Najai "Nitro" Turpin (December 19, 1981 – February 14, 2005) was a professional

boxer Boxer most commonly refers to: *Boxer (boxing), a competitor in the sport of boxing * Boxer (dog), a breed of dog Boxer or boxers may also refer to: Animal kingdom * Boxer crab * Boxer shrimp, a small group of decapod crustaceans * Boxer snipe ee ...

born in

Philadelphia Philadelphia ( ), colloquially referred to as Philly, is the List of municipalities in Pennsylvania, most populous city in the U.S. state of Pennsylvania and the List of United States cities by population, sixth-most populous city in the Unit ...

Pennsylvania Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...

USA The United States of America (USA), also known as the United States (U.S.) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It is a federal republic of 50 states and a federal capital district, Washington, D.C. The 48 contiguous ...

. He was a contestant on

reality TV Reality television is a genre of television programming that documents purportedly unscripted real-life situations, often starring ordinary people rather than professional actors. Reality television emerged as a distinct genre in the early 199 ...

show ''The Contender''. On the show, he was placed on the East Coast team and pitted himself against Sergio Mora, a man seven inches taller than he was, in the first round. He committed

suicide Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Risk factors for suicide include mental disorders, physical disorders, and substance abuse. Some suicides are impulsive acts driven by stress (such as from financial or ac ...

on February 14, 2005, while sitting in a car with his girlfriend and 2-year-old daughter. The motive for his suicide was not entirely clear. However, the fact that he had not been allowed to fight between the time of his elimination from ''The Contender'' and the show's finale (so as not to spoil the ending), along with the low self-esteem that may have resulted from his defeat on the show may have contributed to his suicide. Another contributing factor is considered to be the ongoing custody battle for his daughter. Najai Turpin's initials were imprinted on Ishe Oluwa Ali Smith's shorts during a match, and the episode in which Najai fought was dedicated to him.

References

External links

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Snopes.com entry
{{DEFAULTSORT:Turpin, Najai 1981 births 2005 deaths African-American boxers The Contender (TV series) participants Suicides by firearm in Pennsylvania Welterweight boxers American male boxers Boxers from Philadelphia 2005 suicides