One of the greatest boxers of all time, according to critics and professional athletes, Henry Armstrong was distinguished by extraordinary speed and endurance. According to various polls, he is consistently ranked among the top ten boxers in the world, regardless of weight categories. And in 2007, the most eminent professional boxing magazine "The Ring" ranked him in second place.
Early years
The future world boxing star was born on December 12, 1912 in Columbus, Mississippi. They named him Henry Jackson Jr., because his father's name was Henry Jackson Sr. He became Armstrong later, already in professional boxing. My father was of Afro-Irish descent and worked as a veterinarian and butcher, and my mother was from the Iroquois Indian tribe.
Henry was the eleventh child, in total there were fifteen children in the family. When he was four years old, his father moved the family to St. Louis. He lost his mother early, and histhe upbringing was taken up by the grandmother, who dreamed that Henry would become a civil servant. At school, at first, he was hit hard for his small stature and hair with a reddish tint. However, Henry turned out to be a boy with character and began to box.
Henry worked hard on his fitness, running 8 miles a day from home to school. He graduated from school with good grades, but the family did not have money for college, and he had to go to work. At first he worked in a bowling alley, where he won his first boxing tournament, which was held for employees. But the pay was low, and in order to get a higher-paying job on the railroad, he had to lie that he was already 21 years old.
First steps in boxing
One day he came across a piece of newspaper with an article where a boxer named Kid Chocolate received $75,000 in one fight. And it changed his life dramatically. He decided that he could earn money by boxing. He was lucky to meet Harry Armstrong, a former boxer who became his friend, trainer and mentor. Under his guidance, he won his first amateur fight in St. Louis in 1929. After a few more victorious fights, Henry decided that he could already turn professional. He lost the first fight by knockout, but won the second one.
However, Henry realized that malnutrition and poor preparation would not allow him to continue his career successfully. In 1931 he traveled to Los Angeles with Harry Armstrong to resume his amateur career. They managed to concludea contract for 100 fights with a local sports manager, of which he won more than half by knockout and did not lose a single one. Since he introduced himself as Harry's brother, he became Henry Armstrong.
Back in the pros
Henry Armstrong was one of the top amateur lightweights from 1929-1932. But after failing to make the US Olympic team, Henry turned pro again. After losing the first two fights, Armstrong began to win. The first series of 11 victories in a row began in 1932 and ended with a loss to R. Manuel.
As an aspiring professional boxer, he had a small contract. He had to box very often to earn a living, at least 12 fights a day. Henry Armstrong's style is a crushing onslaught with a lot of punches. His stamina and speed earned him many nicknames, including Perpetuum Mobile and Hurricane Henry. The next unbeaten streak was already in 22 fights. Henry Armstrong alternated victories with defeats. He could have remained a little-known boxer if one day he was unlucky.
Best Years
One of Henry Armstrong's fights was seen by the famous entertainer Al Jolson, who bought the contract for his friend, sports manager Eddie Mead. The number of opponents and prize money immediately increased. In 1937 he won 27 fights and 26 of them by knockout. Henry and his manager agreed to fight with almost any opponent, even heavier by 1-2 categories. However, that year, Joe Louis had just won the World Championship, and to competeno one could be popular with him. And then the managers of Henry Armstrong came up with an unexpected marketing ploy: they decided to win the world title in three weight categories.
In nine and a half months he became world champion in three weight divisions, winning:
- Featherweight - 1937 Henry defeated Petey Sarron;
- super welterweight - defeated Barney Ross in May 1938;
- lightweight - defeated Lou Umbers in August of the same year.
Henry Armstrong was a boxer until 1945. After retiring from sports, he became a Baptist minister. The athlete died on October 22, 1988.
