TYSON FURY VS. DILLIAN WHYTE REVIEW: THE GYPSY KING SINKS THE BODY SNATCHER IN THE SIXTH

 

By Peter Silkov

Writer for The Boxing Glove

Wembley Stadium

If Saturday night proves to be the final night of Tyson Fury’s career, then he will have performed yet another rare feat during his tumultuous boxing career, by becoming one of the very few world champions who chose to walk away while they were still ‘king of the hill’. With his sixth-round knockout of Dillian Whyte before a record-breaking audience of 94,000, Tyson showed that he is not just the best heavyweight in the world, but if anything at almost 34 years of age, still getting better. Tyson dismantled Whyte with the air of a man watering his garden on a Saturday afternoon. Any fears that the three wars with Deontay Wilder may have taken something out of Fury were shown to be unfounded as ‘The Gypsy King’ first out-boxed, then out-punched ‘The Body Snatcher’ before finally knocking him out of the fight altogether with a clinical right uppercut. Fury did all this with ease, which left the impression that he had barely got out of 2nd gear. In the end, it was easier than many had expected it to be. Whyte was always seemingly a step behind, as ‘The Gypsy King’ showed himself to be a league above his challenger.

Dillian Whyte Enters Ring

The bout began cagily with both men weighing each other up, and few meaningful punches being landed. By the end of the round Fury was already landing with his jab and showing a nimbleness of footwork, which underlined the flat-footed nature of his challenger.

Anyone who believed that Whyte would start the fight fast and aggressively was probably surprised by Whyte's demeanor. Fury is usually always a slow starter, and many felt that the challenger's best chance of victory, (perhaps his only chance) was to go after the champion from the start. Yet Whyte started slowly, stalking Fury but without the fire that might have been expected. Another surprise was that Whyte opened the bout boxing as a southpaw, rather than in his usual orthodox stance. This might have been part of a plan to try and unsettle the champion, but if anything, it seemed to confuse Dillian more than anyone else. Whatever plan lay behind Whyte's change in stance was hastily abandoned after the opening round, and he fought the remainder of the match in his usual orthodox manner. This was always going to be a long shot tactic for Whyte, as Fury is one of the very few fighters who can switch with ease from orthodox to southpaw, so he was never very likely to be bothered by Whyte's rather random attempt at boxing southpaw.

Fury was finding his rhythm by the second round while Whyte was already beginning to struggle with the champion’s speed and movement. Tyson’s greatest attribute has always been not so much his size but the speed and dexterity which he has for a man of his size. Add that to his ring IQ and fitness, which belies his fleshy exterior, and you have a clue to Fury’s success.

It was becoming clear that this was a much sharper and better conditioned ‘Gypsy King’ than we saw against Wilder last October. Weighing in 13 pounds lighter at 264 pounds, Fury’s reflexes and footwork was clearly improved. Fury was displaying the boxing skills that he largely abandoned last October against Wilder, when under trained and ring rusty, he had to resort to going toe-to-toe to win their 3rd and final war.

Fury was pot-shotting Whyte with jabs and the occasional right hand, landing then stepping out of range. As the fight progressed, he was putting more and more weight into his punches.

By the third round, Fury was already beginning to slowly dominate. He was subtly chipping away at Whyte with his left, at times tantalizing his challenger by switching stances that seemed to wrong-foot and befuddle Whyte even more. Always a rather flat-footed fighter, Fury’s nimbleness was making Dillian seem pedestrian and clumsy.

Whyte was already breathing heavily by the 4th stanza and showed some signs of growing frustration as he attempted to drag Fury into a mauling brawl. There were some ugly clinches and wrestling, as the referee seemed to struggle to retain control of the fighters. One such mauling clinch ended with a head butt from Whyte, which ironically resulted in a cut above his right eye.

Fury stepped the pace up in the 5th and some blows visibly hurt Whyte. As well as regularly spearing his challenger with a damaging straight left, Fury was also hurting Whyte with rights to the body. When he returned to his corner at the end of the round, Fury seemed to say to his cornermen ‘Next round’.

The conclusion came near the end of what had been a fairly quiet round. Fury patiently looked for his opening while he jabbed with his left, and Whyte was seemingly out of ideas and constantly tried to hold and maul the champion. When the opening came Fury took it with deadly precision. The end came via a peach of a right uppercut, which deposited Whyte flat on his back. Fury’s hand speed, accuracy, and underrated ability on the inside all came to play into the dramatic finish of this match.

To his credit, Whyte beat the count and tried to convince the referee that he was ok to continue. However, his wobbly and uncoordinated body betrayed the fact that his brain was no longer in charge of his faculties, and the referee’s decision to stop the fight was probably his best action of the night.

It was a brilliant performance by Tyson, who ended the fight unmarked and had barely taken a serious punch. He had outclassed ‘The Body Snatcher’ and underlined his standing in the heavyweight division. Tyson stands head and shoulders over the rest of the division, not just physically, but in all areas which make up a top pugilist.

If anything, judging by this performance, at 34 years of age, Tyson is still improving. After a career plagued by inactivity, (which was usually down to outside issues out of his control) Tyson was finally able to give us a glimpse of what he can do when he is fully trained, healthy, and not coming off a long layoff. Despite the wars with Wilder, Tyson seems to still have a lot left in the tank and a lot more to show if he faces a challenger capable of pushing him more than Dillian Whyte did Saturday night. Should he walk away now while still at his peak? It is a question, which only Tyson Fury himself should decide. Retirement has always been the biggest challenge for most fighters, especially when they are at or near the top of the tree.

Team Fury Celebrating

If he does walk away now, Tyson Fury would be in rare company. Only one other world heavyweight champion has ever retired undefeated while champion and stayed retired, and that was the legendary Rocky Marciano.

Ironically, Britain’s last outstanding world heavyweight champion Lennox Lewis was also one of the very few to walk away while still world champion, but he was not undefeated, like the ‘Gypsy King’.

On one hand, it would be nice to see Fury face the winner of Usyk vs Joshua, ‘The Gypsy King’ brings an atmosphere and excitement to boxing that no one else can match at the moment, certainly in the heavyweight division. If this was Fury’s final boxing match, then he will most definitely be missed. Yet in a way, it would be fitting for Fury to once more mark himself out from the crowd and walk away from boxing despite the riches he can still make from it. A match with either Usyk or Joshua could earn Fury as much as 100 million pounds. But Fury gives the impression that he is tired of dealing with the constant petty politics that comes with dealing with Anthony Joshua and Eddie Hearn.

While Tyson was brilliant, when looking at Dillian Whyte’s performance, one does have to wonder whether all the preflight shenanigans, such as Whyte refusing to take part in the fight promotional press conferences and the long-running row regarding the cut of his purse, ended up hurting Dillian rather than Fury. ‘The Body Snatcher’ never seemed as fired up, as you would expect for someone finally getting the chance to fight for the world heavyweight championship. Even on his ring entrance, the challenger seemed strangely subdued and almost drained. One also has to question the tactics that Whyte used during the fight. It seemed Dillian's best chance of victory was to try and land one of his big shots. Yet too often he was trying to box with Tyson rather than drag him into a toe-to-toe war. In the end, Whyte seemed to find Tyson too strong as well as too fast and skillful.

Ultimately Whyte did not look like a challenger who believed that he could win. Something which was betrayed by his pre-fight behavior.

As the dust settles on Saturday night it seems that Dillian Whyte is attempting to excuse his defeat with some bizarre claims, the like of which even Deontay Wilder would have been embarrassed to attempt. In the end, it seems that the hapless Whyte (after receiving a career-high purse for a world title fight that he didn’t deserve) is unable to even be a graceful loser.

Fury has done more than enough in and out of the ring to deserve a long and happy retirement. He has battled back from mental health and substance abuse issues which put him in such a state that many found it laughable when he announced his comeback. Incredibly, what a comeback it has been, despite those who still doubted him (including right up to Saturday’s fight!). Tyson has fought back from being a mental and physical wreck to undoubtedly the number one heavyweight in the world and the best heavyweight of his generation. A victory over either Usyk or Joshua would mean little now in the grand scheme of things. Neither man seems to be a true threat to Fury.

Fury has many other opportunities away from boxing, whether it is as an actor, trainer, or even a promoter. It would be sad to see him make the mistake of so many others by staying too long. There will always be more challengers and fights to take. In the end, too many great fighters find themselves ground down by it all until they are beaten and defeated.

Carry on being different Tyson and walk away now.

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On This Day: Charlie Allum: A Warrior Remembered

By Peter Silkov

Charlie Allum was a hero inside, and out of the ring, losing his life in the terrible WW1.  Born on April 23, 1876, in Notting Hill. Charlie started boxing as an amateur in 1896, and with such success that some of his opponents accused him of being a professional.  In 1899, after the outbreak of The Boar War, he joined the 2nd Battalion of Royal Fusiliers, and in 1900 went to South Africa, where he distinguished himself, fighting at the front, especially during the Siege of Ladysmith. 

On his return from South Africa, in 1903, after serving three years, Allum turned professional, and quickly became a popular performer. 

Charlie would face some of the top welterweights and middleweights who were operating in England during the 1900s.  Men like, Peter Brown, Charlie Knock, Pat O’Keefe,  Frank Craig, Jack Scales, Jewey Smith, Jim Sullivan, and Ted Nelson.

On November 16, 1903, in his 16th contest, he won the English welterweight title, when he knocked out Charlie Knock in the 9th round.  On February 27, 1905, Allum won the British and English middleweight title’s (150 pounds) when he stopped Jack Kingsland in the 10th round.

Allum lost his titles to Pat O’Keefe on April 23, 1906, when he was knocked out in the 6th round.  In his next contest, three months later, on September 8, 1906, the big punching Frank Craig knocked out Allum in the 5th round.  After this Allum’s career faded somewhat, with him going 9-10-3 in his last 22 contests, but he still was fighting at a good level, against quality opponents.  However Allum won his last 4 fights, retiring after he beat Louis Verger on a 7th round disqualification on October 21, 1911.

With the outbreak of WW1, Allum went to France with the Royal Fusiliers, where he had the rank of Sergeant.  Allum died in action in France on July 21, 1918.  He was 42 years old.  It is said that Charlie battled Germans bare-fisted when he mistakenly ended up at the German front, after thinking it was his own lines. He is memorialized on the World War I memorial in the cemetery at Ploegsteert in Belgium. His son,

Charlie Allum’s final record 22(12koes)-19-8.

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

On This Day: Frank Johnson: The Golden Boy of British Boxing

 By Peter Silkov

Frank ’Golden Boy’ Johnson, was a talented boxer-puncher, who during the early 1950s was one of Britain’s most popular fighters.  Born on November 27, 1928, in Manchester, Lancashire, Johnson turned professional in 1946, at the age of 18-years-old.  Johnson began his career as a featherweight, but soon moved up to lightweight and steadily worked his way up the rankings. He won 32 of his first 33 contests, until on July 25, 1952, in his 34th fight, Johnson won the British lightweight championship, by out-pointing Tommy McGovern over 15 rounds.  Six months later, Johnson added the Commonwealth title to his collection, when he traveled to Australia, and stopped Frank Flannery in 10 rounds.

At this point, Johnson was close to gaining a shot at the World lightweight title, but his world title hopes were dashed and his career suddenly veered off the rails. In his next fight after beating Flannery, five months later, Johnson was stripped of his British Lightweight title after he failed to make the weight for a defence against Joe Lucy.  The fight went ahead as a non-title fight and Johnson was out-pointed by Lucy, after giving a listless display.

Two months after this set back, Johnson suffered another blow when he lost his Commonwealth title to Pat Ford, when he was out-pointed over 15 rounds.  Only two months later, on  October 9, 1953, Johnson fought Ford again, in an effort to regain the Commonwealth title, but was defeated again, this time when he was knocked out in the 13th round.

However, Johnson came back with 4 victories in a row, and on April 26, 1955, he regained the British Lightweight title when he out-pointed Joe Lucy over 15 rounds.

Johnson then suffered another loss of form and lost 4 of his next 5 fights, including a rematch to Lucy on April 13, 1956, when he lost his British Lightweight title back to Lucy after being stopped in 8 rounds.

Johnson moved up to the welterweight division after this defeat, and won 4 bouts in a row, before challenging Peter Waterman for the British Welterweight title on December 17, 1956, but after a stirring effort, was stopped in the 10th round.

This proved to be Johnson’s final title fight, and he had just three more contests, of which he won one.  In his last fight on May 21, 1957, against Boswell St Louis, Johnson retired after the 5th round with a damaged hand.  His final record was 47(26koes)-11.

Frank Johnson died on June 7, 1970, aged only 41.

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

 #‎OnThisDay‬ ‪#‎BoxingHistory‬ ‪#‎BoxingNews‬ ‪#‎TheBoxingGlove‬ ‪#‎TheBoxingGloveNews‬ ‪#‎BornOnThisDay‬ ‪#‎Boxing‬ ‪#‎Boxeo‬

On This Day: Teddy Baldock: The Pride Of Poplar Remembered

 

By Peter Silkov

Teddy Baldock was a brilliantly talented boxer, whose meteoric career took him from rags to riches, and then back again.  Born Alfred Teddy Baldock on May 24, 1907,  in Poplar, London,  he had boxing in his blood from the beginning. His father Ted had boxed, and his grandfather had been a bare knuckle fighter, and another relative, ‘Hoppy’ Baldock had been a second to renowned late 19th century pugilists such as Ted Pritchard, Jem Smith and Charlie Mitchell.  Baldock started boxing at school and soon started to run out of opponents amongst his peers.  Two months before his 14th birthday Baldock turned professional.  Despite his youth, Baldock made progress at a remarkable pace.  He was a very fast and technically sound boxer, with a great punch, and his busy and exciting ring style soon gained him plaudits from the fans.  Baldock quickly built up a huge following amongst the London fight followers.

Teddy shot up the bantamweight rankings, and on May 5, 1927, he beat Archie Bell on points, at London’s Royal Albert Hall, to win the British version of the World Bantamweight championship, while still three weeks away from his 20th birthday.  This made Baldock the youngest man ever to win the World bantamweight title, and an instant international star.  However, Baldock’s reign would not last long, 4 months after beating Bell, he was out-pointed by Willie Smith, losing his claim to the World Bantamweight title.

Bouncing back from what was only his 2nd defeat in 61 contests, Baldock won the British and Commonwealth Bantamweight titles on August 29, 1928, by knocking out former World flyweight champion Johnny Brown, in 2 rounds.  Nine months later, Baldock defended his British and Commonwealth titles against Alf ’Kid’ Pattenden, retaining his titles after one of the most thrilling and ferocious fights ever seen between two bantamweights.  It was the kind of fight that would leave both fighters mere shadows of their former selves.  Baldock went on to score some good victories, but he was already being plagued by hand trouble, and the ensuring spells of inactivity to rest his injured hands, began to eat away at his finely honed skills.

An upset point’s defeat to Benny Sharkey, in September 1930, was the beginning of the end for Baldock, and a move up to featherweight failed to slow his fistic decline.

On May 21, 1931, the World bantamweight champion, Panama Al Brown, in a non-title fight, stopped Baldock in 12 rounds.  Four months later, he was out-pointed by Dick Corbett, in a fight which showed that he was just a brunt out shell of the brilliant boxer he had once been.  His hands both damaged, and suffering from increasing eye trouble, Baldock hung up his gloves at the age of just 24.

His final record was 73(37koes)-5-3. He was defeated just five times in his career, and stopped just once.  

Teddy Baldock’s post-fighting life is a sadly familiar tale of someone going from fame, and fortune, back to poverty and anonymity.  He set himself up as a street bookmaker, a job he used to do as a youth with his father, but he ended up losing money heavily, as he became hooked on gambling himself.  There were also the usual failed business ventures and the over generous nature, which saw him regularly lend money to friends and strangers alike, money which he never saw again.  By the time he was broke, most of the ’friends’ and hangers-on had disappeared as well.

Baldock kept a brave face on things by working at all kinds of jobs to make ends meet, and during WW2 he joined the RAF and boxed countless exhibitions for the troops.  He also taught physical fitness.  But during the post war years, as he grew older and found work harder to come by, Baldock’s life spiraled into further decline.

Despite the familiar story, Teddy Baldock’s fate was particularly tragic.  In his last years, he was reduced to living in shabby lodgings in the East End, and at other times sleeping rough.  When he died on March 8, 1971, his death went unnoticed by the national press, the same press that had hailed him as a hero some 30 plus years earlier.  The man who had been one of London’s most popular boxers, and Britain’s youngest world champion, died penniless, and forgotten.

In recent years, Baldock’s life has been recalled in a biography by his grandson, bringing his life and fighting career back into the public consciousness.  On May 28, 2014, a life size bronze statue of Teddy Baldock was unveiled in East London’s Langdon Park, overlooking the sight of his childhood home.  40 years since his sad death, Teddy Baldock is finally getting the recognition that he deserves, and being remembered as the mercurial fighter, who was Britain’s only world boxing champion in the 1920s. 

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

#BookReview #‎OnThisDay‬ ‪#‎BoxingHistory‬ ‪#‎BoxingNews‬ ‪#‎TheBoxingGlove‬ ‪#‎TheBoxingGloveNews‬ ‪#‎BornOnThisDay‬ ‪#‎Boxing‬ ‪#‎Boxeo‬

Boxing History: Thomas 'Pedlar' Palmer: The Box O' Tricks

Remembering...Thomas 'Pedlar' Palmer
September 25, 1876 - February 13, 1949

Thomas ‘Pedlar’ Palmer was one of the cleverest and most scientifically adapt boxers ever to come out of Britain.  He was one of the earliest East End boxing celebrities, and his life story reads like a novel, with him rising from poverty to fame and riches by the time he was 20 years old, and then losing it all.  Palmer’s fall from stardom and success was as quick as his rise.

Palmer was born in Canning Town, London, on September 25, 1876.  His father had been a very useful bare-knuckle fighter and Palmer showed from an early age that he was a natural talent for fighting.  Although he made his official professional debut in 1891, while aged 15, Palmer had a number of fights previously to that, mostly with bare knuckles, that has not been recorded.

After turning professional, Palmer soon showed himself to be an outstanding talent.  He had great speed with both his hands and his feet, and his cleverness and dexterity in the ring gained him the nickname, ‘The Box O’ Tricks.’ 

On May 1, 1892, while still not 17 years old, Palmer won the British 102 pound title,  (this was before the official introduction of the flyweight division into boxing) with a 17th round knockout of Walter Croot.  Palmer became one of the biggest stars in British boxing and a darling of the National Sporting Club, which was then the centre of British boxing.

After making several successful defences of his British 102 pound title, Palmer moved up in weight to the bantamweight division, and on November 25, 1895, defeated Billy Plimmer on a disqualification in 14 rounds, to win the British version of the World Bantamweight championship.  Plimmer was disqualified when his brother entered the ring, just as Billy was dazed and in trouble from a Palmer attack.  Palmer became the first boxer to win a world title via a disqualification, and also at the age of 19 and 2 months, the youngest boxer ever to win the Bantamweight world championship.

This was a time when England and America had their own World bantamweight champions, and opinion was divided over who was the superior.  But, Palmer’s successful defences of his title over the next 3 years, over top men such as, Johnny Murphy, Ernie Stanton, Dave Sullivan, and Billy Plimmer (again), gained support for Palmer being the true number one in the bantamweight division.

During this time, Palmer gained the reputation for living as fast a life outside of the ring, as he did inside of it.  He enjoyed the nightlife, gambling, drinking, and womanizing, and eventually this devil-may-care lifestyle away from the ring, would have implications for his career inside of it.

Palmer’s world came crashing down on September 12, 1899, when he traveled to America to fight America’s top bantamweight, ’Terrible’ Terry McGovern in New York.  After having a distracted training camp in which he was troubled by the continual harassment of the American journalists, and having trouble making the weight, Palmer was demolished by McGovern in the 1st round, losing his world title, and much of his former prestige.  Although Palmer would carry on boxing at the top level for another 6 years, and would still produce some memorable performances and victories, his best years were behind him after his defeat by McGovern.  He was never quite the same mercurial boxer again.

Palmer won the British Bantamweight title (billed at the time as the English 116 pound title) on May 28, 1900, with a 15-round point’s win over Harry Ware, but then lost the title back to Ware five months later, when he was out-pointed over 20 rounds.

Palmer’s form became patchy as the 1900s progressed, with him going 16-8-3 in the 27 contests he had after losing his bantamweight title to Ware.  Yet during this time, Palmer still produced some flashes of brilliance to defeat fighters such as Digger Stanley, George Dixon, Spike Robson, and Harry Ware.

In 1904, Palmer traveled to South Africa and won the South African featherweight title, when he out-pointed W.J. ’Watty’ Austin over 20 rounds.  One of Palmer’s last great performances was on March 20 1905, when he challenged Joe Bowker for the British featherweight title, and also the British version of the World featherweight title, and was stopped in the 12th round of a thrilling contest.

In 1907, Palmer’s world collapsed completely when he was jailed for 5 years for manslaughter, after an altercation with a fellow passenger on a train ended with the death of Robert Choat from a blow to the head.  Palmer was imprisoned until 1911, and then made a brief return to the ring, but most of his former brilliance was long gone, and after wins over mediocre opposition, he was stopped in 4 rounds by old foe Digger Stanley on November 19, 1914.  Palmer fought just once more after the Stanley defeat, when on March 10, 1919 he met another veteran, Jim Driscoll, and was stopped in the 4th round.  Palmer’s final ring record is 46(5koes)-14-4, although he is likely to have had many other contests which have not been recorded.

Palmer died in Brighton, on February 13, 1949, at the age of 72 years old.  

#boxing #boxingnews #theboxingglove #boxinghistory

Copyright © 2016 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com

TBG Book Review: Ted 'Kid" Lewis: His Life and Times

The Boxing Glove Sunday Book Review by Peter Silkov

“Ted Kid Lewis: His Life And Times”  by Morton Lewis


This week we are reviewing a book that was first published in 1990. “Ted Lewis: His Life And Times” by Morton Lewis.  Ted Kid Lewis has good cause to lay claim to being Britain’s greatest ever boxer. His career, which spanned from 1909 to 1929, is one of the most impressive of his time.  Beginning his career as a bantamweight, Lewis would climb the weight divisions all the way to the light-heavyweight class, even though he would never weigh much more than a middleweight himself.

Born Gershon Mendeloff, on October 28, 1893, in London, as Ted Kid Lewis, he would become one of Britain’s most exciting and respected fighters, taking America by storm, with a style that would gain him the nickname ‘The Crashing Dashing Bashing’ Ted Kid Lewis. 

Morton Lewis has written a fascinating biography about his father, a man who is a genuine ring legend, who won titles at multiple weights, and during the years 1914 to 1920, became Britain’s most popular and successful export to America.

“Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis: His Life And Times” is a captivating account of Lewis’s life and boxing career, from his earliest days growing up, to the ups and downs of his great boxing career, and finally his post boxing life.  It is a tale of rags to riches and then back again. Because of  Lewis’s strength of character and popularity, he and his wife Elsie lived in relative comfort into their later years.

Lewis career is a stark reminder of just how drastically boxing has changed in the last 100 years and how much harder the ‘hardest game’ used to be in Lewis’s time.  In 1912, at the age of just 18 years old, Lewis had no less than 39 contests, of which he lost only 4.  In his prime, Lewis thought nothing of fighting every two weeks, at least.  Indeed, he was of the old school of fighters who kept in fighting shape by fighting regularly, rather than spending months between fights toiling in the gym.

Lewis was a fearless man, always ready to fight anywhere and at any time, with no worry about the reputation or the size of his opponent; the bigger, both in size and reputation, was always the better for ‘The Kid.'

Even in today’s era, where weight jumping is common place and there are more titles than contenders, Lewis’s achievements are still unmatched, certainly by any other British fighter.  He won British and European titles at Featherweight, Welterweight, Middleweight, and also won a British title at light heavyweight.

It is his feats at welterweight, which are most remarkable.  In all, Lewis fought 28 times for the World welterweight title, 15 of them against his archrival, Jack Britton.  The rivalry between Britton and Lewis has gone down as one of the greatest in boxing history, with the pair fighting no less than 20 times between 1915 and 1921, with 15 of these fights being for the World welterweight championship.  The two men dominated the World welterweight title for over half a decade, as they duelled against one another, again and again, for the title.

Lewis first won the world title in his 2nd fight with Britton, then lost it in his 6th fight with Britton, regained it in his 13th fight with Britton, only to finally lose it once more to Britton in their 18th meeting.  Lewis was the first British fighter to regain a world title, a feat that stood unequaled until the 1980s, when Dennis Andries won regained the World light-heavyweight championship.  Although by this time, there were already multiple ‘world champions.’

This book offers a fascinating insight into the boxing world during the 1910s – 1920s. The reader has to marvel at the toughness, determination, and courage of the fighter of this time. These boxers entered the rings week after week, months after month, often carrying injuries of fights, which they had received in previous fights just recently.  In such a world, it took very special breed to come out on top and dominate, and Lewis was indeed a very special fighter.  He is also shown to have been a man of great integrity throughout his life and career.  Taking the ups and downs of his career without bitterness, or self pity, even though he often had to deal with the darker side of the hardest game.

Like many of the greats of the ring, Lewis went through his money as quickly as he made it. He fought on long past his prime, but he never fell into bitterness or regret and instead, lived an active and contented life until his death in 1970, at the age of 76.

Although Morton Lewis is writing about his father, this biography is a well balanced account of one of Britain’s greatest fighters.  This is recommended reading for anyone who wants to read about a time when boxing was bursting at the seams with activity, and when champions were few, but contenders were many.

“Ted Kid Lewis: His Life And Times” has a good collection of photos, many of them rare, and never seen before in print.  There is also a full list of Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis’s boxing career in the back section of the book.

Despite his greatness, Ted ‘Kid’ Lewis is a name not readily recognized by many of today’s boxing fans. By writing this biography about his father, Morton Lewis has produced a wonderful work, which will keep his father's memory and accomplishments alive to boxing followers, both old and young.

Copyright © 2015 The Boxing Glove, Inc. Peter Silkov Art. All Rights Reserved. Peter Silkov contributes to www.theboxingglove.com and www.theboxingtribune.com

Randolph Turpin: The Leamington Licker

 By Peter Silkov

Randy Turpin was undoubtedly one of the most exciting and talented fighters that Britain has ever produced. His outstanding and often sensational career was one that burned bright then faded away all too soon and his life ended in tragedy.

Born Randolph Adolphus Turpin on June 7, 1928, in Leamington Spa, Warwickshire, Randolph and his two brothers and two sisters were the product of a mixed marriage between their English mother and Guyanese father. His parent’s marriage made for a tough upbringing due to the prejudices of the time. The Turpin’s life became even harder when Randolph’s father died when Randy was just twelve months old, due to the after effects of the gassing he had suffered in WW1. With an early life that was marked by poverty and discrimination, it is perhaps hardly surprising that all three Turpin boys made a career out of boxing. The first to turn professional was elder brother Dick, who would in 1948 became the first boxer of colour to win a British championship. Randy had his first taste of boxing at about nine years of age when he and his brother Jackie (who would himself be a good featherweight fighter) would put on spirited exhibitions against each other on the same bills as Dick’s early professional contests.  After beginning his own official amateur career at the age of twelve, Randy ran up a record of 100 fights, of which he won 95. This culminated in him winning the ABA welterweight championship in 1945 and becoming the youngest winner of that title. Turpin was also the first coloured fighter to win an ABA championship.

Randy, in time, would develop into a sensational boxer-puncher, with a good strong jab, and often underrated technical skills to go with his knockout power in both hands.
Turning professional in 1946, with the nickname ‘The Leamington Licker’, Randy’s rise to the top was swift and impressive, and only checked by his youth.  In his nineteenth contest, he out-pointed the British Middleweight champion Vince Hawkins, in a non-title bout. Randy was still too young, by two years, to fight for the British championship. Three months after his victory over Hawkins, Randy’s older brother Dick out-pointed Hawkins to win the British Middleweight crown. 

Randy had to wait until October 17,1950, before he finally got his shot at the British middleweight title, and took full advantage of it with a 5th round knockout over Albert Finch, who six months earlier had taken the title from Randy’s brother Dick.

The Next nine months would prove to be a blaze of glory for Randy that would highlight and define his career.  On February 27, 1951, Turpin added the European Middleweight title to his collection, when he knocked out Luc Van Dam in the 1st round. After four more quick wins inside the distance, including a defence of his European championship, Turpin was matched with Sugar Ray Robinson for the World middleweight championship.  When Turpin entered the ring with Robinson on July 10, 1951, in London’s Earls Court, Sugar Ray was already a legend of the ring, with just one defeat in 131 professional contests (and that had been 8 years before) and universally acknowledged as the greatest boxer in the world pound-for-pound.  Yet, Turpin, confident of his own ability, and trained to a peak of fitness like he would perhaps never be again, gave one of the greatest performances ever seen by a British boxer, to dethrone the seemingly invincible Sugar Ray. Randy surprised Robinson with his confidence, his speed, strength, and both out-punched and out-boxed the champion, so that by the later rounds, Robinson was fighting just to survive the distance. He was winning so clearly, that Turpin was being hailed by the Earls Court crowd as the new champion, long before the 15 rounds were over.

Following his win over Robinson, Randy, already a popular fighter in Britain, became an overnight sensation and celebrity, with seemingly the world at his feet. However, he was contracted to give Robinson a rematch within 90 days, and on September 12, 1951, at the Polo Grounds Stadium, New York, Robinson snatched back his World middleweight title with a controversial 10th round stoppage. The fight had been evenly contested for much of the early rounds, even though Turpin was not reproducing the form of their first match, he was still holding his own with Robinson, who was still finding him difficult to deal with.  In the 10th round, things changed when a Turpin punch (although Robinson would later say he had been butted) opened up a bad cut over Sugar Ray’s left eye, sending blood pouring down his face. The blood sent Robinson into a fighting frenzy, and he went after Turpin and unleashed a barrage of punches, culminating in a right hand that drove Turpin to the canvas. Although Turpin beat the count, he was still visibly groggy and Robinson renewed his assault, driving Randy onto the ropes, and throwing punch after punch onto Turpin. The cornered Turpin laid and sagged against the ropes, as he tried to block and dodge some of the punches coming his way.  

After Turpin had been under this attack for some 30 seconds, the referee Ruby Goldstein stepped in, and halted the fight. There was eight seconds left to go in the round.  Questions about whether Turpin should have been stopped or whether he should have been allowed to continue have persisted to this day.  Given the chance, he may well have recovered during the minutes rest between rounds, while Robinson, after having thrown so many punches and badly cut, maybe have shot his bolt.

In only sixty-four days, Turpin’s world title was gone, and he was left with just the fame and in some cases notoriety that his initial victory over Robinson had gained for him.  Randy was soon to find that the various pressures and pleasures of fame were not conductive to a successful boxing career.  Although he would win other titles over the next few years, including the European middleweight title, and the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles, Turpin would never again be world champion, despite all of his ability.

 When Sugar Ray Robinson retired, while still world champion in late 1952, Randy was given a great chance to regain the World middleweight title when he fought Carl ’Bobo’ Olson for the vacant championship on October 21, 1953, at Madison Square Gardens,  in New York.  Randy’s preparations for this fight were left in disarray by personal problems outside of the ring and quarreling within his camp. After making a good start for the first four rounds, the inadequately trained Turpin faded under the constant pressure of Olson and spent much of the remaining fight pinned onto the ropes, and under attack from the rugged Olson. On his way to losing a wide point’s decision, Randy was floored in the 9th and 10th rounds and made groggy by Olson on numerous other occasions, and in the end, only his heart allowed him to last the distance.

This defeat would quicken the decline, which set in following Turpin’s fights with Robinson.  Seven months after his loss to Olson, Randy lost his European middleweight title to Tiberio Mitri, when he was shockingly knocked out in 65 seconds of the 1st round. The Mitri defeat signaled the end of Turpin as a world-class operator; although he did manage to comeback and win the British and Commonwealth light-heavyweight titles, he was only a shadow of the fighter who had beaten Sugar Ray Robinson. 

Randy’s last official fight took place on September 9, 1958, when he was knocked out in the 2nd round by the heavy-punching Trinidadian, Yolande Pompey, after having Pompey down in the opening round. 

Turpin would have two more fights that were unlicensed by the BBBC, but the Pompey defeat was really the end. His final record was 66(45koes)-8-1.

In retirement, Turpin discovered how fast fair-weather friends and hangers-on disappear when the paydays and fame come to an end. In the early 1960’s, the one-time star of the boxing ring, was reduced to taking part in wrestling contests, in an effort of make ends meet.  In debt and being chased by the taxman for money, which he claimed he had never received, Turpin was found dead of gunshot wounds to the chest and head on May 17, 1966, and the coroner ruled his death as a suicide.

Although his life took a dark and tragic turn, Randolph Turpin still ranks as one of Britain’s greatest and most exciting fighter of modern times, and his victory over Sugar Ray Robinson, arguably the finest ever by a British boxer.

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