Henry Armstrong
| Henry Armstrong | |
|---|---|
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 ½ in |
| Reach | 67 in (170 cm) |
| 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 |
 Armstrong, seated, posing with a title belt (undated) |
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Armstrong boarding an airplane (undated) |
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.
Armstrong was one of the few fighters to win in three or more different divisions: featherweight, lightweight and welterweight. He defended his welterweight title a total of nineteen times.
In 2007, The Ring ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of the last 80 years.Bert Sugar also ranked Armstrong as the second-greatest fighter of all time.
Armstrong was born December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi but moved with his family to St. Louis, Missouri, during his childhood, where he became involved in boxing. He was the son of Henry Jackson Sr., a sharecropper of African American, Irish and Native American descent, and Iroquois America Jackson. Armstrong graduated from Vashon High School in St. Louis and was later inducted into the St. Louis Walk of Fame. Armstrong's two nicknames were Hurricane Henry and Homicide' Hank.
Armstrong began his professional career on July 28, 1931, in a fight with Al Iovino, in which Armstrong was knocked out in three rounds. His first win came later that year, beating Sammy Burns by a decision in six. In 1932, Armstrong moved to Los Angeles, where he lost two four-round decisions in a row to Eddie Trujillo and Al Greenfield. 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. A few notable opponents of that year include Ritchie Fontaine, Arizmendi, former world champion Juan Zurita and Mike Belloise. Early in his career, he fought some fights under the nickname Melody Jackson.
In 1937 Armstrong won 22 bouts in a row, 21 by knockout. He beat Casanova in three rounds, Belloise in four, Joe Rivers in three, former world champion Frankie Klick in four and former world champion Benny Bass in four. Armstrong was then 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. Armstrong knocked Sarron out in six rounds, becoming the World Featherweight Champion, and closed the year with four more knockout wins and a knockout streak of 20.
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