About this design
It is said a man's strengths and weaknesses are the opposite sides of the same coin.
The courage of Randolph Turpin was some way beyond extraordinary. What does it take as a 23yr old who has never been beyond 8 rounds to get into the ring and dare to fail against a man of Sugar Ray Robinson's experience and stature? (At the time Robinson's record was 133 wins, the vast majority by knockout, and one loss to Jake La Motta. A man who Robinson went on to beat five times.) What strength of mind does it take to be faced with odds of 20:1 against you and 7:1 on your adversary, a crowd of 18,000 who are expecting an exhibition from your opponent, and a National press that gives you no chance? And not just to face it but to face it down and to face it down without rancour or melodrama. To beat your exalted opponent by a street and none the less walk him back to his corner with respect and sensitivity. To treat a momentous fight essentially as another day at the office. And when that has been answered please tell me what would you expect to be the balancing bedfellow within such a personality, what qualities might such a man reasonably lack? What is the “B” side of a coin with courage pretty much beyond comprehension on the “A” side? Recklessness? Spontaneity? An inclination to experiment and find out for yourself? Generosity? Could a man capable of the kind of mental strength and courage required to take on Robinson and the opinions of the world be expected to be good with paperwork? Is it likely he would be precise and well organised, sensitive reticent and considered?
If the question concerning what Randolph Turpin was likely to lack - to balance the extraordinary surfeit of courage he had - can be adequately answered, I think we will be some way to putting the clichés concerning Randolph Turpin not being able to adjust to life after losing his World Title to bed. Certainly I expect most people will agree the demise of these clichés is long overdue.
Randolph's Lonsdale Belt illustrated on this shirt is a poignant artefact. The belt is fabricated in gold and is one of the last things he tried to sell before he tragically died. He was eking out a living while being drearily pursued by the taxman for money he did not have and in all probability did not owe at the time.
This image is a vectored drawing in Adobe Illustrator reproduced on our shirts at a resolution 1440dpi. The finished shirt is completely colourfast, it will not shrink and the image will not deteriorate to any significant extent in use. The image was vectored for WeAdmire by Yukio Miyamoto in Tokyo from a digital image taken at the Split Image photographic studio in Crawley, Sussex. The digital image was taken with a 50 mega pixel Hasselblad in a series of ten segments that have been re-integrated as part of the vectoring process. The belt is owned by Tommy Mellis who generously allowed it to be photographed in the course of producing this illustration.
Express your admiration of a great athlete, wear our Randolph Turpin's Lonsdale Belt t shirt
