A Native of Columbus, Mississippi, Armstrong Moved As a Youngster with His Family to St
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Name: Henry Armstrong Alias: Homicide Hank Birth Name: Henry Jackson Born: 1909-12-12 Birthplace: Columbus, Mississippi, USA Died: 1988-10-23 (Age:78) Hometown: Los Angeles, California, USA Stance: Orthodox Height: 5′ 5½″ / 166cm Reach: 67″ / 170cm Boxing Record: click Managers: Wirt Ross (1932-36), Eddie Meade (1936-41), George Moore (1942-45) Trainers: Pee Wee Beale & Al Silvani Henry Armstrong Gallery A native of Columbus, Mississippi, Armstrong moved as a youngster with his family to St. Louis, Missouri, where he was later inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Armstrong's two nicknames were Hurricane Henry, and Hammerin' Hank. Armstrong started out as a professional on July 28, 1931, being knocked out by Al Sorvino in three rounds. Just like Alexis Arguello, Bernard Hopkins, and Wilfredo Vazquez in the future, Armstrong was one world champion who started off on the losing end. His first win came later that year, beating Sammy Burns by a decision in six. In 1932, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he started out losing two four round decisions in a row, to Eddie Trujillo and Al Greenfield. But after that, he started a streak of 11 wins in a row, a streak which expanded to 1933, until he lost again, to Baby Manuel. Then he went 22 straight fights without a defeat, going 17-0-5 in that span, including a win in a Sacramento rematch with Manuel, and five wins over Perfecto Lopez. After that, he moved to Mexico City, where in his first fight there, he lost to former world Bantamweight champion Baby Arizmendi. He had four more fights there, going 2-2 and losing to Arizmendi in what was considered by Mexico and California a world title bout (thus Armstrong losing on his first championship try), and to Baby Casanova by a five round disqualification. He then moved back to California, where he went 8-1-1 for the next ten bouts. In 1936, Armstrong split time campaigning between Los Angeles, Mexico City and St. Louis. Some opponents of note that year were Ritchie Fontaine, against whom he lost by decision and then won by decision in the rematch, Arizmendi, whom he finally beat by a ten round decision, former world champion Juan Zurita and former champ Mike Belloise, who also lost a decision to Armstrong. Armstrong started out 1937 by winning 22 bouts in a row, 21 by knockout. He beat Casanova in three, Belloise in four, Joe Rivers in three, former world champion Frankie Klick in four and former world champion Benny Bass in four. After those 22 wins in a row, the inevitable happened: Armstrong was given his first world title try, for the 126 pounds title, Featherweight world champion Petey Sarron defending it against him at the Madison Square Garden. Armstrong became world's Featherweight champion knocking out Sarron in six, and closed the year with four more knockout wins. In 1938, Armstrong started with seven more knockouts in a row, including one over future world champion Chalky Wright. The streak finally ended when Arizmendi lasted ten rounds before losing a decision to Armstrong in their fourth fight. His streak of 27 knockout wins in a row qualifies as one of the longest knockout win streaks in the history of boxing, according to Ring Magazine. After the fouth bout with Arizmendi was a bout with Fritzie Zivic's brother, Eddie Zivic, resulting in another Armstrong knockout win, and after one more bout, Armstrong, the 126 pound division world champion, challenged a fellow member of the three division champions' club, Barney Ross, then world Welterweight champion, for the title. Armstrong, 126, beat Ross, 147, by unanimous decision, adding the world Welterweight championship to his Featherweight belt. Then, he went down in weight, and challenged world Lightweight champion Lou Ambers. In a history making night, Armstrong became the first boxer ever to have world championships in three different divisions at the same time, by beating Ambers on points. A few days later, he decided he couldn't make the 126 pounds weight anymore, and left the Featherweight crown vacant. He dedicated the next two years to defending the welterweight crown, beating, among others, future world Middleweight champion Ceferino Garcia, Al Manfredo and Bobby Pacho, before defending his Lightweight belt in a rematch with Ambers, which he lost on a 15 round decision. After that, he concentrated once again on defending the world Welterweight title, and made eight defenses in a row, the last of which was a nine round knockout win over Puerto Rico's Pedro Montanez. Then, he tried to make history once again by becoming the first boxer to win world titles in four different categories in a rematch with Garcia, already world Middleweight champion, but the fight ended in a ten round draw, Armstrong's attempt to win a fourth division's world title being frustrated. He went back to welterweight and retained the title five more times, until Fritzie Zivic was able to avenge his brother Eddie's defeat by taking the world title away from Armstrong with a 15 round decision. In 1941, they boxed a rematch, this time, Zivic stopping Armstrong in 12 rounds. 1942 saw Armstrong go 13-1, including wins over world champions (Fritzie) Zivic in a ten round non title bout, Jenkins and Zurita. 1943 saw him go 10-3, with wins over world champions Tippy Larkin and Sammy Angott in ten round bouts, and losses to world champions Beau Jack and Sugar Ray Robinson, also in ten round bouts. 1944 saw Henry go 14-2-1 in 17 bouts, among those, another win over Belloise. After winning one fight, losing one and drawing one in 1945, Armstrong decided to retire from boxing. Apart from the ceremonies and galas that he attended afterwards, he led a relatively quiet life for the rest of his life. He became a newborn Christian and an ordained pastor, and he taught young, upcoming fighters how to box. Armstrong registered an official record of 150 wins, 21 losses and 9 draws, with 100 knockout wins. His exact record, however, isn't really known, because it is said he fought some pay fights under the nickname of Melody Jackson. Armstrong became a member of the International Boxing Hall Of Fame. After retiring from boxing, Henry Armstrong became a Baptist minister. On his passing in 1988, he was interred in the Angelus Rosedale Cemetery in Los Angeles, California. Reno Evening Gazette December 10 , 1958 BY ROLLAN MELTON TALK TO US HENRY- Henry Armstrong, for benefit of the young generation, was a fighter of Extraordinary talent and action. He campaigned in the 1930s (and early 40s), when some folks stood in line for bread and salt pork, or told the guy at the bar entrance: “Joe sent me” As far as many of the young generation’s elders are concerned , Henry was just about the finest thing that happened since Prohibition. Today’s steady T.V.diet looks like love-making compared to the action Armstrong provided. Today if a writer is among the more gentle set, he writes “it was a scientific bout Invariably the winner, be he bum or no, immediately calls for a” shot at the champ” Armstrong wasn’t a vocal champ. He just fought all comers. He won three world titles feather, light, and welterweight, from October, 1937 to August,1938, and held all simultaneously. No other fighter has accomplished the same. Henry came to Reno Monday, trailed by two gents, Curly Owen and Conn Pulos, who are plugging a new food supplement. The supplement, their brochure casually indicates, may help offset such bothersomes as “sores about the angles of the mouth, reddening of the lips, constipation, and loss of muscle tone. “ Messrs. Owen and Pulos will be billed for the commercial later. Actually, Henry Armstrong is worth the price of admission, even when he isn’t fighting. He talked a couple of hours yesterday with a sort of filibuster delivery, and we’re passing it on to you. FOUR COUNTING THE DOG Henry hauled into fifth floor room at the Holiday bouncing along at 180 pounds Paunchy but not punchy, and looking somewhat less than his 46yrs, less two days. He is experiencing the ravage of falling hair, which is about the only thing connected with Armstrong that has been down for the count. He is not marked much for a man who has fought 300 professional fights . There is a little scar tissue on the right eyelid, and he says a slightly cataracted eye memento of Fritzie Zivic’s thumbs. Henry Armstrong was born Henry Jackson Jr. on Dec. 12. 1912 of poor parents in Columbus, Miss., the 11th of 15 children. Their Grandmother, Henrietta Chapman, was a slave . ” She once saw Abe Lincoln” said Henry . ( Twenty years later, Henry , by then known as “Perpetual Motion Armstrong” had joined Joe Louis as a sort of emancipator – convincing white promoters that Negro boys could draw on their cards. When he was five, the boll weevil and Jim Crowism so discouraged Jackson Sr. that he gave up a small farm and moved the family to St . Louis.Henry got out of high school just in time to be a bona fide “Hungry fighter” ; It was 1929. “ It was jumping out of the window season “ he says “ I was a $15a week railroader. One day I picked up a wind-blown Globe-Democrat, and saw where Kid. Chocolate got $30,000 for a half hour’s work against Al Singer. That did it. I quit on the spot. It was boxing from then on.Two buddies ,Eddie Foster and Harry Armstrong got together with Henry in 1930,jumped in a ‘27 Nash, and headed for Pittsburgh and some fights.