Capital ref presided over Sugar Ray shock

As part of the 1951 Festival of Britain celebrations, middleweight boxer Randolph Turpin took on world champion Sugar Ray Robinson in front of 18,000 spectators at London's Earls Court Arena on Tuesday, 10 July, 1951 - but an Edinburgh man had the best view of the lot.

Referee Eugene Henderson was placed in charge of the world title clash and, given that there were no ringside judges, he alone was left to score the fight as huge underdog Turpin - the son of a British Guyanian First World War veteran -went on to inflict only the second defeat in 127 bouts on the legendary Sugar Ray.

Few gave Turpin a chance as Robinson - still considered by many the best pound-for-pound fighter of all time - arrived in Britain just months after ripping the world title from "Raging Bull" Jake LaMotta with a beating in Chicago so bad it was dubbed "The Saint Valentine's Day Massacre''.

The Turpin-Robinson match had captured the whole country's imagination with millions - including King George VI - tuning into the live BBC radio broadcast for the full glorious 15 rounds.

And Henderson, a former Leith Victoria club amateur welterweight star who passed away in 1989, later revealed that by round 14 - despite a late Robinson rally in the 13th round - Turpin was so far ahead on his scorecard that the only a knockout would see Robinson retain his crown. The fact it didn't materialise was no mean feat on Turpin's part since Robinson had knocked out 82 opponents prior to the Earl's Court bout.

Also crucial in Turpin's preparation were sparring sessions with Edinburgh-born boxer Eddie Phillips, a Marchmont doctor's son who had first learned to fight aged 12 in the Edinburgh Sea Cadets (alongside a young Sean Connery no less), before joining the Sparta Amateur boxing club in the city's McDonald Road.

Joe Fortune, a fellow welterweight who fought and coached alongside Phillips, recalls: "Eddie was a terrific hitter, boxer and, in the ring, as tough as he was gentlemanly outside the ropes. I wasn't surprised at all that Turpin's managers used Eddie as one his main sparring partners in 1951 - they both had a lot in common.''

Modest octogenarian Phillips, still alive and living in Tranent, admitted: "I could box a bit and, more importantly, while Turpin was brutal to his sparring partners I used to frustrate him by shrugging off some of his hardest shots.

"He once confided to one of my fellow sparring partners that he had an ambition to drop me before he fought Robinson at Earl's Court. He never did, but he told me after the win that he had benefited from me adopting Robinson's style and trying to mimic Sugar's moves.''