Sugar Ray Robinson vs Randolph Turpin I official on-site programme, 10th July 1951, Earls Court, London.

Conditon very good (slight age discolouration)

Sugar Ray Robinson completely under-estimated Randolph Turpin during a tour of Europe in 1951 and was out-thought and out-fought over 15 rounds as Turpin won the World middleweight title on a wildly memorable night.

Price: £165

Sugar Ray Robinson vs Randy Turpin 1 1951

Sugar Ray Robinson was born in Detroit, Michigan. 3rd May 1920. Considered by many the “The greatest fighter pound-for-pound” in boxing history, Robinson won the vacant world welter-weight title on December 20th, 1946 on PTS from Tommy Bell. he relinquished the crown as undefeated champion in 1951 when he captured the middleweight title from Jake LaMotta on February 14th, on a 13 round TKO. On July 10th he lost it to Randy Turpin on PTS in London, but 2 months later regained it by TKO in New York. On June 25th, 1952, he challenged Joey Maxim for the light-heavyweight title. He led on points, but collapsed from the intense heat and lost by TKO in 14 rounds and retired. He returned to the ring 3 years later and won the middleweight crown for the third time, stopping Bobo Olsen on December 9th 1954. He lost and recaptured the title a fourth time early in 1957 in 2 bouts with Gene Fullmer, lost the crown again on September 23rd to Carmen Basilio, but regained it on March 25th, 1958. He lost it for the final time on January 22nd, 1960 on points to Paul Pender.



Born in Leamington, Warwickshire, England, Turpin is considered one of the most exciting personalities in British boxing. He won the 1945 British Amateur Boxing Association (ABA) welterweight title the 1946 ABA middleweight title.

As a professional, he won the British and European middleweight titles before scoring a major upset over Hall of Famer Sugar Ray Robinson on July 10, 1951 to win the world title. The victory over Robinson made the hard-punching Turpin a national hero.

Turpin lost the title to Robinson in the rematch, but rebounded to TKO Don Cockell in 11 rounds to win the British Empire light heavyweight title. Following a win over Walter Cartier, he lost a 15-round decision to Hall of Famer Bobo Olson for the world middleweight title on October 21, 1953.

Turpin, who also won the British Empire middleweight and British light heavyweight titles in his career, boxed until 1964.