No Suicide: Revisiting the death of Randolph Turpin

Randy Turpin

RANDOLPH TURPIN – the boxing legend who registered one of the worldโ€™s biggest sporting upsets – was rubbed out by The Mob, a former leading detective claims. John Plimmer, ex head of West Midlands CID, says itโ€™s โ€œinconceivableโ€ Turpin committed suicide, as ruled by an inquest.

A letter penned by Randy two years before his death has added weight to Plimmerโ€™s theory that the former world middleweight champion was executed after threatening to expose a web of match fixing. Turpin was poised to make public the fight gameโ€™s soiled underbelly of corruption. In the note, brave Turpin stressed he was not afraid, but gangsters had warned his wife and family would be harmed. The villains responsible were simply referred to as โ€œtheyโ€. Around the same time, he was beaten-up by four men. He refused to reveal the reason for the rough stuff.

On May 17, 1966, Turpin, dogged by debt, depression and the onset of punch drunkenness, was found dead in a flat above the transport caf he owned in his hometown of Leamington Spa, Warwickshire. The 37-year-oldโ€™s body had two gunshot wounds – to head and heart. His 17-month-old daughter Carmen โ€“ shot twice โ€“ lay by him. She would make a full recovery.

Plimmer, now a successful author, said: โ€œIf he shot himself in the head first, would he really have the wherewithal to then aim the gun at his heart and pull the trigger? If he shot himself in the heart first, heโ€™s dead – thereโ€™s no second shot. Frankly, itโ€™s unbelievable.โ€

The tragedy marked the violent end of a rollercoaster, rags to riches to rags story that had gripped the nation.

On September 12, 1951, Turpin – considered such a no hoper the press voiced concerns for his safety – achieved the seemingly impossible by outpointing Sugar Ray Robinson at Londonโ€™s Earl Court. From the 14th and penultimate round, the crowd broke into a raucous rendition of โ€œfor heโ€™s a jolly good fellowโ€ and the chorus continued to the final bell.

Randyโ€™s reign was to last a mere 64 days. At New Yorkโ€™s Polo Ground, Robinson gained crushing revenge by halting the โ€œLeamington Lickerโ€ in 10 rounds.

In ring retirement, the ยฃ300,000 โ€“ equivalent to ยฃ7million today โ€“ that Randy amassed during his career was lost to bad investments and bad company.

Plimmer – a 75-year-old who met Turpin as a child – said: โ€œCertain facts surrounding the death raised my eyebrows. If I had been given that case as a detective, there is no way Iโ€™d accept it was a suicide.

โ€œHe suffered from severe depression, I can understand that. To commit suicide you have to become unhinged โ€“ itโ€™s not the act of a reasonable thinking individual. I have not seen anything strong enough to suggest Randolph Turpin had become unhinged.

โ€œTo shoot your own daughter and turn the gun on yourself shows an element of insanity. Thereโ€™s a build-up, signs that those around him wouldโ€™ve undoubtedly picked-up on. The timing is all wrong.

โ€œThe suicide note was pinned to the door of the room. Thatโ€™s a weird thing to do – pin it to a door. Thereโ€™s a lot of things that are simply not right.โ€

Father-of-five Randyโ€™s death came less than a year after another world champ met a mysterious end. An inquest also concluded Freddie Mills shot himself, although many believed he was the victim of an underworld hit.

Turpinโ€™s decline was as rapid as his rise through the boxing ranks. After a glorious 75-fight career which also saw him claim British and European honours, Turpin โ€“ near penniless โ€“ turned to the pantomime of professional wrestling to earn a crust. At first he was receiving ยฃ100 for each staged match, but as the memory of great nights faded from public consciousness the fee dipped to ยฃ25.

Darker days were to follow. After filing for bankruptcy, Turpin scraped a living by toiling at a scrapyard.

โ€œThe problem was he couldnโ€™t handle finances or women,โ€ said Plimmer, who has revealed his findings in a book, The 64 Day Champion. โ€œHe had a tax bill for ยฃ100,000 and his mitigation was he believed his manager had paid that off. His accountant Max Mitchell wrote a letter to the Inland Revenue.โ€

Mr Mitchell eloquently informed them: โ€œAs time goes on the punching power of a boxer is enfeebled. The longer he pursues his brain, through constant pummelling, is numbed.

โ€œHis eyes are affected, deafness overtakes him and, in effect, he is lucky that in the prime of his manhood he doesnโ€™t turn into a two-legged vegetable.

โ€œAnd yet no allowance is given to a boxer by the Inland Revenue for the inevitable, remorseless wasting away he undergoes because of the exacting nature of his profession. Is that fair?โ€

Turpinโ€™s explanation was more succinct: โ€œI am really a most illiterate man about money.โ€

Mr Maxwellโ€™s missive worked. The massive tax demand was reduced to ยฃ17,000, but, by then, Turpin had less than ยฃ2,000 to his name.

โ€œHe had some shocking business deals,โ€ said Plimmer, โ€œhe was used a lot. He got ripped off, no doubt about it. He was a soft touch and people were like leeches.โ€

Mr Plimmerโ€™s search for answers has been a frustrating one. โ€œWithout being there at the scene with your pathologist youโ€™re at a disadvantage.

โ€œWas he actually shot elsewhere? You need to see how much blood is at the scene. You need to see the position of the revolver.

โ€œIf itโ€™s a murder, you want motivation. That is a must. I think in the circumstances โ€“ and this is an assumption โ€“ the motivation has to be revenge, a punishment killing. He was threatening to go to the authorities with details of rackets within the sport of boxing.

โ€œItโ€™s a bit dramatic to say someone who threatened to take action against a syndicate ended up being topped, but, back then, that was the game.โ€

At the time, police, backed by the champโ€™s own GP, believed Randyโ€™s desperate act was influenced by dementia pugilistica – punch drunk syndrome. He was developing the slurred speech of a damaged fighter.

Five years before, the British Boxing Board of Control had been so concerned by Randyโ€™s physical decline they stopped him sparring with world titleholder Terry Downes. He failed to heed the Boardโ€™s warning and, a year later, was performing in the twilight world of unlicensed boxing. Thatโ€™s how far he had fallen.

Police called to the cafe where Turpinโ€™s body lay found a plaque nailed to a wall. Whether he was murdered or took his own life, the words succinctly summed-up the ills than befell Randy during those lost, last twilight years: โ€œThat which seldom comes back to him who waits is the money he lends to his friends.โ€

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