The rise and fall of a boxing champion who defied The Mob

The rise and fall of a boxing champion who defied The Mob

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Turpin had an illustrious 75-fight career
Turpin had an illustrious 75-fight career

Boxing legend Randolph Turpin, who chronicled one of the world’s greatest sports upsets, was executed by former Black Country chief detective claim The Mob.

Former head of the West Midlands CID, John Plummer, said it was “inconceivable” that the world middleweight champion committed suicide as a result of the inquest.

A letter Randy wrote two years before his death added weight to Mr. Plummer’s theory that the prize fighter was executed after threatening to expose a match-fixing net. Turpin was poised to expose the dirty corruption of fighting games.

In the note, Brave Turpin emphasized that he was not afraid, but warned that gangsters would harm his wife and family.

The villains responsible were simply called “them.”

Around the same time, he was beaten by four men. He refused to give the reason why.

randolph turpin

On May 17, 1966, Turpin, plagued by debt, depression and punch drunkenness, was found dead in his apartment above the shipping café he owned in his hometown of Remington Spa, Warwickshire. Discovered.

The 37-year-old had two gunshot wounds to the head and heart.

His 17-month-old daughter Carmen, who had been shot twice, was lying beside him. she will make a full recovery.

Its death shocked the nation. Turpin also had connections with our community. He was married in Wellington, Shropshire, and had a caravan at Quatford near Bridgnorth with his wife Gwyneth.

Plummer, now a well-known author, said he was convinced foul play was involved in his death.

John F. Plummer

he said: If he shoots in the heart first, he’s dead and there’s no second shot for him. Frankly, it’s unbelievable. ”

This tragedy marked the violent end of a rags-to-riches tale that took the nation on a roller coaster ride from rags to riches.

On September 12, 1951, Turpin, considered so hopeless that the press expressed concern for his personal safety, turned a seemingly hopeless man into a disgrace by denigrating Sugar Ray Robinson at Earl’s Court in London. I have accomplished what I thought was possible.

From the penultimate round of 14, the crowd broke into a raucous rendition of “Because he’s a merry good fellow” and a ragged chorus continued until the final bell.

Randy’s reign lasted only 64 days. At his Polo ground in New York, Robinson took a crushing revenge by stopping the “Remington Licker” in his 10th round.

Primer’s Book on Turpin

At the time of his retirement from the ring, the £300,000 (equivalent to £7 million today) that Randy had amassed during his career was lost through bad investments and bad company.

75-year-old Plummer, who met Turpin as a child, said: If I had been entrusted with the case as a detective, I would not admit that it was a suicide.

“He was suffering from severe depression. It’s understandable. To kill yourself you have to be free – it’s not an individual act of rational thought. Randolph Turpin I haven’t seen anything strong enough to suggest that the was upset.

“Shooting his own daughter and pointing the gun at himself shows an element of insanity. There are signs of build-up that the people around him would have undoubtedly picked up on. All bad timing. The suicide note It was pinned to the door of the room.

A father of five, Randy’s death came less than a year after another World Champion met a mysterious end. An inquest concluded that Freddie Mills had shot himself, but many believed he was the victim of an underworld hit.

Turpin’s decline was as rapid as his rise in the boxing ranks. After his illustrious 75-fight career, with British and European honors to his credit, Turpin turned pro wrestling pantomime and earned a crust, almost penniless.

Initially he received £100 for each match staged, but as the memory of the great night faded from the public consciousness, the fee dropped to £25.

Dark days followed. After filing for his bankruptcy, Turpin was struggling for a living in a scrapyard.

“The problem was he couldn’t handle the economy or women,” said Plimmer, who revealed his findings in the book “The 64-Day Champion.”

“He was charged £100,000 in taxes, but his mitigation was that he believed his manager had paid it off. His accountant, Max Mitchell, said the Inland Revenue I wrote a letter to

Mr. Mitchell eloquently told them:

“If you keep chasing your brain with constant fistfighting, you will become paralyzed. His eyes will be affected, deafness will overtake him, and in fact he will be fortunate to be turned into a two-legged vegetable in his adolescence.” I didn’t.

“Yet the Internal Revenue Service does not give any allowance for the inevitable and ruthless waste that boxers experience due to the rigorous nature of their profession. Is that fair?”

Turpin’s explanation was more succinct.

Mr. Mitchell’s letter went well. A huge tax claim reduced him to £17,000, but by that time Turpin had less than £2,000.

“He had a shocking business deal,” Plimmer said. “He was well used. He was duped, no doubt. He had a gentle touch and people were like leeches.”

Mr. Plummer’s quest for answers was frustrating. “If you’re not on the scene with your pathologist, you’re at a disadvantage.

“Did he actually get shot elsewhere? We need to see how much blood there was at the scene. We need to see where the revolver is.”

“If it’s murder, I want a motive. It’s a must. I think the motive must be revenge, punishment killing, although this is hypothetical in this situation.” was threatening.

“It’s a little dramatic to say that the person who threatened to take action against the Syndicate ended up being brought to the top, but at the time that was the game.”

At the time, police, backed by the champion’s own GP, ​​believed Randy’s frantic behavior was influenced by dementia pugilistica, punch sickness syndrome.

He was developing slurred speech for damaged fighters.

Five years before his death, the governing body, the British Boxing Board of Control, stopped sparring with world title holder Terry Downes due to concerns about Randy’s physical decline.

He failed to heed the board’s warnings and a year later was performing in the Twilight World of Unlicensed Boxing.

Police called the cafe where Turpin’s body lay and found a plaque nailed to the wall. Whether he was murdered or took his own life, these words succinctly summarize the ailments Randy suffered during the last years of his past.

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