Armstrong dedicated the next two years to defending the welterweight crown, beating, among others, Ceferino Garcia, a future World Middleweight Champion, and Bobby Pacho. Henry held three world titles - Welterweight , Lightweight . 1921-1989 Taking away Lou Ambers' lightweight crown on Aug. 17, 1938 in Madison Square Garden proved more difficult. He was a 3-weight-class world champion. Henry Armstrong, who moved to St. Louis with his family as a youngster, was the only boxer ever to hold three world titles simultaneously. So, its just a coincidence that all this is coming together like that.. //]]>. In an attempt to gain popularity and therefore more important fights with bigger purses, they set a goal of winning titles in three different weight divisions, an accomplishment no boxer had ever achieved. Boxing. Professional boxer 23 Feb. 2023 . Intelligent and articulate, he turned to preaching and was ordained a Baptist minister in 1951. He was posthumously inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in the inaugural class of 1990.He was born Henry Jackson, Jr. on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi. He gained fame in 1938 when he reigned as featherweight, lightweight and welterweight champion. You may want to start by searching for a person's Military Service Records and Pension and Bounty Land records. Armstrong, at 133+12 pounds, beat Ross, at 142 pounds, by unanimous decision, adding the World Welterweight Championship to his belt. Armstrong had his cornermen remove his mouthpiece so he could swallow the blood flowing in his mouth the last five rounds. navgalleryover.src = "/i/sportscentury/nav_gallery_over.gif"; Armstrong knocked down the champ in the fifth and sixth rounds, but Ambers cut him severely. Armstrong defended the World Welterweight Championship a division record 19 times. We encourage you to research and examine these records to determine their accuracy. [11], In 1937 alone, Armstrong went 270 (26KO). African-American Sports Greats: A Biographical Dictionary. Mother Ellen Lawrance. These 11 fights are the highlight of his career. a bowling alley. October 9, 1939: Armstrong successfully defends the NBA and The Ring welterweight titles against Al Manfredo, winning the fight via 4th round TKO. He defeated sixteen world champions.After he quit boxing, he became an ordained minister and devoted himself to underprivileged children. Use Link to Listen with 30-Day Audible Free Trial: http://bit.ly/ATLASaudiobook. 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. During his years attending Vashon High School, Armstrong excelled, earning good grades and gaining the respect of his peers. 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. He was managed by Wirt Ross, Eddie Mead, jazz singer Al Jolson and Hollywood actor George Raft. After retiring from boxing in 1946, Armstrong briefly opened a Harlem nightclub, the Melody Room (named after his first nickname). But he was learning how to harness his natural physical gifts; strength, quickness, stamina, and the ability to take a punch. Floyd Patterson was born on January 4, 1935 in Waco, North Carolinathe third of 11 children. Updates? After that, he concentrated once again on defending the world Welterweight title. Henry Jackson was born in Columbus, MS. How do we create a person's profile? He also taught young fighters how to box. His mother, America (Armstrong) Jackson was an Iroquois Indian. October 29, 1937: Armstrong wins his first world titles by defeating Petey Sarron via 6th round KO. That didn't surprise anybody in boxing. With his aggressive attitude and incessant windmill style, he was all over opponents, as evidenced by his 101 knockouts and. He was the first champion, Im going to be the next champion, Davis said. Professional boxer 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). A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Baby Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita, and Mike Belloise. Up to 1937, Armstrong compiled a record of 52-10. Some of our partners may process your data as a part of their legitimate business interest without asking for consent. Armstrong and his managers realized that they needed to attract attention away from the rising fame of boxer Joe Louis. He teamed up with -- and took the surname of -- a trainer and former boxer named Henry Armstrong. Velma Tartt was a former girlfriend from his high school days. 1913-1998 [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]. After losing at the trials, he returned to the professional ranks. His next fight was four days later, and he won a six-round decision. Armstrong was 25 years old with a record of 92-12-7 (60 KOs). To pursue his third title, Armstrong dropped back a weight class to compete as a lightweight. Home; . . Comments below may relate to previous holders of this record. 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. His 1905 song "Nellie Dean" became the signature song of the British music hall singer Gertie Gitana , and a popular British pub song. Chambers Biographical Dictionary. His outstanding ring record was 151 wins, 21 defeats, and 9 draws with 101 knockouts. Let us know if you have suggestions to improve this article (requires login). [11] In February 1966, Rev. Despite almost blacking out in the 15th round, Armstrong won a split decision to make history. Armstrong fought as an amateur from 1929 to 1932. Sims is 9-1 in his professional boxing career, with five knockouts in his nine wins. In January 1935 he lost to Arizmendi for a second time. During the final years of the 1940s he traveled to China, Burma, and India with Raft as part of a group sent to entertain soldiers. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990. 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. Gale Research, 1989. http://www.galenet.com(December 13, 2000). The most consecutive boxing world welterweight title defences is 18 by Henry Armstrong (USA) from 25 November 1938 to 23 September 1940. Early in his career, he fought some fights under the ring name Melody Jackson. 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. var navgallerycold = new Image(); Henry married Lou M Armstrong. 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 retired from the ring in 1945. He tried for a fourth world title in middleweight but drew with champion Ceferino Garcia. After he retired, Armstrong overcame alcoholism. Henry lived in Norwich, Connecticut 06360, USA. 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. His father, also named Henry, was a mix of Indian, Irish and black blood. https://www.britannica.com/biography/Henry-Armstrong, African American Registry - Biography of Henry Armstrong, BlackPast.org - Biography of Henry Armstrong, International Boxing Hall of Fame - Biography of Henry Armstrong, Henry Armstrong - Student Encyclopedia (Ages 11 and up). Fighting true to form, Armstrong applied pressure throughout the bout. Armstrong lost weight in order to compete in the lower weight division, and beat World Lightweight Champion Lou Ambers by split decision. Armstrong was one of the few fighters to win in three or more different divisions: featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight. After that marriage ended in divorce, Armstrong married a second time in 1960. Returning to St. Louis, he became a minister, helped run the Herbert Hoover Boys' Club and trained young boxers. The consent submitted will only be used for data processing originating from this website. window.__mirage2 = {petok:"_9hAJy7CmJsKH07kPqMVqhJI9fwN_aHmPuAo7fcIZbM-86400-0"}; During the fight Armstrong suffered an eye injury that required surgery. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. ." His early childhood was spent on a plantation owned by Armstrong's grandfather, an Irishman who had married one of his slaves. if (document.images) Garcia retained the title with a draw, but most at ringside felt that Armstrong had won. Ross was favored by odds makers three to one over Armstrong; however, when the two met in Long Island City on May 31, 1938, Armstrong won convincingly on points in 15 rounds, earning his second title, Welterweight Champion of the World. For United States nationwide collections, go to the United States Online Genealogy Records page. Henry Armstrong is a boxer from Mississippi and a world phenomenon in boxing. (You will need to register / login for access). We and our partners use cookies to Store and/or access information on a device. The event is even more special for Davis. if (document.images) worldCharley Rose ranked Armstrong as the #6 All-Time Welterweight; Nat His mother, America, was half-Cherokee Indian. He was stopped two times and lost 20 times via decision. Al Silvani. He died on October 24, 1988 at the age of 75 years. He first won the featherweight (126-pound) title by knocking out Petey Sarron in six rounds on October 29, 1937. His mother died a year later, and he was raised by his grandmother. 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. Henry Armstrong. edited by David L. Porter, Greenwood Press, 1995. He was born Henry Jackson, Jr. on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi. Father Charles Godfrey Armstrong. Definitely one of the goals I had in mind, so itll be a good time, to bring everybody out.. Star Info Other Info Encyclopedia of World Biography. Ambers had Armstrong spitting blood from a torn bottom lip, and he cut the challenger's eyes as well. 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. ever hold three undisputed titles at the same time. Henry Irwin Armstrong. 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. if (document.images) { Mead was suspended 13 months after accusing commissioner Bill Brown of favoring Ambers. However, the fight was so brutal that Armstrong blacked out at the end and could later recall very little of what happened. We collect and match historical records that Ancestry users have contributed to their family trees to create each person's profile. First, he knocked out featherweight champion Petey Sarron in the sixth round on Oct. 29, 1937. He was the first boxer to hold three different titles simultaneously. . However, he successfully defended his two other titles 12 times during 1939.
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