One of the aspects that makes boxing particularly fascinating is its unpredictability. You can be the greatest champion, blessed with talent, praised by experts, but if you don’t step into the ring with the right concentration and hunger for victory, defeat is just around the corner. Even the greatest champion of all time was not immune to this rule, and so on July 10, 1951, at Earls Court Arena in Kensington, UK, the immense “Sugar” Ray Robinson suffered a shocking and unexpected defeat, relinquishing the middleweight world title to the young local idol Randolph Turpin. Exactly 73 years after that incredible Upset Of The Year, let’s analyze its development and background today.
The Miraculous and the Superstar
Orphaned by his father since he was just a year old and the youngest of five children, Randy Turpin had a turbulent childhood and adolescence, and he faced death twice. Once, he almost drowned, an incident that left him partially deaf for the rest of his life; another time, he narrowly escaped the deadly effects of bronchopneumonia.
Tempered by difficulties and dangers, and encouraged to fight by his own mother, the daughter of a former bare-knuckle boxer, the Englishman had an outstanding amateur career, with 95 victories out of 100 fights and the conquest of prestigious trophies. Even after turning professional, his initial performance remained excellent, except for two defeats that came during a period of deep family problems. Despite having achieved 40 victories as a pro, Turpin had never fought more than eight rounds in a single fight, and many considered his challenge to the world champion premature.
While the 23-year-old from Leamington could thus be considered an up-and-coming prospect on the eve of the fight, his opponent had long since attained the status of a living legend. Undefeated as an amateur and with 129 victories as a pro, Robinson was considered practically unbeatable. His only loss, at the hands of a much heavier Jake LaMotta, had been avenged multiple times, bringing the tally between the two to 5-1 in favor of Sugar. Already a world champion in the welterweight division before becoming one in the middleweight, the American was at the end of a European tour: in just a month and a half, he had already fought six fights and was preparing for the last challenge before returning home. A huge crowd of admirers followed him wherever he went, and Sugar, pleased with such idolatry, spent his London days playing golf during the day and cards in the evening, as if he were on vacation.
The Unexpected Fight: David Defeats Goliath!
The reigning champion’s attitude during the early rounds was that of an athlete very confident in himself, who gives the opponent some space, knowing that he can repay the damage with interest. The American moved leisurely in circles, rationing his punches and focusing on a cautious defense, but in doing so, he left all the initiative to Turpin, who was ready to take advantage and score points. Thus, the first two rounds were, in a sense, “gifted” to the challenger, but when Robinson hinted at a change of pace in the third, the young Englishman immediately demonstrated his danger by momentarily stunning him with a sudden left hook.
The 18,000 fans present in Kensington were incredulous and ecstatic: their favorite, who on paper was condemned to certain defeat, was seriously troubling the world champion. Turpin approached without presenting a target thanks to excellent upper body movement, paved the way with his heavy left jab, and was extremely quick to clinch whenever Robinson tried to unleash his famous blows. The dirty phases, fought chest to chest, gave the English boxer the opportunity to showcase his superb physical strength, even with the help of some fouls that the referee, the local Eugene Henderson, did not pay much attention to.
For six rounds, the legendary Sugar could not get a handle on his opponent’s awkward style; then, he finally seemed to wake up, finding in the right uppercut to the body an effective weapon to surprise Turpin when he rushed at him. Despite landing some high-quality punches, however, the champion only partially managed to get back into the fight, struggling excessively to take control. The last third of the fight also opened in Turpin’s favor, capable of shaking the opponent for the second time in the eleventh round with a lightning left hook set up by two quick jabs.
Incredibly, although it was clear to everyone present that the score was certainly in favor of the challenger, Robinson did not seem desperate to seek a KO during the closing stages of the fight. His work rate remained quite low, his loaded punches appeared predictable, and they regularly missed. Thus, even the so-called “championship rounds” belonged to the young Turpin, who did not stop pressing for a second, sending his supporters into a frenzy. The young man was then proclaimed the winner immediately after the final bell by referee Henderson, who, as per British tradition, also served as the sole judge. The exact scorecard of the referee was not disclosed, while the unofficial one, compiled by Associated Press journalists, was 9 rounds to 4 in favor of Turpin, with 2 rounds even. A score perfectly in line with what was seen in the ring.
Watching the footage of that historic match today, one is puzzled by the lackluster performance of the great Robinson, powerless and listless for most of the 15 rounds fought. Inevitably, some suspicions arise: those were years when fixed fights were unfortunately a sad but established habit, and the rematch clause already present in the contracts might have convinced the champion not to exert himself fully. On the other hand, it must be said that the theory of a fix does not fit well with what happened in the rematch in New York two months later: although he secured a beautiful and dramatic KO in the tenth round, Sugar again encountered significant difficulties, suffered a dangerous cut on his face, and resolved the fight like a champion while the scorecards were close. Therefore, it is not out of the question that Turpin simply had the perfect style to embarrass the God of Boxing and that 73 years ago on July 10, Robinson simply had an off night. In the absence of evidence proving otherwise, we prefer to think so.