The Boxing Glove: robinson

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Monday, May 9, 2016

On This Day: Angel Robinson Garcia: The Playboy Who Could Have Been King

By Peter Silkov

In the early 1960s, with the banning of professional boxing in Cuba by Fidel Castro, America was invaded by a golden collection of Cuban boxers who would add colour, drama, explosiveness, and technical brilliance to the American boxing rings. The fighters included Luis Manuel Rodriguez, Florentino Fernandez, Benny Paret, Sugar Ramos, Jose ’Mantequilla’ Napoles, Jose Legra, and Angel Robinson Garcia. Five of these men would become world champions, Florentino Fernandez came very close to a world title, but Garcia would be altogether different. Angel Robinson Garcia, in a career, which would last 23 years, became a legendary journeyman, fighting an astonishing amount of the best lightweights, welterweights, and middleweights, of the 1960s and 70s. Garcia was given the nickname ’Robinson’ early in his career, due to his handsome resemblance to the brilliant Sugar man.

Like many of his fellow Cuban boxers who fled Cuba in the early 60s. Garcia could well have been a world champion himself, but he chose to lead the life of a travelling playboy, instead, fighting in 21 countries, and against 15 world champions, and innumerable European and domestic champions.

Garcia smoked, drank and caroused around the world, but his ability was never in doubt. Both tough and clever, with the kind of ring skills only found in a Cuban boxer, Garcia always gave a good account of himself in the ring, no matter how hard he had been partying, or how late he had taken up the offer of a fight.

Some of the top boxers whom Garcia faced during his storied career are, Chico Morales, Frankie Ryff, Carlos Hernandez, Jose Stable, Jose Napoles, Doug Vaillant, Bunny Grant, Rafiu King, Jean Josselin, Eddie Perkins, Ismael Laguna, Joe Tetteh, Carmelo Bossi, Bruno Acari, LC Morgan, Paul Armstead, Ken Buchanan, Roger Menetrey, Roberto Duran, Saoul Mamby, Sugar Ray Seales, Eddie Perkins, Billy Backus, Estaben Dejesus, Wilfred Benitez, Clyde Gray, and Willie Monroe.

Born on May 9, 1937, in Havana, Cuba, Garcia turned professional in July 1955, fighting as a featherweight, and became a fan favourite from the start. By 1958 Garcia had moved up to lightweight and was facing world class opposition, while boxing mainly in Cuba. When Fidel Castro banned professional boxing in 1961, Garcia moved to America for a time, fighting out of Miami, but his wandering spirit soon took him to Paris, where his bohemian tastes were fully awakened for the first time. Already a lover of the good life outside of the ring, Garcia found Paris to be a playboy heaven and ended up spending the best part of the early to mid-60s based there.

The next 10 years would see Garcia fighting all over Europe, against the very best, from lightweight to welterweight. After being based mainly in Paris until the mid- 60s, Garcia moved to Italy, and then Spain. As his high living increased, so Garcia’s ring form diminished, and from the mid-60s he slipped from a rated contender, to a full fledged journeyman. Garcia’s statistics tell the story of his career, from 1955 to 1965 his record was 61-23-6, then from 1965 to 1978 he went 36-59-14. Perhaps part of the statistical decline was due to the fact that Garcia continued to fight at the top level, despite his lifestyle. If anything, Garcia’s opposition increased in the second half of his career. Garcia remained a formidable opponent for anyone right up till his final fights and he remained busy too, fighting whenever and wherever the opportunity arose. In January 15, 1972, Garcia took the soon to be World lightweight champion, Roberto Duran, the 10-rounds distance, Duran was so impressed with Garcia’s tricks and ring guile that he hired him for a time as a sparring partner.

With all the partying, fighting, and living for the day, with no thought for tomorrow, things were always going to end badly for Garcia. People who live that kind of lifestyle, especially boxers, don’t tend to wear well over time. Time, which is the enemy of everyone, especially athletes.

By 1978, Garcia was no longer the fresh and handsome Sugar Ray Robinson look-a-like, his body had thickened, and his face had been punched into the veteran fighter’s mask of a crooked nose, missing teeth, and scarred eyebrows. By his final fights, Garcia was almost blind in his right eye and was denied a license to fight in America. His last official appearance in a ring came on February 25, 1978, when Paul Payen in Belgium, out-pointed him over 10 rounds. Shortly after this, Garcia had his boxing license revoked in France, his globe travelling career was over.

Angel Robinson Garcia’s final career record was 136(54koes)-82-20. Garcia’s guile and toughness is evident by the fact that, despite the high quality of his opposition, the Cuban was stopped just 3 times in his career.

Without his trade soon found himself destitute in Paris, and reduced to panhandling upon the streets, where he once partied and lived the fast life.

The famous French actor Jean Paul Belmondo, who remembered Garcia from his glory days, reportedly found him on the Paris streets, and arranged for him to be repatriated to Cuba.

Angel Robinson Garcia died on June 1, 2000.

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Tuesday, April 26, 2016

On This Day: Gene Fullmer: The Cyclone From West Jordan Remembered

By Peter Silkov

Gene Fuller was one of the roughest and toughest fighters to ever hold the World middleweight title, he was a throwback to the fighters of the turn of century, who stood toe-to-toe with every opponent they met.

Fullmer was born on July 21, 1931, in West Jordan, Utah, and turned professional in 1951. Fullmer made up for in strength and endurance, what he lacked in science, and finesse. On January 2, 1957, Fuller caused a huge upset when he won the World middleweight title by out-pointing the already legendary Sugar Ray Robinson. However in a rematch 3 months later, Robinson regained his World middleweight title by knocking out Fullmer with a perfect left hook in the 5th round.

After losing the title back to Robinson, Fullmer put together a run of 9 victories, and then on August 28 he fought Carmen Basilo for the vacant NBA version of the World middleweight title (Robinson having been stripped of recognition by the NBA due to his inactivity.) Fullmer won the NBA title by stopping Basilo in the 14th round after a brutal contest.

Fullmer made 8 defences of his NBA World middleweight title, successfully defending it against Spider Webb, Joey Giardello, Carmen Basilo, Sugar Ray Robinson (twice) Florentino Fernandez and Benny Paret, before losing his championship on October 23, 1962, when he was out-pointed by Dick Tiger.

Fullmer would try to regain his title twice from Tiger. On February 23, 1963, he and Tiger fought to a draw after 15 rounds and then six months later, Tiger stopped Fullmer in the 7th round. That was the end of the road for Gene, and on July 23, 1964, he announced his retirement, with a final record of 55(24koes)-6-3.

Fullmer would go on to be part owner of the Rocky Mountain Region Golden Gloves Boxing franchise in 1964. In 1978, he would open the Fullmer Brothers Gym with his brothers Jay and Don in Utah, where he would train boxers, along with his brothers. He lived a provincial life in Utah, raising quarter horses, minks, and farming while participating on the fair board with his second wife, Karen. He also taught Sunday school and headed priesthood classes at his Mormon Church.

The International Boxing Hall of Fame inducted Fullmer in 1991. Unfortunately, on April 27, 2015, Gene Fullmer, who had Alzheimer's, dementia, and was battling a bacterial infection, died in Taylorsville, Utah. Ironically, he would die hours after his brother Jay’s funeral, who had been suffering from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL.) His brother, Don, also died from chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2013.

Watch the documentary "The Fullmer Brothers":

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Sunday, June 8, 2014

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.