Davis is excited to fight in his hometown. Armstrong was knocked out in the 12-round fight. After taking 16 months off, he came back and stayed around until 1945, fighting 49 times although he had lost most of his skill. In a publicity stunt, Jolson and Mead falsely advertised the buy-out price as $10,000. There he became involved in boxing. 100% CAUCASIAN Our ethnicity data indicates the majority is Caucasian. Encyclopedia.com. Henry Armstrong. All but one of his defences were in the USA. Chester Slider, John Thomas, Sugar Ray Robinson, Beau Jack, and Willie Joyce are some of the boxers who have beaten Armstrong. He suffered his first loss in his professional debut against Al Lovino via 3rd round KO. Because the fight was scheduled for just ten rounds, the fight was recognized as a title fight only by California. Armstrong and his managers realized that they needed to attract attention away from the rising fame of boxer Joe Louis. [11] In February 1966, Rev. Armstrong was one of the few fighters to win in three or more different divisions: featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. There he became involved in boxing. 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. She died on the way to the hospital in Armstrong's arms, having suffered chest pains. Lightweight, Featherweight - in a period when only eight weight divisions On March 1, 1940, Armstrong attempted to win from Ceferino Garcia the New York State version of the middleweight (160-pound) title, which was then in dispute, but the decision was a draw, permitting Garcia to retain the championship. For all the details about Armstrong's world title wins and defenses refer to "Henry Armstrong World Titles". In a career spanning 13 years and 6 months, Henry Armstrong fought 183 times with 151 wins, 22 losses, and 10 draws. Armstrong defended the World Welterweight Championship a division record 19 times. By his last professional fight on February 14, 1945, Armstrong's boxing record stood at 151-22-10 (100 KO wins, 2 KO losses). October 29, 1937: Armstrong wins his first world titles by defeating Petey Sarron via 6th round KO. "Henry Armstrong," Newsmakers 1989, Issue 4. When Armstrong was four years old, his father moved the family to St. Louis, where he and Armstrong's older brothers found work at the Independent Packing Company. Armstrong lost weight in order to compete in the lower weight division, and beat World Lightweight Champion Lou Ambers by split decision. edited by Melanie Parry, Larousse Kingfisher Chambers Inc., 1997. 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. With no money for college and the need to care for his family weighing heavily, Armstrong lied about his age, claiming he was 21 years old, in order to gain employment as a section hand on the Missouri Pacific Railroad. 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. Henry Armstrong | Discography | Discogs But he was learning how to harness his natural physical gifts; strength, quickness, stamina, and the ability to take a punch. Armstrong's eighteen successful title defenses were the most in history in the Welterweight division. That didn't surprise anybody in boxing. Cambridge University Press, 1998. While attending Toussaint L'Ouverture Grammar School in St. Louis, Armstrong acquired the nickname "Red" due to his curly sandy hair with a reddish tint. Info Share. A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Baby Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita, and Mike Belloise. He teamed up with -- and took the surname of -- a trainer and former boxer named Henry Armstrong. Use Link to Listen with 30-Day Audible Free Trial: http://bit.ly/ATLASaudiobook. Securing a contract with Cox for three dollars, he had almost 100 amateur fights, in which he won more than half by knockout and lost none. Encyclopedia.com. The Cambridge Biographical Encyclopedia. But the tides turned later in the year when he won against former flyweight champion Midget Wolgast. Despite almost blacking out in the 15th round, Armstrong won a split decision to make history. He defended it in eight fights in a row, the last of which was a nine-round knockout win over Puerto Rico's Pedro Montaez. He defeated sixteen world champions. All records listed on our website are current and up-to-date. Historian Bert Sugar also ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest 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 Some of Armstrong's best fights and notable victories include wins over 11 Hall-of-Famers (Sammy Angott, Lew Jenkins, Fritzie Zivic, Pedro Montanez, Baby Arizmendi, Lou Ambers, Barney Ross, Chalky Wright, Petey Sarron, Benny Bass, and Midget Wolgast), Ceferino Garcia, Al Manfredo, Bobby Pacho, Lew Feldman, Howard Scott, and Richie Fontaine. His father, Henry Jackson, Sr., was a sharecropper and a butcher. However, the fight was so brutal that Armstrong blacked out at the end and could later recall very little of what happened. ESPN ranked Armstrong as number 3 on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time. Updates? After three amateur fights, he turned professional in 1931 under the name "Melody Jackson." function inact(imgName) { Henry Armstrong - Missouri Sports Hall of Fame After that marriage ended in divorce, Armstrong married a second time in 1960. For United States nationwide collections, go to the United States Online Genealogy Records page. Therefore, its best to use Encyclopedia.com citations as a starting point before checking the style against your school or publications requirements and the most-recent information available at these sites: http://www.chicagomanualofstyle.org/tools_citationguide.html. Two years later he was ordained as a Baptist minister at Morning Star Baptist Church. Armstrong defended his Lightweight belt in a rematch with Ambers, which he lost on a 15-round decision. been; During 1937, he was 27-0 with 26 knockouts; In 1938, he was 14-0 Armstrong was 25 years old with a record of 92-12-7 (60 KOs). After losing his first two professional fights in Los Angeles, Armstrong began to consistently win his bouts. Gale Research, 1989. http://www.galenet.com(December 13, 2000). Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Henry Armstrong (1887 - Unknown) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Henry Armstrong, Boxing Champion, Dead at 75 - The New York Times edited by David Crystal, Second edition. The Greatest Boxer of All Time - Henry Armstrong, Says Teddy Atlas package; He After that, he concentrated once again on defending the world Welterweight title. In 1932, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he lost two four-round decisions in a row to Eddie Trujillo and Al Greenfield. 149-21-9 (100 KO) Armstrong was dynamite in a small package; He was a high pressure, non-stop fighter who threw punches from the beginning to the end of every round; His goal was to knock his man out - if he didn't manage that, he certainly battered him thoroughly. Henry Armstrong's professional boxing career spanned more than 13 years from 1931 to 1945. Henry Armstrong's Best Fights - martialbot.com Armstrong made his debut against Al Lovino at the age of 18 on July 27, 1931, losing to Lovino via 3rd round KO. The 23-year-old boxer was raised in Pearl, but is from Columbus. Henry Armstrong - Part One - Top Rank Boxing To this day, he is the only boxer to . Born: December 12, 1912. After 152 victories in 14 years, Armstrong retired in 1945. Continue with Recommended Cookies, The most consecutive boxing world welterweight title defences is 18 by Henry Armstrong (USA) from 25 November 1938 to 23 September 1940.Advertisementsif(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'guinnessworldrecords_com-box-3','ezslot_2',108,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guinnessworldrecords_com-box-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'guinnessworldrecords_com-box-3','ezslot_3',108,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-guinnessworldrecords_com-box-3-0_1');.box-3-multi-108{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding-bottom:20px!important;padding-top:20px!important;text-align:center!important}. In the days when there were only 8 weight classes, Henry Armstrong held championship belts in three of them at the same time. 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. On November 25, 1938 Henry Armstrong defeated Filipino boxer Ceferino Garcia via 15 round unanimous decision. var navpostcardcold = new Image(); His 1905 song "Nellie Dean" became the signature song of the British music hall singer Gertie Gitana , and a popular British pub song. He won 14 fights before bypassing the lightweight title and challenging welterweight champion Barney Ross for his crown on May 31, 1938. Henry Armstrong. Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes, American National Biography, Volume 1. [10] Early in his career, he fought some fights under the ring name Melody Jackson. Father Charles Godfrey Armstrong. Two boxers from the Pearl Boxing Club will be fighting in the event: Chown 'Chop Chop' Sims, and Keshaun 'Big Baby' Davis. Hes fighting on the card, and he was the first person in Mississippi to win a title [since 1988], Higginbottom said. Info Share. Statistics for all 21 Henry Armstrong results: 61 yrs AVERAGE AGE 40% are in their 40s, while the average age is 61. 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. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Henry Armstrong (1861 - 1870) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Seven months later, a fading Armstrong finally lost his welterweight title after the 19 successful defenses, including six in 1940. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990. Unknown +6.3 lbs He became known for his whirlwind combination of constant movement and knockout punches, earning him numerous new nicknames, including Homicide Hank, Perpetual Motion, and Hurricane Henry. Birth 10 December 1850 - Detroit City, . Henry Armstrong (Homicide Hank) was an American professional boxer. After losing at the trials, he returned to the professional ranks. Returning to St. Louis, he became a minister, helped run the Herbert Hoover Boys' Club and trained young boxers. By the time Armstrong graduated from high school at the age of 17, the Great Depression had arrived. We have 458 records for Henry Armstrong ranging in age from 31 years old to 97 years old. After he retired, Armstrong overcame alcoholism. He was a Black boxer. Armstrong was a busy welterweight champion, successfully defending the title 19 times in less than three years. The event is even more special for Davis. William Henry Armstrong 1847-1909 - Ancestry Armstrong starred in the feature film Keep Punching (1939) in 1939. navathletescold.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_athletes_cold.gif"; He was among the very best of his generation and is one of the pound-for-pound best boxers of all time. Armstrong made his professional boxing debut at the age of 18 on July 27, 1931. This fight is the second best . 26 of those wins came via knockouts. Because each style has its own formatting nuances that evolve over time and not all information is available for every reference entry or article, Encyclopedia.com cannot guarantee each citation it generates. However, he successfully defended his two other titles 12 times during 1939. Soon after his fight with Ambers, Armstrong, unable to meet the 126-pound limit, relinquished his featherweight title. Armstrong fought as an amateur from 1929 to 1932. Born Henry Jackson on Dec. 12, 1912, in Columbus, Miss., he was the 11th of 15 children. Death 9 Feb 1870 - null. Henry Armstrong Record & Stats Last Updated: February 6, 2023 In a career spanning 13 years and 6 months, Henry Armstrong fought 183 times with 151 wins, 22 losses, and 10 draws. Fighting true to form, Armstrong applied pressure throughout the bout. Armstrong was in many ways the complete prototype of a pressure. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. Garcia retained the title with a draw, but most at ringside felt that Armstrong had won. Encyclopedia.com gives you the ability to cite reference entries and articles according to common styles from the Modern Language Association (MLA), The Chicago Manual of Style, and the American Psychological Association (APA). Henry Armstrong | Walk of Fame 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. Deceased : October 22, 1988. (You will need to register / login for access). He is the only boxer to this day who simultaneously held three world boxing titles - in Featherweight, Lightweight, and welterweight champion in 1938. edited by David L. Porter, Greenwood Press, 1995. var navclassicover = new Image(); While every effort has been made to follow citation style rules, there may be some discrepancies. Six years later he moved back to Los Angeles. ever hold three undisputed titles at the same time. . Henry Armstrong was born on August 31 1886. We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. He defended his welterweight title a total of nineteen times.The Ring magazine named him Fighter of the Year in 1937. In 1931 Armstrong, accompanied by Harry Armstrong, hopped trains to Los Angeles to restart his amateur career. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. [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]. He had fulfilled his goal -- he reigned as champion over three divisions. . Henry Armstrong. High School Career. He was the first champion, Im going to be the next champion, Davis said. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. First of all, Ive got to thank Pearl Boxing Club, because without them this wouldnt be the possible or without God.. After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained Baptist minister, working with disadvantaged youth. 2019Encyclopedia.com | All rights reserved. Armstrong had a 151-21-9 record in his 15-year professional career. document[imgName].src = eval(imgName + 'over.src'); Research genealogy for Henry Armstrong of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, as well as other members of the Armstrong family, on Ancestry. He also taught young fighters how to box. It was no contest, with Armstrong's rapid-fire attack overwhelming Ross to gain the 15-round decision. In 1938 with 14 consecutive wins, 10 by knockout, Armstrong achieved his goal, becoming the first boxer to Henry Armstrong - BoxRec //Henry Armstrong 1887-1955 - Ancestry As an amateur Armstrong fought under the name of Melody Jackson. But not for long. was a high pressure, non-stop fighter who threw punches from $57k AVERAGE INCOME Our wealth data indicates income average is $57k. Armstrong was dynamite in a small if (document.images) { "Henry Armstrong As a child, Henry Jr. moved with his family to St. Louis, Missouri, during the early period of the Great Migration of African Americans from the rural South to industrial cities of the Midwest and North. Boxing as a featherweight, he gained quite a bit of experience from 1933 to 1935, fighting 46 times, mostly in California and Mexico. The current phone number is (214) 444-3246. After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained Baptist minister, working with disadvantaged youth. His father, also named Henry, was a mix of Indian, Irish and black blood. www.martialbot.com/boxing/h/henry-armstrong.html. In his 2006 book "Boxing's Greatest Fighters," historian Bert Sugar ranked Armstrong as the second greatest fighter of all-time. Henry Jackson was born in Columbus, MS. Armstrong knocked Sarron out in six rounds, becoming the World Featherweight Champion. Armstrong had his first world title fight at the age of 24 on October 29, 1937 after 93 professional fights, against Petey Sarron for the featherweight NBA and The Ring titles. PEARL, Miss. Returning to St. Louis, he founded the Henry Armstrong Youth Foundation and directed the Herbert Hoover Boys Club. When Sims won the title in 20, he was the first Mississippi boxer to hold a title in more than 30 years, according to his coach, Bombay Higginbottom. 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. 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. 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. [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. . However, upon his retirement he found the vast majority of his money had been lost to bad investments, management fees, and extravagant spending habits. Later a fellow member of the three division champions' club, Ross was then World Welterweight Champion. His mother died a year later, and he was raised by his grandmother. Henry Armstrong now had one win and three losses in four pro fights. He is considered to be one of the greatest boxers who lived on Earth. Henry Armstrong (1912-1988) became the first boxer in history to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time. 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. When the promoters postponed the bout for 10 days, Armstrong accepted Joe Louis's invitation to train at Pompton Lakes, New Jersey, with Louis paying for all expenses. He did manage to win his second fight on points; however, he decided to return to St. Louis. A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Baby Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita, and Mike Belloise. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. See an An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military . [1] In 2007, The Ring ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of the last 80 years. Its a possibility that the heavyweight champion of the world will be from Mississippi one day, he said. After retiring from boxing in 1946, Armstrong briefly opened a Harlem nightclub, the Melody Room (named after his first nickname). While he was certainly a formidable boxer, he hadn't yet established himself as one of the all-time greats. Armstrong fared even worse in their rematch in 1941, suffering a 12th-round TKO. 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. in the mid 1930s, Armstrong was as good as anyone has ever