Turpin boxed out of Golden Gloves ABC, situated in the heart of Toxteth, Liverpool.[3]
Turpin was unbeaten as a senior amateur against British opposition.
After winning the British ABA championship for 2 consecutive years in 1971 and 1972, he won a bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics. In the semifinals of the men's bantamweight (– 54 kg) division he was defeated by Cuba's eventual gold medalist Orlando Martínez on a hotly disputed 3–2 split decision.
Turpin gave England its first victory with a decision over Ray Theragood of Santa Fe, N.M. in a 119 pound-class bout in the Felt Forum, on 15 January 1973 before a crowd of around 1,000 people. He was part of the England's national amateur boxing team, who were up against the United States team.[4]
Professional career
Turpin had a successful professional career, from 1973 to 1977, recording eleven wins, with five being by knockout, three losses and two draws.
Below is the record of George Turpin, a bantamweight boxer from Great Britain who competed at the 1972 Munich Olympics:
Round of 64: bye
Round of 32: defeated Pierre Amont N'diaye (Senegal) by decision, 5–0
Round of 16: defeated Chee Yen Wang (Chinese Taipei) by decision, 5–0
Quarterfinal: defeated John Mwaura Nderu (Kenya) by decision, 4–1
Semifinal: lost to Orlando Martinez (Cuba) by decision, 2–3 (was awarded a bronze medal)
The Mersey Fighters Book
Turpin is featured in volume three of the popular 'Mersey Fighters' book series, titled 'More lives and times of Liverpool's boxing heroes'.[6] The book contains in-depth biographical information on Turpin, described as one of the region's 'biggest names' in an interview with the author.[7]
