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. Armstrong, at 133+12 pounds, beat Ross, at 142 pounds, by unanimous decision, adding the World Welterweight Championship to his belt. ESPN.com: He was 'Homicide Hank' for a reason After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained Baptist minister, working with disadvantaged youth. Home; . The 23-year-old boxer was raised in Pearl, but is from Columbus. Two local boxers fighting in inaugural Henry Armstrong Boxing Classic 1913-1998 One of the greatest fighters in history, Hurricane Hank is the only fighter to hold 3 world Championships simultaneously. Armstrong was a busy welterweight champion, successfully defending the title 19 times in less than three years. Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he resumed his amateur status. Henry Armstrong | Encyclopedia.com In defending himself against bullies, he discovered his interest in boxing. document[imgName].src = eval(imgName + 'over.src'); By his last fight, his KO ratio was at 54.6%. 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. Career record 151-21-9 with 101 knockouts (Third All-Time behind Archie Moore & Sugar Ray Robinson) Here he gained his first boxing experience, winning a competition among the pinboys. All records listed on our website are current and up-to-date. 23 Feb. 2023 . Henry W. Armstrong (July 22, 1879 - February 28, 1951) was an American boxer, booking agent, producer, singer, pianist, and Tin Pan Alley composer. Henry Armstrong, who moved to St. Louis with his family as a youngster, was the only boxer ever to hold three world titles simultaneously. His first title came in 1937 when he wrested the Featherweight Championship from Petey Sarron via 6th round. Armstrong started 1937 off with a string of 22 straight wins, en route to 27 total wins that year. 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. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. package; He Chambers Biographical Dictionary. In his 2006 book "Boxing's Greatest Fighters," historian Bert Sugar ranked Armstrong as the second greatest fighter of all-time. However, the date of retrieval is often important. Armstrong, however, displayed no interest in fulfilling these wishes. Lightweight, Featherweight - in a period when only eight weight divisions On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. 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 began his professional career on July 28, 1931, in a fight with Al Iovino, in which Armstrong was knocked out in three rounds. He also wrote the autobiographical God, Gloves, and Glory (1956). www.martialbot.com/boxing/h/henry-armstrong.html. 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. Professional Boxer. Its a possibility that the heavyweight champion of the world will be from Mississippi one day, he said. As an amateur Armstrong fought under the name of Melody Jackson. We encourage . Pulled from our recent Q\u0026A with Teddy Atlas, Teddy shares why Henry Armstrong is the greatest boxer of all time. Early in his career, he boxed under Melody Jackson. First, he knocked out featherweight champion Petey Sarron in the sixth round on Oct. 29, 1937. A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Baby Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita, and Mike Belloise. 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.
