The victory turned Turpin into a national champion while handing Robinson the second loss of his professional career.
Sugar Ray Robinson (129-1-2) entered this fight having won 91 of his previous 92 fights. He was defending the title of world middleweight champion between the New York State Athletic Commission (NYSAC), the National Boxing Association (NBA), and The Ring. The title defense came at the end of a long European tour that included shows and public appearances.
Accompanied by a large entourage and his famous pink Cadillac, Robinson looked to defend the title as a manageable task against little-known British opposition. Turpin saw it differently.
The 23-year-old from Leamington Spa enters the biggest fight of his life with the chance to become the first British middleweight champion since Bob Fitzsimmons won the title in 1895. Although he was respected in British boxing circles for his strength, toughness, and uncompromising style, Turpin was an underdog against an already dominant champion.
Around 18,000 fans packed the Earls Court Arena, while millions more followed the contest on radio across Britain. A middleweight championship rarely generated such excitement on British soil.
From the opening bell, Turpin refused to be intimidated. He hit Robinson repeatedly on the jab, forced the champion back with his physical strength, and dominated the exchanges between the clinch.
Turpin repeatedly disrupted Robinson's offense by forcing him to fight in close quarters and refusing to give the champion time to set up his combinations. Robinson had moments of success with quick turns, especially in the later rounds, but Turpin continued to outwork him for much of the fight. At the final bell, many ringside spectators believed the player won comfortably.
When the final bell rang, the result was clear.
Turpin earned a unanimous decision after 15 rounds to become the new undisputed middleweight champion. Many ringside observers believe that Robinson did not win more than four or five rounds, making this decision one of the most controversial in boxing history.
Robinson accepted defeat without excuse.
“I have no alibis. I was beaten by a better man.”
Turpin became the first British-born middleweight world champion in 56 years, and his victory sparked celebrations across Britain, where the achievement was considered one of the country's greatest sporting moments of the post-war era.
Robinson immediately exercised his right to a rematch, which was scheduled for September 12, 1951, at the Polo Grounds in New York. In front of a record middleweight crowd of 61,370, Robinson battled through a badly cut eye and tough resistance from Turpin before stopping the British champion in the 10th round to reclaim the title.
Although Turpin's reign only lasted 64 days, his victory over Sugar Ray remains one of boxing's most outrageous events.
Robinson regained the middleweight title in the rematch and went on to have the most successful career in boxing history. Turpin never won a world championship again, but his victory over Robinson remains one of the worst ever recorded in the sport.
