still a great fighter and Turpin dint just beat him he bullied him... Turpin had skill and great power and strength... his jab was like a sledge hammer by itself... unfortunately he was one of those fighters whose peak was short mainly due to the out of the ring problems which over took him after the Robinson fights... if anything Turpin is probably underrated today as his post Sugar fight record dont do justice to his ability...

Turpins shoulders looked AMAZING and he had great skill, power and speed and combinations. He was also unorthodox like an ingle fighter to some extent

Turpin had one of the best builds I've ever seen yet wasnt muscle bound and had good stamina, his falling was that after winning the title he was beset with out of the ring problems and never trained as hard as he did in his early days... I also think the beating he took in the Olsen fight ruined him as a fighter and he was shot after that...

Turpin looks impressively built on films of his fights, but if you go see his statue in Warwick he looks absolutely amazing, build-wise. Of course I realise the statue may not be an exact replica of his arms, legs etc but if it is then he must have been one of the best built fighters ever to step into the ring

J

john2345 wrote:Turpin looks impressively built on films of his fights, but if you go see his statue in Warwick he looks absolutely amazing, build-wise. Of course I realise the statue may not be an exact replica of his arms, legs etc but if it is then he must have been one of the best built fighters ever to step into the ring

J

True enough, he appeared to be carved from stone... but then again Frank Grant was built along similar lines and he was nothing like the quality of old Randy

Whilst searching the internet for a photo of Frank Grant in his prime I came across this rather unsavoury incident that I hadnt heard of before:

King of the ring jailed for vicious beating
From the Telegraph & Argus, first published Wednesday 17th Jul 2002.

Bradford boxing hero Frank Grant was today starting a four-year jail sentence after he brutally attacked a man outside a takeaway restaurant.

The disgraced former British middleweight champion was told by a judge that he had even betrayed the rules of the ring in biting off part of Trevor Hoey's left ear and continuing to attack him while he was on the ground.

Grant carried out the terrifying attack on Mr Hoey as he left a Chinese takeaway in Smith Avenue, Odsal, Bradford, last August.

Bradford Crown Court heard how Grant lay in wait before rushing at him from behind and punching him to the ground in front of a crowd including young children.

Prosecutor Julia Nelson said witnesses then described seeing the 37-year-old fighter repeatedly punching and kicking Mr Hoey, as well as stamping on his head three or four times.

Witnesses said the kicks to Mr Hoey's head were like watching "a footballer taking a penalty" and a shopkeeper also saw Grant lift up his victim at one stage.

"In between these kicks the complainant was picked up, appearing limp and unconscious, and then thrown back to the ground," said Miss Nelson.

Grant, of Bank Street, Wibsey, was also seen by another witness to bend down towards Mr Hoey as if talking in his ear.

"It is clear when the ambulance staff came that a significant part of his ear was missing," added Miss Nelson.

When the attack ended Grant calmly walked back to his car and drove away, but Mr Hoey's blood was later matched to stains found on a cloth in the vehicle.

Mr Hoey, who had worked as a doorman for 12 years, was taken to hospital suffering from black eyes, a fractured left eye socket, fractured nose and damage to his ear.

The court heard that since the attack he had been unable to work, had developed a stammer and also suffered psychological problems.

Grant handed himself in to police a few days later, but he denied being involved in the attack.

He admitted that there was a history between himself and Mr Hoey and claimed that he had been assaulted by Mr Hoey on New Year's Eve.

He was picked out by witnesses at a video identification parade and yesterday he pleaded guilty to a charge of causing Mr Hoey grievous bodily harm with intent.

The court heard that Grant had previous convictions for violence, including a charge of common assault on his then wife.

He became British champion in 1992, but after retiring from the ring his plans to run a pub collapsed and his marriage broke down.

Judge Roger Scott was handed a bundle of documents in support of Grant including Telegraph & Argus articles highlighting his anti-drug work.

The judge also read out a letter from a Bradford businessman in which he revealed how Grant had raised thousands of pounds to send a terminally ill boy to Disneyland in Florida.

Grant's barrister, Timothy Stead, emphasised the importance he placed on his own self-esteem and added: "He regarded himself as a champion not only in sporting terms but also as a champion representing other people of his kind in every sense."

He revealed that Grant had experienced hostility from people who tried to boost their own status taking him on and he was also tormented by suggestions that he was a "wife-beater" following his conviction in 1996.

"If it wasn't for the general provocation over the years, his rather tense reaction to it and what appears to have been a feud between himself and Mr Hoey no doubt he wouldn't be here now," said Mr Stead. "He would be the model citizen that he regards it so hugely important to be."

Jailing Grant Judge Scott told him: "You want to be seen as a decent black man who sets an example.

"I'm sure that's been right for a very long time, but unhappily in this case the example is not one you would wish to cherish."

He described it as a tragedy that a man who was previously regarded as a hero and someone to look up to and valued was in the dock before him.

http://archive.cravenherald.co.uk/2002/7/17/124078.html

Nasty. However, there is no way of knowing what the history was between these two.

I wonder what Frank is up to these days?

Ive always found Frank a very nice and respectful guy, youre right we dont know the full story. I think Turpin if anything at his best was underrated, The strokes that were pulled by Robinsons people the second fight, are folklore.

turpin was excellent in the 2nd robinson fight. i rate him highly and if he could have sorted his head out a little he would have been close to britains best ever.
another fighter who needs to sort his head out is frank grant. and i dont care about the supposed history between him and his victim he ought to have gone away for longer. and as for the "good guy really, m'lud" BS cooked up by his legal team...i suppose its their job to try. i really liked the bit where frank was said to get riled by people thinking he was a wife beater!!!!! what were you doing to her frank? showing her how to shadow box? idiots like grant should be off the streets.

Turpin certainly had the natural talent to be considered Britains best ever. His win over SRR is probably the finest performance by a British boxer.

Turpin was my first "idol" in boxing - my uncle (who introduced me to the sport) absolutely worshipped him, and I was constantly told (maybe from a biased viewpoint!) about how he was "robbed" in the SRR return. And though the stoppage itself was pretty decisive I'd have to say (based on what footage I've seen of the fight) Turpin was in there with a real chance of repeating his win over Robinson, even leaving Robinson's cut aside.
I saw a short documentary on Turpin some years back. It showed a clip of one of his amateur fights, against an American I think (?). The ferocity of his attack, and the speed and power of his punching - even at that early stage - was amazing.

I don't want to start yet another thread about the Top 10 British Fighters since WW2, but Turpin is right there, along with Buchanan, Winstone, Conteh, and the like.

J

Turpin may have been slightly flattered when he beat an undermotivated SRR, but the fact remains he beat the great SRR!

definitely turpin gave robinson hell in that 2nd fight. so it wasn't like he was a 1 off though his career failed to scale those heights again. i can't remember the stoppage but randy was well in the fight and it was a desperation KO by robinson who'd suffered a bad cut and was apparently at risk of being stopped himself.

Turpin did avoid some of the shots, but he was also battered cleanly with some very flush and brutal punches when the ref stopped it.He looked out on his feet to me and was definitely NOT just picking shots off with his shoulders.

Somewhat similar to the first Corrales Castillo stoppage.

THE SWEET SCIENCE BY AJ LIEBLING CONTAINS ONE OF THE GREATEST DESCRIPTIONS OF A FIGHTER IN BIG TROUBLE (TURPIN/ROBINSON) YOU'LL EVER READ

I almost responded to this thread rightaway, but I 'steadied' myself to go back and double check and Be Sure...

Turpin DID NOT give SRR any trouble in this second fight!
I just finished watching it, SRR won the first 4rnds decisively 'hurting' Randy in the 2cd & 3rd, from the 5th Turpin was in it without trouble till the 9th, his (Turpins) strength very visable, But he was Not effective in the fight, he threw on 2 occasions some good flurries, but nothing upsetting SRR, he did catch Ray with a couple of good punches, but no more than a few. Up untill the 8th rnd, the commentator (English) mentions no less than 3 times that Turpin ISN'T doing anything and that he's Not 'jabbing' at all, which 'won' him the 1st fight.

In the 10th SRR just annahilates him and drops him with a 'beauty'; and "Though I DO AGREE," Randy managed to avoid a few punches while on the ropes he, Turpin was equally pelted with good hard punches to the head and body...Turpin was Not reponding and at the 'stoppage' made No Complaint...he was trying to get at Ray to congratulate him by the looks of it, knowing fine well who won!

Is Turpin 'overated' ???
I wouldn't say so, more like over hyped & in true British fashion (refusing to acknowledge credit where it's due) unacceptingly admidting the truth, OVER PLAYED!!!

Exactly what Britain has been doing with ALL their Champions (especially in the heavier weights), since Henry Cooper...over played because we had so few Bigmen!

For my money Turpins best performance was his 1st class display of text book boxing & hard hitting when he knocked out L-HW Don Cockell for the title...Randy at his best.

Terry D wrote:Out on his feet is hands down head lolling. Blocking shots is a sign that a guy is able to continue. The ref got it wrong in this fight as far as I can tell.

BUt he wasn't blocking shots anymore when the ref stepped in.He was getting his head caved in.

The ref doesn't step in there and it would have started to resemble Griffith vs Paret.

Anyone know the story behind his knockout loss to Coley Fowler , was it an amatuer fight or was it an arranged fight, apparently there was accusations of Corey using loaded gloves

Some bloody good replies here...