Henry Armstrong facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Henry Armstrong |
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Henry Armstrong in 1937
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| Statistics | |
| Real name | Henry Melody Jackson Jr. |
| Nickname(s) | Homicide Hank Hurricane Hank Hammerin' Hank |
| Rated at | Featherweight Lightweight Welterweight Middleweight |
| Height | 5 ft 5+1/2 in |
| Reach | 67 in |
| Nationality | American |
| Born | December 12, 1912 Columbus, Mississippi |
| Died | October 24, 1988 (aged 75) Los Angeles, California |
| Stance | Orthodox |
| Boxing record | |
| Total fights | 181 |
| Wins | 151 |
| Wins by KO | 101 |
| Losses | 21 |
| Draws | 9 |
Henry Jackson Jr. (born December 12, 1912 – died October 24, 1988) was an amazing American professional boxer. He was known in the ring as Henry Armstrong.
Armstrong was one of the few boxers to win world titles in three different weight classes. These were featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. He successfully defended his welterweight title 19 times.
Many boxing experts consider Henry Armstrong one of the greatest boxers ever. The Ring magazine named him their Fighter of the Year in 1937. The Boxing Writers Association of America also gave him this award in 1940. In 2007, The Ring magazine ranked him as the second-best fighter of the last 80 years. ESPN placed him third on their list of the 50 greatest boxers of all time.
Contents
Early Life and Beginnings
Henry Armstrong was born on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi. When he was a child, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri. It was there that he started his journey in boxing.
His father, Henry Jackson Sr., was a sharecropper. He had African American, Irish, and Native American roots. His mother, America Jackson, was Native American, from the Iroquois people. Armstrong finished high school at Vashon High School in St. Louis. He was later honored in the St. Louis Walk of Fame. People often called him Hurricane Henry or Homicide Hank because of his powerful fighting style.
Starting His Boxing Career
Armstrong began his professional boxing career on July 28, 1931. His first fight was against Al Iovino, where he lost in three rounds. Later that year, he got his first win by beating Sammy Burns.
In 1932, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles. He lost two fights there but then started an amazing winning streak of 11 fights. By 1936, he was fighting in different cities like Los Angeles, Mexico City, and St. Louis. He fought famous boxers such as Ritchie Fontaine and former world champion Juan Zurita. Early in his career, he sometimes fought under the name Melody Jackson.
In 1937, Armstrong won his first 22 fights in a row. He quickly beat many strong opponents. This included former world champions Frankie Klick and Benny Bass. After these wins, he got his first chance to fight for a world title. He challenged World Featherweight Champion Petey Sarron at Madison Square Garden. Armstrong knocked Sarron out in six rounds, becoming the World Featherweight Champion.
Becoming a Three-Division Champion
In 1938, Armstrong continued his winning streak with seven more knockouts. One of these wins was against future world champion Chalky Wright. This streak of knockouts finally ended when Arizmendi lasted ten rounds against him. Armstrong's streak of 27 knockout wins is one of the longest in boxing history.
Later in 1938, Armstrong, still the Featherweight world champion, aimed for another title. He challenged Barney Ross, who was the World Welterweight Champion. Armstrong, weighing 133½ pounds, defeated Ross, who weighed 142 pounds. He won by a clear decision, adding the World Welterweight Championship to his collection.
Then, Armstrong lost some weight and fought World Lightweight Champion Lou Ambers. He won by a close decision. This made him the first boxer ever to hold world championships in three different weight divisions at the same time! After this, he decided not to fight at the featherweight weight anymore and gave up that title.
Defending His Welterweight Title
For the next two years, Armstrong focused on defending his welterweight title. He beat many top fighters, including future World Middleweight Champion Ceferino Garcia. He also defended his Lightweight belt in a rematch with Ambers, but he lost that fight after 15 rounds.
After losing the lightweight title, he again focused on his welterweight championship. He defended it eight more times in a row. One of his last defenses was a knockout win over Puerto Rico's Pedro Montañez.
Armstrong then tried to make history by becoming the first boxer to win world titles in four different categories. He had a rematch with Ceferino Garcia, who was now the World Middleweight Champion. However, the fight ended in a draw after ten rounds. This meant Armstrong did not win a fourth world title. Many boxing historians believe Armstrong should have won that fight.
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Returning to the welterweight division, Armstrong successfully defended his title five more times. His amazing reign as Welterweight Champion ended when Fritzie Zivic beat him in a 15-round decision. Armstrong's 18 successful title defenses were the most ever in the welterweight division's history.
In 1945, Armstrong decided to retire from boxing. His final record was 152 wins, 21 losses, and 9 draws. He had an incredible 101 knockout wins.
Life After Boxing
After retiring from boxing in 1946, Henry Armstrong briefly opened a nightclub in Harlem called the Melody Room. This was named after one of his early nicknames. After his boxing career, he lived a quiet life. He became a born-again Christian and an ordained Baptist minister. He also worked as a youth advocate, teaching young fighters how to box.
Henry Armstrong became a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame. He passed away in 1988 at the age of 75 in Los Angeles, California.
See also
In Spanish: Henry Armstrong para niños
