Jerome: carrying on the famed Turpin family fight tradition
Jerome Turpin with brother Lewis and sister Jodie
THE Turpins will go down in history as Britain’s most famous boxing family.
And the legendary name is again appearing on boxing bills thanks to Jerome Turpin, a young man who has revived the Leamington family’s proud tradition in the sport.
Jerome, an amateur for Royal Leamington Spa ABC, is the grandson of Dick, the middleweight who became Britain’s first black champion by outpointing Albert Finch in Birmingham in 1949.
He went on to train younger brother Randolph, the most famous of the siblings and the man who registered one of our greatest sporting achievements. At Earls Court on July 10, 1951, Randy defied the odds stacked against him to soundly outpoint the great Sugar Ray Robinson for the world middleweight title.
And let’s not forget third brother, featherweight Jackie, who packed 130 contests into his 10 year career than ended in 1951.
Add to the mix, his son, big punching Jackie Turpin Jnr, who plied his trade from 1967 to ’75. He was no slouch and was named Britain’s Young Boxer of the Year in 1971.
Middleweight Jerome, aged 28, has just begun his own journey, with four bouts to his name. He possesses an in-depth knowledge of the Turpin brothers’ legacy.
The famous Turpin brothers, from left: Jackie, Dick and Randolph
Jerome said: “All three fought in the army/navy during World War Two. My grandad won the Commonwealth middleweight title in 1948, then became the first black fighter to win the British middleweight title after only whites were allowed to fight for it.
“In 1951, his youngest brother Randolph beat Sugar Ray Robinson to win the world middleweight title, which is an insane achievement and one of the biggest upsets ever.”
A younger Leamington boxing with such a revered surname raises eyebrows at boxing venues, but Jerome denies it has added to the pressure of ring performances.
“People do bring it up a lot,” he said matter-of-factly, “and everyone seems to have a story about how they knew one of the brothers and say I better be good with a name like that, but I don't think about it too much.
Jerome Turpin
“I just want to try and get a little better every day.”
Jerome is making up for lost ground, having come late into the competitive game, but he’s moving in the right direction, with just one loss.
And he evidently possesses the Turpins trademark courage. Jerome won his debut despite being handicapped by a broken foot.
“I trained here and there as a kid from the age of 11 to 12, but never stuck to it,” he explained.
“At 26 I decided to go back and give it a go before it was too late. My debut for Royal Leamington Spa was in November, 2021. I actually broke my foot in my last spar on the Tuesday just before the fight.
“I kept it on ice all week and kept it quiet as I didn't want to back out. On the day I wore about three pairs of socks on my right foot to soften it a bit.
“I couldn't move very well and lost the first round, but in the second I caught him against the ropes and let my hands go and got the KO win.
“I was stuck in a big plastic boot for a couple months afterwards as I’d made it much worse.”
The Turpin name is back in boxing – and Jerome aims to make sure it’s back with a bang.
By MIKE LOCKLEY and DEREK FITZPATRICK
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