Turpin is overrated, he was a top & very good fighter, he benefited from being the best of a coming crop, when the rest of his contemporaries were in their twilight years... and the BBBofC only scrubbed the Colour bar at that time to open the door from him. they didn't care about Turpin, either one of them, they only cared about the Money associated with Big Boy Titles, where Britain mostly always failed and at the last part of the 1940's there was No One of any real chance left bar the Coming Turpin and C ockell. talk about racism and corruption in America, you have no idea what British Life was like, right up to the 70s & 80s even under British Class divisions. the British Wealthy were pigs really, obviously not all of them, but 'most' of the ones that counted. Hagler.
Whilst there no doubt that Hagler is the greater fighter, I don't see Turpin getting run over by him. Randy with his leaning back and countering, his Jab and his strengh, idk I really think he gives Hagler a tough fight. Not gonna say Randy wins but he comes out looking good perhaps.
The colour bar preventing blacks from contesting for British titles was broken in1948,when Randy's brother Dick, Ring ranked no7 won the British Middleweight title. In 48 Randy was beaten by Albert Finch and stopped by Jean Stock who floored him 3 times. Randolph did not get a Ring ranking until the end on1949, [no9],and he didn't fight for the British title,[Oct1950] until fully 2 years after his brother had won it. I think your timescale is off.
Then you know the colour bar was not relaxed for Randy,he was not thought of as a title prospect in1948.
in Preparation to 'pave the way'... they can't decide overnight and Black Joe Boxer gets a fight the following week, the young Turpin was making noise in the Amateur's, all the Big Boys were nearing the end, Mills, Woodcock, Mac was already finished, Roderick was a veteran too and Hawkins wasn't quite up to it. of all the coming crop of Gardner, Williams, C ockell, R Turpin, Hart, Finch and Buxton... the only chance real chance would be the young Turpin at MW growing into L-HW and the Don at L-HW growing into HW... just as all eyes were on Woodcock and dozens of others, with the money men ready to grab them as soon as possible for BIG BOY Titles, where England the Home of Modern Boxing always failed and indeed were the brunt of American humour in the division... anyway, the Power brokers went into action, they got it done and 'allowed' Dick a shot, which of course secured the way for Randolph and Thank God for all others there after. Morality & Scruples had nothing to do with it... 'IF' Turpin wasn't Black or there was more certainty with Gardner, Williams and the others, the Colour Bar' would have sat for another few years yet. Boxing is always & only about Money and Nationalist Boast and Pride. they didn't give a toss about Turpin, the Pigs that they were... British bigotry & patriotism was and Patriotism STILL is rife in this country more than any place in the Western World, including the boastful America. the difference being the US boasts - Life Style, Opportunity and Success'... where as England/Britain boasts arrogant Superiority, accurate or not, as fact, and not just gracious recognition from her Global brethren. a HUGE Difference and State of being.
None of this tiresome rant ,which by the way is only your opinion, addresses the fact that it was DICK TURPIN and NOT RANDY who broke the colour bar.and he broke it fully 2 years before Randy was even considered as a title prospect. Are you even aware of the origins of the bar?
"The Powers That Be" .That's your usual get out,a very convenient excuse for the failures of British domestic fighters not to scale the heights you say they would have done if things were different. The Color Bar ran from 1911 until1948. Name a British black fighter that was world rated during that period? There's a You Tube guy saying Len Johnson was never allowed to fight for the British title,quite true,he also says Johnson was considered the best middleweight in Britain in the 20's which is rubbish! Johnson stepped up in class twice, fighting Harvey for a version of the British title and he was convincingly beaten.His next fight was a 6rds stoppage defeat to Marcel Thil. Excuses,excuses,excuses.
