Therefore, that information is unavailable for most Encyclopedia.com content. Armstrong sought to become the first boxer to win world titles in four different categories in a rematch with Garcia, already the World Middleweight Champion, but the fight ended in a ten-round draw. Henry J Armstrong has a residential history of 3 addresses in 2 cities and now lives at 3411 Kip St, Philadelphia, PA. Henry can be reached via 2 phone numbers. [3] He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990. As a youngster, he got into neighborhood street fights. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/henry-armstrong, "Henry Armstrong The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia. With his aggressive attitude and incessant windmill style, he was all over opponents, as evidenced by his 101 knockouts and. Henry Armstrong. Armstrong was penalized five rounds for low punches, and that cost him the fight as two officials had Ambers winning by only an 8-7 margin. Entertainer Al Jolson, who had witnessed the final bout between Armstrong and Arizmendi, was so impressed with Armstrong that he convinced New York manager Eddie Mead to take on the boxer, and Jolson supplied $5,000 to buy out Ross's contract rights to Armstrong. Make sure to follow us on Twitter for updates and announcements. He also wrote the autobiographical God, Gloves, and Glory (1956). In the same year, he fought for an unprecedented fourth title in the middleweight division, but lost to Ceferina Garcia in a controversial decision. He graduated as an honor student from Vashon High School in St. Louis[9] Later he took the surname Armstrong as his fighting name. Seven months later, a fading Armstrong finally lost his welterweight title after the 19 successful defenses, including six in 1940. Ambers opened a cut on Armstrong's lower lip, and Armstrong, afraid the referee would stop the fight, swallowed the blood throughout the fight and succeeded in winning on points. "Latsios spent most of the time retreating before Henry." (Lethbridge Herald) "Nick fought a remarkable fight with his flicking left, back-stepping, hit and run method.Henry was disgusted with his inability to catch the elusive Latsios.In the final frame Armstrong almost scored a knockdown but the wily Nick regained his balance after landing against the ropes." Henry Irwin Armstrong. Henry Armstrong, the only boxer ever to hold three world titles simultaneously, died of heart failure yesterday in Los Angeles after a lengthy series of illnesses. During his years attending Vashon High School, Armstrong excelled, earning good grades and gaining the respect of his peers. Armstrong had a 151-21-9 record in his 15-year professional career. He defeated sixteen world champions.After he quit boxing, he became an ordained minister and devoted himself to underprivileged children. His biggest hit was "Sweet Adeline", written in 1903 with Richard Gerard . After that marriage ended in divorce, Armstrong married a second time in 1960. The fight lasted 15 rounds. Despite almost blacking out in the 15th round, Armstrong won a split decision to make history. Herb Goldman ranked Armstrong as the #4 All-Time Lightweight; He was inducted into the Ring Boxing During the final years of the 1940s he traveled to China, Burma, and India with Raft as part of a group sent to entertain soldiers. worldCharley Rose ranked Armstrong as the #6 All-Time Welterweight; Nat sensational; However, when he hit stride After a brief third marriage, Armstrong married his fourth wife, Gussie Henry, in 1978. [15], Returning to the welterweight division, Armstrong successfully defended the title five more times, until Fritzie Zivic beat him to take the world title in a 15-round decision. High School Career. var navclassiccold = new Image(); Jolson offered boxer Petey Sarron $15,000 to defend his featherweight title against Armstrong, and the two boxers met on October 29, 1937, at Madison Square Garden in New York City. with 10 knockouts; From December, 1936 until September, 1940, Henry Its kind of special saying that Im from Columbus, hes from Columbus. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.He was born Henry Jackson, Jr. on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi. Home; . His first win came later that year, beating Sammy Burns by a decision in six. All rights reserved. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Taking the name Melody Jackson, Armstrong won his first amateur fight at the St. Louis Coliseum in 1929, by a knockout in the second round. Bernard Hopkins has been nicknamed the Executioner for the way he dispatches opponents and for the way he enters the rin, Henrquez y Carvajal, Francisco (18591935), Henry Cogswell College: Narrative Description, Henry E. Huntington Library and Art Gallery, Henry Ford Community College: Distance Learning Programs, Henry Ford Community College: Narrative Description, Henry Ford Community College: Tabular Data, https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/henry-armstrong. He defeated Sarron via 6th round KO to become the featherweight champion of the world. out - if he didn't manage that, he certainly battered him thoroughly Armstrong was 25 years old with a record of 92-12-7 (60 KOs). function inact(imgName) { [4] In 2019, the International Boxing Research Organization (IBRO) ranked him as the second best boxer of all time, pound for pound, as well as the second-best featherweight, third-best welterweight, and fifth-best lightweight of all time.[5][6][7][8]. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Armstrong was dynamite in a small Oxford University Press, 1999. ever hold three undisputed titles at the same time. Six years later he moved back to Los Angeles. His attempt to regain the welterweight championship on January 17, 1941, resulted in his knockout in the 12th round by Zivic. He met the minimum weight by upping his calorie intake, drinking beer the days before the bout and a lot of water on the day of weigh-in. On August 22, 1939, he lost his lightweight title in a rematch with Ambers, and in 1940 he defended his welterweight crown six times before losing the title to Fritzie Zivic on October 4, 1940. document[imgName].src = eval(imgName + 'over.src'); He is now the NBA and The Ring featherweight world champion. He kayoed Baby Casanova in three rounds, Belloise in four, Joe Rivers in three, former world champion Frankie Klick in four, and former world champion Benny Bass in four. Alternate titles: Henry Jackson, Melody Jackson. Early in his career, he boxed under Melody Jackson. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. These 11 fights are the highlight of his career. His official record was 152 wins, 21 losses and 9 draws, with 101 knockout wins.[10]. He continued to box actively until announcing his retirement in 1945 at the age of 32. November 25, 1938: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Ceferino Garcia, winning the fight via 15 round unanimous decision. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Henry Armstrong (1861 - 1870) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. It was one of only two knockouts Armstrong would suffer in his career. A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Baby Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita, and Mike Belloise. After Armstrong turned the trick in 1938, no boxer was ever again allowed to be a champion in more than one weight division simultaneously.In 1939, Armstrong lost the World Lightweight Championship in a rematch with Ambers by a fifteen-round unanimous decision. Returning to St. Louis, he became a minister, helped run the Herbert Hoover Boys' Club and trained young boxers. Henry Armstrong (1912-1988) became the first boxer in history to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time. #GreatestOfAllTime#HenryArmstrong#TeddyAtlas Info Share. However, since he already had two professional fights under the name Jackson, he told people that he was Harry's little brother, Henry Armstrong.Armstrong competed in the 1932 Olympic trials. Reading that a boxer named Kid Chocolate received $75,000 for one bout, Armstrong quickly abandoned his railroad job to pursue a career as a boxer. var navpostcardover = new Image(); function act(imgName) { Armstrong was the first boxer ever to hold world championships in three different weight divisions at the same time. Historian Bert Sugar also ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of all time. The Greatest Boxer of All Time - Henry Armstrong, Says Teddy Atlas - Here's Why He's The GOAT THE FIGHT with Teddy Atlas 280K subscribers Subscribe 1.6K Share 74K views 2 years ago. "In 1938, Armstrong defeated Barney Ross by a fifteen-round unanimous decision to win the World Welterweight Championship, and then defeated Lou Ambers by a fifteen-round split decision to win the World Lightweight Championship.Armstrong was the only boxer to hold world titles in three different weight divisions simultaneously, and all three titles were undisputed championships. Armstrong began his professional career on July 28, 1931, in a fight with Al Iovino, in which Armstrong was knocked out in three rounds. Fighting true to form, Armstrong applied pressure throughout the bout. var navgallerycold = new Image(); 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. He made $35 for his pro debut, and was knocked out in three rounds. The most consecutive boxing world welterweight title defences is 18 by Henry Armstrong (USA) from 25 November 1938 to 23 September 1940. Henry Jackson Jr. (December 12, 1912 October 24, 1988) was an American professional boxer and a world boxing champion who fought under the name Henry Armstrong.Armstrong was one of the few fighters to win in three or more different divisions: featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. He first set his sights on the lightweight division, but his challenge to a title fight was declined by lightweight titleholder Lou Ambers. In 1931 Armstrong, accompanied by Harry Armstrong, hopped trains to Los Angeles to restart his amateur career. He also continued his ministry as an assistant pastor of the First Baptist Church. He also wrote the autobiographical God, Gloves, and Glory (1956). He is currently ranked by BoxRec as the 12th-greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. William Henry Armstrong. Encyclopaedia Britannica's editors oversee subject areas in which they have extensive knowledge, whether from years of experience gained by working on that content or via study for an advanced degree. Birth 22 Sep 1768 . Like his mother, his grandmother hoped that he would pursue a career in the ministry. edited by David L. Porter, Greenwood Press, 1995. He was a Black boxer. As an amateur Armstrong fought under the name of Melody Jackson. Copyright 2023 WLBT. If you would like to change your settings or withdraw consent at any time, the link to do so is in our privacy policy accessible from our home page.. After losing his first two professional fights in Los Angeles, Armstrong began to consistently win his bouts. Henry Armstrong had a total of 22 losses in his professional boxing career three of them in title bouts and 19 in non-title bouts. Garcia was recognized as champion only by New York and California. FacebookTwitterYouTubeInstagramLinkedInSnapchatPinterestTiktok, Registered Office: Ground Floor, The Rookery, 2 Dyott Street, London, WC1A 1DE, United Kingdom, Otto - Longest human tunnel travelled through by a skateboarding dog, Ashrita Furman - Most Guinness World Records titles held. He became a born-again Christian and an ordained Baptist minister and youth advocate, helping to run the Herbert Hoover Boys Club. However, upon his retirement he found the vast majority of his money had been lost to bad investments, management fees, and extravagant spending habits. He is considered to be one of the greatest boxers who lived on Earth. The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1940. October 29, 1937: Armstrong wins his first world titles by defeating Petey Sarron via 6th round KO. Henry Armstrong, born Henry Jackson, decided to become a boxer after reading in a St. Louis newspaper that Kid Chocolate had beaten Al Singer at the Polo Grounds in New York, and was paid a purse of $75,000.At the "colored" YMCA on Pine Street in St. Louis, he met an older fighter named Harry Armstrong, who became his friend, mentor, and trainer. Armstrong retired from the ring in 1945. For all the details about Armstrong's world title wins and defenses refer to "Henry Armstrong World Titles". Im defending my belt, I think this is about my fourth time to defend this title, and it just means so much for me, Sims said. Name: Henry Armstrong Alias: Homicide Hank Birth Name: Henry Jackson Hometown: Los Angeles, California, USA Birthplace: Columbus, Mississippi, USA Died: 1988-10-23 (Age:78) Stance: Orthodox Height: 166cm Reach: 170cm Promoter: Record Referee: Record Pro Boxer: Record Amateur Boxer: Record existed; At the beginning, his performance was rather good but not He had fulfilled his goal -- he reigned as champion over three divisions. He was elected class president and selected poet laureate of his class, which provided him the opportunity to read a valedictory poem at his graduation ceremony. Armstrong lost the fight via 10 round PTS. His father, suffering from rheumatism, struggled to provide for the family. [13], In 1938, Armstrong started his season with seven more knockouts in a row, including one over Chalky Wright, a future world champion. He officially turned pro a year later after failing to make the 1932 Olympic team, and he lost his first two fights, both four-round decisions in Los Angeles in 1932. [14] According to boxing historian Bert Sugar, many commentators of the time said that Armstrong deserved the decision in this fight. Al Silvani. . Davis, who has been training at the Pearl Boxing Club, is undefeated so far in his professional career at 4-0, with four knockouts. Five-time middleweight champion of the world, Sugar Ray Robinson is remembered as the greatest boxer ever, Patterson, Floyd 1935 Unknown +6.3 lbs Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. Armstrong retired from professional boxing with a record of 151-22-10, which included 100 knockout wins and two losses via knockout, and three title wins. Al Weill, Ambers' manager, was suspended four months for his unsportsmanlike behavior. Armstrong starred in the feature film Keep Punching (1939) in 1939. Here he gained his first boxing experience, winning a competition among the pinboys. He finally did beat Zivic, by decision in 1942, but Zivic was no longer champ. Soon after his fight with Ambers, Armstrong, unable to meet the 126-pound limit, relinquished his featherweight title. He was 27-0 with 26 knockouts in 1937, 14-0 with 10 knockouts in 1938, and 59-1-1 with 51 knockouts from December 1936 to October 1940. navcontributeover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_contribute_over.gif"; Nonetheless, Armstrong had achieved his goal, becoming simultaneously the undisputed champion of the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight divisions. Two local boxers fighting in inaugural Henry Armstrong Boxing Classic, The event will be held in Columbus on Saturday, Former wrestler tied to TANF scandal pleads guilty to conspiracy in federal court, 42K Mississippians without power after strong winds cause outages, JPD investigating after vehicle riddled with bullets on Maria Drive, Caver Ks 10, JSU baseball run-rules rival Alcorn State for 7th straight win, JSU footballs Blue and White game receives date, Tougaloo College to play Texas A&M Texarkana in first round of NAIA championship, Request a First Alert Weather School Visit. var navcontributecold = new Image(); Star Info Other Info We encourage . However, the date of retrieval is often important. var navpostcardcold = new Image(); https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Armstrong, African American Registry - Biography of Henry Armstrong, BlackPast.org - Biography of Henry Armstrong, International Boxing Hall of Fame - Biography of Henry Armstrong, Henry Armstrong - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Of 26 title fights, Armstrong won all but four (three losses and a draw). He suffered his first loss in his professional debut against Al Lovino via 3rd round KO. The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1940. He is currently ranked by BoxRec as the 12th greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. It is a testament to Sugar Ray Robinsons greatness as a boxer that when people discuss who was the, Sugar Ray Robinson October 13, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Howard Scott, winning the fight via 2nd round KO. . American boxer and television commentator. He also wrote the autobiographical God, Gloves, and Glory (1956). Facing Arizmendi once more in August 1936, Armstrong secured his first title as the new featherweight champion, beating Arizmendi so badly that he was forced to take six months off. December 5, 1938: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Al Manfredo, winning the fight via 3rd round TKO. . To this day, he is the only boxer to . In 1954 he became a charter member of the Boxing Hall of Fame, inducted in its opening year along with Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey. He died on October 24, 1988 at the age of 75 years. By his last professional fight on February 14, 1945, Armstrong's boxing record stood at 151-22-10 (100 KO wins, 2 KO losses). Henry Jackson was born in Columbus, MS. } Small in stature, he was often the target for teasing. Armstrong fought his first major bout in November 1934, losing the world featherweight championship in a close decision to Baby Arizmendi. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he resumed his amateur status. Armstrong dedicated the next two years to defending the welterweight crown, beating, among others, Ceferino Garcia, a future World Middleweight Champion, and Bobby Pacho. After that, he concentrated once again on defending the world Welterweight title. The event is even more special for Davis. But there was a sensitive side, too, as he showed at his high school graduation when he read an original poem. His father, also named Henry, was a mix of Indian, Irish and black blood. compiled a 59-1-1 record (51 KOs) competing against the best in the Henry held three world titles - Welterweight , Lightweight . Manage Settings On November 25, 1938 Henry Armstrong defeated Filipino boxer Ceferino Garcia via 15 round unanimous decision. Henry Armstrong is a boxer from Mississippi and a world phenomenon in boxing. } He had fought 26 world title fights and from 1931 to 1945 had fought 175 bouts, winning 97 by knockouts. Click here to subscribe to our newsletter. Our editors will review what youve submitted and determine whether to revise the article. When Cox sold his contract on Armstrong to Wirt Ross in 1932 for $250, Armstrong entered the professional ranks to stay. With his aggressive attitude and incessant windmill style, he was all over opponents, as evidenced by his 101 knockouts and his nickname of Homicide Hank. Henry passed away in March 1981, at age 94. navgalleryover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_gallery_over.gif"; In 1932, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he lost two four-round decisions in a row to Eddie Trujillo and Al Greenfield. Armstrong knocked out 100 of his 183 opponents. His first win came later that year, beating Sammy Burns by a decision in six. Henry married Lou M Armstrong. There he became involved in boxing. Although Armstrong was outweighed by at least 15 pounds by Ross, he dominated their fight in Madison Square Garden, pounding the champion unmercifully for 11 rounds. After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained Baptist minister, working with disadvantaged youth. That was the last time Armstrong would fight for a championship. . He was stopped two times and lost 20 times via decision. That fight, before 29,088 fans at Yankee Stadium, was another brawl as the fighters pounded each other for 15 rounds. He teamed up with -- and took the surname of -- a trainer and former boxer named Henry Armstrong. Intelligent and articulate, he turned to preaching and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1951. You may want to start by searching for a person's Military Service Records and Pension and Bounty Land records. Velma Tartt was a former girlfriend from his high school days. In the days when there were only 8 weight classes, Henry Armstrong held championship belts in three of them at the same time. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. Armstrong won his most significant fight when he overcame alcoholism. Henry W. Armstrong (July 22, 1879 - February 28, 1951) was an American boxer, booking agent, producer, singer, pianist, and Tin Pan Alley composer. His early childhood was spent on a plantation owned by Armstrong's grandfather, an Irishman who had married one of his slaves. More on VHS Collection here: http://www.vhscollection.com/.Thanks for tuning in. Henry Armstrong is recognized by boxing historians as one of the greatest fighters. Early in his career, he fought some fights under the ring name Melody Jackson. He was the son of Henry Jackson Sr., a sharecropper of African American descent and America Jackson, said to be a "full-blooded" Iroquois. (February 23, 2023). Armstrong had a 151-21-9 record in his 15-year professional career. He defended his welterweight title a total of nineteen times. We have 458 records for Henry Armstrong ranging in age from 31 years old to 97 years old. After retirement, he became an ordained minister. Determined to enter a title fight, Armstrong boldly offered to challenge welterweight champion Barney Ross. October 9, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Al Manfredo, winning the fight via 4th round TKO. In an attempt to gain popularity and therefore more important fights with bigger purses, they set a goal of winning titles in three different weight divisions, an accomplishment no boxer had ever achieved. Use Link to Listen with 30-Day Audible Free Trial: http://bit.ly/ATLASaudiobook. October 20, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Richie Fontaine, winning the fight via 3rd round TKO. Henry Armstrong (1912-1988) became the first boxer in history to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time. Hometown: Columbus, MS. Year Induction: 2010. 1913-1998 (You will need to register / login for access). After taking 16 months off, he came back and stayed around until 1945, fighting 49 times although he had lost most of his skill. Armstrong knocked Sarron out in six rounds, becoming the World Featherweight Champion. Other honors include his being ranked 2nd on "The Ring's 2002 list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years." Please refer to the appropriate style manual or other sources if you have any questions. The next year was an incredible one for Armstrong as he fought 27 times -- and won all of them. Armstrong was one of the few fighters to win in three or more different divisions: featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. In 1936, entertainer Al Jolson and actor George Raft underwrote the purchase of Armstrong's managerial contract from Edward Mead.Armstrong knocked out Petey Sarron in six rounds in 1937 to win the World Featherweight Championship, and was named "The Ring Fighter of the Year in 1937. Mead was suspended 13 months after accusing commissioner Bill Brown of favoring Ambers. Statistics for all 21 Henry Armstrong results: 61 yrs AVERAGE AGE 40% are in their 40s, while the average age is 61. Encyclopedia.com. When Ross demanded the full amount as publicized, entertainer George Raft put up the additional funds and became the third member of Armstrong's management team. Armstrong and his managers realized that they needed to attract attention away from the rising fame of boxer Joe Louis. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. For other people named Henry Armstrong, see, Olympic Auditorium, Los Angeles, California, Civic Auditorium, San Francisco, California, Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, Municipal Auditorium, Kansas City, Missouri, Convention Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Memorial Auditorium, Sacramento, California, Billed as a World Middleweight Title fight recognized only by California, Municipal Audiotrium, Saint Louis, Missouri, Harringay Arena, Harringay, London, England, Municipal Audtiorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, Madison Square Garden Bowl, New York City, New York, International Amphitheatre, Chicago, Illinois, University of Detroit Stadium, Detroit, Michigan, Dexter Park Arena, Woodhaven, New York City, New York, Municipal Auditorium, Saint Louis, Missouri, Retained world featherweight title (CaliforniaMexico), Won world featherweight title (California-Mexico), Retained USA California State featherweight title, Civic Auditorium, Watsonville, California, Bakersfield Arena, Bakersfield, California, Pismo Beach Arena, Pismo Beach, California, Main Street Athletic Club, Los Angeles, California, Culver City Stadium, Culver City, California, Meyers Bowl, North Braddock, Pennsylvania, "BoxRec ratings: world, pound-for-pound, active and inactive", "Boxing Hall of Fame names first inductees", "IBRO All-Time Ratings - Pound For Pound Results", "IBRO All-Time Ratings - Featherweight Ratings", "IBRO All-Time Ratings - Welterweight Ratings", "IBRO All-Time Ratings - Lightweight Ratings", "Henry Armstrong: Goes for Four Divisions", "Ceferino Garcia vs. Henry Armstrong (2nd meeting) BoxRec", Armstrong, seated, posing with a title belt, National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1938 BoxRec, National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1939 BoxRec, National Boxing Association's Quarterly Ratings: 1940 BoxRec, The Ring Magazine's Annual Ratings: Lightweight--1930s BoxRec, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Henry_Armstrong&oldid=1135310555, World colored welterweight boxing champions, International Boxing Hall of Fame inductees, 20th-century African-American sportspeople, 20th-century Baptist ministers from the United States, Short description is different from Wikidata, Articles with unsourced statements from September 2016, Pages with login required references or sources, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 3.0, In 1987, he was among those inductees from, In 1995, Armstrong was posthumously honored for his boxing career by being inducted into the, The story of his life is retold in the radio drama ", This page was last edited on 23 January 2023, at 22:13.

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