During the fight Armstrong suffered an eye injury that required surgery. 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. Armstrong starred in the feature film Keep Punching (1939) in 1939. . [10] Armstrong was given his first world title fight, for the title in the 126-pound weight class against World Featherweight Champion Petey Sarron at Madison Square Garden. navcontributeover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_contribute_over.gif"; Armstrong won three world titles at three weight classes. Pick a style below, and copy the text for your bibliography. Mead was suspended 13 months after accusing commissioner Bill Brown of favoring Ambers. Higginbottom believes Davis can be among the best of the best. Henry Armstrong. 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 . Hall of Fame in 1954 and the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. That fight, before 29,088 fans at Yankee Stadium, was another brawl as the fighters pounded each other for 15 rounds. Manage Settings 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 . Its a possibility that the heavyweight champion of the world will be from Mississippi one day, he said. Seven months later, a fading Armstrong finally lost his welterweight title after the 19 successful defenses, including six in 1940. Armstrong, at 133+12 pounds, beat Ross, at 142 pounds, by unanimous decision, adding the World Welterweight Championship to his belt. Like his mother, his grandmother hoped that he would pursue a career in the ministry. https://www.encyclopedia.com/history/encyclopedias-almanacs-transcripts-and-maps/henry-armstrong, "Henry Armstrong Armstrong was knocked out in the 12-round fight. The Boxing Writers Association of America (BWAA) named him Fighter of the Year in 1940. [3] He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990. Al Weill, Ambers' manager, was suspended four months for his unsportsmanlike behavior. He first won the featherweight (126-pound) title by knocking out Petey Sarron in six rounds on October 29, 1937. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Henry Armstrong (1768 - 1868) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Herb Goldman ranked Armstrong as the #4 All-Time Lightweight; He was inducted into the Ring Boxing Guinness World Records Kids (opens in a new window), GWR Merchandise Store (opens in a new window), Corporate Social Responsibility activities & fundraising ideas, Community engagement & tourism marketing activities. In the same year, he fought for an unprecedented fourth title in the middleweight division, but lost to Ceferina Garcia in a controversial decision. //]]>. navpostcardover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_postcard_over.gif"; 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. Gale Research, 1989. http://www.galenet.com(December 13, 2000). if (document.images) { var navcontributecold = new Image(); So, its just a coincidence that all this is coming together like that.. How do we create a person's profile? Armstrong knocked out 100 of his 183 opponents. Then, copy and paste the text into your bibliography or works cited list. In his 2006 book "Boxing's Greatest Fighters," historian Bert Sugar ranked Armstrong as the second greatest fighter of all-time. Armstrong had 22 losses. By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 54.6%. Here he gained his first boxing experience, winning a competition among the pinboys. 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. November 25, 1938: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Ceferino Garcia, winning the fight via 15 round unanimous decision. Pulled from our recent Q\u0026A with Teddy Atlas, Teddy shares why Henry Armstrong is the greatest boxer of all time. He and Willa Mae Shony had one daughter, Lanetta. [12], Armstrong's two nicknames were Hurricane Henry and Homicide' Hank. 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. For more details about these defeats, refer to "All of Henry Armstrong's losses". Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he resumed his amateur status. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained Baptist minister, working with disadvantaged youth. Armstrong defended the World Welterweight Championship a division record 19 times. Ambers had Armstrong spitting blood from a torn bottom lip, and he cut the challenger's eyes as well. 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. Floyd Patterson was born on January 4, 1935 in Waco, North Carolinathe third of 11 children. But 1938 was an even better year for Armstrong, as he took the two more championships. navgallerycold.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_gallery_cold.gif"; But the tides turned later in the year when he won against former flyweight champion Midget Wolgast. ." function act(imgName) { "I carried him the last four rounds," Armstrong said. After school, he worked as a pinboy at He first set his sights on the lightweight division, but his challenge to a title fight was declined by lightweight titleholder Lou Ambers. 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. Boxing as a featherweight, he gained quite a bit of experience from 1933 to 1935, fighting 46 times, mostly in California and Mexico. He defeated Sarron via 6th round KO to become the featherweight champion of the world. The event is named after the late Mississippi boxer, Henry Armstrong, who, in 1938, became the first boxer to ever hold three world titles at the same time. ." "Henry Armstrong," Notable Black American Men, Gale Research, 1998. http://www.galenet.com(December 13, 2000). October 9, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Al Manfredo, winning the fight via 4th round TKO. in the mid 1930s, Armstrong was as good as anyone has ever He also wrote the autobiographical God, Gloves, and Glory (1956). 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. Henry R Armstrong in 1940 United States Federal Census Henry R Armstrong was born circa 1887, at birth place, Connecticut, to John Birracase. The Ring, a boxing magazine, named Armstrong Boxer of the Year for 1938. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Garraty, John A. and Mark C. Carnes, American National Biography, Volume 1. His first win came later that year, beating Sammy Burns by a decision in six. However, he successfully defended his two other titles 12 times during 1939. Born: December 12, 1912. ." Armstrong worked on his athletic abilities, often running the eight miles to school. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). In 1949 Armstrong experienced a religious conversion and turned his life around. December 5, 1938: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Al Manfredo, winning the fight via 3rd round TKO. William Henry Armstrong. His mother, America, was half-Cherokee Indian. var navclassicover = new Image(); Research genealogy for Henry Armstrong of Newcastle Upon Tyne, Northumberland, England, as well as other members of the Armstrong family, on Ancestry. Henry Armstrong Stats, Bio. 1716-1914: New York State Religious Records at Findmypast; images only ($) 1809-1850: 10,000 Vital Records of Western New York at Ancestry; index & images, ($) 1875-1916: New York, Yonkers, Birth and Death Registration and Indexes at FamilySearch . Armstrong lost the fight via 10 round PTS. After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained Baptist minister, working with disadvantaged youth. Because the fight was scheduled for just ten rounds, the fight was recognized as a title fight only by California. He died of heart failure on October 22, 1988 in Los Angeles. He was born Henry Jackson, Jr. on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi. Within the Cite this article tool, pick a style to see how all available information looks when formatted according to that style. The title bout came August 17, 1938, just three months after his fight with Ross, when Armstrong faced lightweight champion Lou Ambers before a packed house of almost 20,000 fans at Madison Square Garden. Professional boxer, entertainer, businessman In 1932, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he lost two four-round decisions in a row to Eddie Trujillo and Al Greenfield. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. Houghton Mifflin Company, 1995. [16] He returned to settle again in St. Louis, Missouri where, apart from the ceremonies and galas that he attended afterward, he led a quiet retirement. with 10 knockouts; From December, 1936 until September, 1940, Henry if (document.images) 26 of those wins came via knockouts. [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]. October 29, 1937: Armstrong wins his first world titles by defeating Petey Sarron via 6th round KO. Despite almost blacking out in the 15th round, Armstrong won a split decision to make history. "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. Vashon High School (St. Louis, MO) . Armstrong had a 151-21-9 record in his 15-year professional career. Late in 1938 he resigned the featherweight championship without having defended it, and on August 22, 1939, he lost the lightweight crown in a 15-round return fight with Ambers. Desiring to help at-risk youth, he created the Henry Armstrong Youth Foundation and funded the organization from the profits of two books he wrote: Twenty Years of Poem, Moods, and Mediations (1954) and his autobiography, Gloves, Glory, and God (1956). 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. Madison Square Garden Bowl, Long Island City, Queens, California-Mexico World Featherweight Title. While he was certainly a formidable boxer, he hadn't yet established himself as one of the all-time greats. Want more WLBT news in your inbox? Armstrong dedicated the next two years to defending the welterweight crown, beating, among others, Ceferino Garcia, a future World Middleweight Champion, and Bobby Pacho. Father Charles Godfrey Armstrong. 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. 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. Encyclopedia of World Biography. Following these two losses, however, he started a streak of 11 wins.In 1936, Armstrong split his time among Los Angeles, Mexico City and St. Louis. 60% MARRIED 60% of these people are married, and 40% are single. 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. On May 31, 1938, he took the welterweight (147-pound) championship . He was the son of Henry Jackson Sr., a sharecropper of African American descent and America Jackson, said to be a "full-blooded" Iroquois. However, upon his retirement he found the vast majority of his money had been lost to bad investments, management fees, and extravagant spending habits. 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. Research our Records The National Archives holds records relating to military service during the Revolutionary War, including both Continental troops and state troops that served as Continental troops. . Fighting true to form, Armstrong applied pressure throughout the bout. He defeated sixteen world champions.After he quit boxing, he became an ordained minister and devoted himself to underprivileged children. There are 1 person related to this person in our records. Alternate titles: Henry Jackson, Melody Jackson. Most online reference entries and articles do not have page numbers. The most consecutive boxing world welterweight title defences is 18 by Henry Armstrong (USA) from 25 November 1938 to 23 September 1940. 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. Armstrong was dynamite in a small Henry lived in Norwich, Connecticut 06360, USA. Statistics for all 21 Henry Armstrong results: 61 yrs AVERAGE AGE 40% are in their 40s, while the average age is 61. 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. October 20, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Richie Fontaine, winning the fight via 3rd round TKO. out - if he didn't manage that, he certainly battered him thoroughly 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. High School Career. Aldo Spoldi was the only opponent to take him the full 10 rounds. Henry died on October 23, 1988 . Armstrong fought his first major bout in November 1934, losing the world featherweight championship in a close decision to Baby Arizmendi. www.martialbot.com/boxing/h/henry-armstrong.html. Oxford University Press, 1999. Soon after his fight with Ambers, Armstrong, unable to meet the 126-pound limit, relinquished his featherweight title. Birth Abt 1861 - null. We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. On March 1, 1940, in Los Angeles, Armstrong sought to become the first-ever four-division champion when he attempted to wrest the middleweight crown from Ceferino Garcia, whom he had decisioned in a welterweight defense in 1938. In 1931 Armstrong, accompanied by Harry Armstrong, hopped trains to Los Angeles to restart his amateur career. Info Share. He graduated as an honor student from Vashon High School in St. Louis Later he took the surname Armstrong as his fighting name.Armstrong began his professional career on July 28, 1931, in a fight with Al Iovino, in which Armstrong was knocked out in three rounds. Lightweight, Featherweight - in a period when only eight weight divisions Henry W. "Harry" Armstrong (July 22, 1879 - February 28, 1951). "Henry Armstrong "I was asked to do it, and he thanked me. December 12, 1912October 22, 1988 Born in Columbus, Mississippi, on December 12, 1912, boxer Henry Armstrong became the featherweight, welterweight and lightweight world champion in 1938. Ill prepared and undernourished, Armstrong lost his first professional fight by a knockout. After that marriage ended in divorce, Armstrong married a second time in 1960. Henry Armstrong (1912-1988) became the first boxer in history to hold world titles in three separate weight classes at the same time. Armstrong was in many ways the complete prototype of a pressure. Armstrong's mother died of consumption in 1918, leaving the six-year-old under the care of his paternal grandmother. You may want to start by searching for a person's Military Service Records and Pension and Bounty Land records. See an An Overview of Records at the National Archives Relating to Military . His early childhood was spent on a plantation owned by Armstrong's grandfather, an Irishman who had married one of his slaves. Armstrong made his debut against Al Lovino at the age of 18 on July 27, 1931, losing to Lovino via 3rd round KO. Henry J Armstrong is thirty-eight. been; During 1937, he was 27-0 with 26 knockouts; In 1938, he was 14-0 Following these two losses, however, he started a streak of 11 wins. He is currently ranked by BoxRec as the 12th-greatest pound-for-pound fighter of all time. 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. His outstanding ring record was 151 wins, 21 defeats, and 9 draws with 101 knockouts. Armstrong was the first boxer ever to hold world championships in three different weight divisions at the same time. After losing at the trials, he returned to the professional ranks. 100% CAUCASIAN Our ethnicity data indicates the majority is Caucasian. edited by David L. Porter, Greenwood Press, 1995. His debut as an 18-year-old pro was inauspicious, as he was knocked out in the third round by Al Iovino on July 27, 1931, in Pennsylvania. var navgallerycold = new Image(); Other honors include his being ranked 2nd on "The Ring's 2002 list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years." His official record was 152 wins, 21 losses and 9 draws, with 101 knockout wins.[10]. He defended his welterweight title a total of nineteen times. His father, also named Henry, was a mix of Indian, Irish and black blood. With his aggressive attitude and incessant windmill style, he was all over opponents, as evidenced by his 101 knockouts and. Henry held three world titles - Welterweight, As a youngster, he got into neighborhood street fights. 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. In 1990 his name was added posthumously to the International Boxing Hall of Fame. Professional boxer Encyclopedia.com. 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. worldCharley Rose ranked Armstrong as the #6 All-Time Welterweight; Nat The event is even more special for Davis. After he retired, Armstrong overcame alcoholism. He graduated as an honor student from Vashon High School in St. Louis[9] Later he took the surname Armstrong as his fighting name. He also continued his ministry as an assistant pastor of the First Baptist Church. Henry Armstrong is recognized by boxing historians as one of the greatest fighters. GET IN TOUCH WITH A RECORD SPECIALIST (Opens in a new window), How to set or break a Guinness World Records title. Armstrong had a 151-21-9 record in his 15-year professional career. 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.. Unknown +6.3 lbs Please be sure to subscribe! December 11, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Jimmy Garrison, winning the fight via 7th round KO. However, the fight was so brutal that Armstrong blacked out at the end and could later recall very little of what happened. Al Silvani. His preaching drew significant crowds to revivals and other meetings. Armstrong's attempt to win a world title in a fourth division was frustrated. navclassiccold.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_classic_cold.gif"; After three amateur fights, he turned professional in 1931 under the name "Melody Jackson." October 13, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Howard Scott, winning the fight via 2nd round KO. His final professional record stood at 174 recorded bouts, 145 wins with 98 by knockout. Two boxers from the Pearl Boxing Club will be fighting in the event: Chown 'Chop Chop' Sims, and Keshaun 'Big Baby' Davis. He was among the very best of his generation and is one of the pound-for-pound best boxers of all time. navpostcardcold.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_postcard_cold.gif"; There he became involved in boxing. In 1938 with 14 consecutive wins, 10 by knockout, Armstrong achieved his goal, becoming the first boxer to A Who's Who of Sports Champions: Their Stories and Records. 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. existed; At the beginning, his performance was rather good but not To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. Historical Person Search Search Search Results Results Henry Armstrong (1887 - Unknown) Try FREE for 14 days Try FREE for 14 days. Garcia retained the title with a draw, but most at ringside felt that Armstrong had won. Early in his career, he boxed under Melody Jackson. The fight lasted 15 rounds. His mother died a year later, and he was raised by his grandmother. ESPN ranked Armstrong as number 3 on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time. All but one of his defences were in the USA. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. 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. While successfully defending this welterweight title, Armstrong was also featherweight world champion and defeated Lou Ambers to become world lightweight champion. Definitely one of the goals I had in mind, so itll be a good time, to bring everybody out.. He decided not to maintain the required 126-pound weight anymore and left the featherweight crown vacant.[12]. Born Henry Jackson, Jr., on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi, Armstrong was the eleventh of the family's 15 children. That was the last time Armstrong would fight for a championship. He defeated Bobby Pacho at the Tropical Stadium in Havana, Cuba, in his fourth successful defence. To this day, he is the only boxer to . While successfully defending this welterweight title, Armstrong was also featherweight world champion and defeated Lou Ambers to become world lightweight champion. American boxer For a full list of record titles, please use our Record Application Search. A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Baby Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita, and Mike Belloise. [CDATA[ One of the greatest fighters in history, Hurricane Hank is the only fighter to hold 3 world Championships simultaneously. Five-time middleweight champion of the world, Sugar Ray Robinson is remembered as the greatest boxer ever, Patterson, Floyd 1935 He gained fame in 1938 when he reigned as featherweight, lightweight and welterweight champion. He also wrote the autobiographical God, Gloves, and Glory (1956). Armstrong appeared on the TV game show I've Got a Secret with his simultaneous triple championship as his secret. 23 Feb. 2023 . Up to 1937, Armstrong compiled a record of 52-10. [2] Historian Bert Sugar also ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of all time. A victory would have given Armstrong a fourth divisional title at a time when there were only eight weight divisions.Armstrong defended the World Welterweight Championship a division record 19 times. Because the purses were small, Armstrong fought often, usually at least 12 times a year, and supplemented his income by operating a shoe shine stand from 1931 to 1934. African-American Sports Greats: A Biographical Dictionary. 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. He played a boxer named Henry "Little Dynamite" Jackson.In 1940, Armstrong challenged Ceferino Garca for a portion of the World Middleweight Championship. Historian Bert Sugar also ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of all time. More on VHS Collection here: http://www.vhscollection.com/.Thanks for tuning in. He was born in Columbus, Mississippi on December 12, 1912. Intelligent and articulate, he turned to preaching and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1951. His first title came in 1937 when he wrested the Featherweight Championship from Petey Sarron via 6th round. Professional boxer he had 72 victories on his ring record. #GreatestOfAllTime#HenryArmstrong#TeddyAtlas He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame (IBHOF) in 1990. (February 23, 2023). October 30, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Bobby Pacho, winning the fight via 4th round TKO.
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