Home Categories Miscellaneous Barrington’s Bona Fide Boxing Legends #2: Henry Armstrong
Barrington’s Bona Fide Boxing Legends #2: Henry Armstrong
Written by Jack Barrington   
Wednesday, 17 February 2010 17:42
It was July 28th, 1931, and a man billed as “Melody Jackson” had just lost his professional boxing debut. Stopped in three rounds by no more than a journeyman in Al Sorvino, it seemed unlikely that an impressive amateur career consisting of 58 wins from 62 fights, would successfully translate to the harsh world of professional boxing. Dropping two of his next three bouts (both by four round decisions), Henry Armstrong could easily have taken this as proof he was not cut out for the professional ranks. But the man who would go on to be known as “Homicide Hank”, possessed just as much pertinacious will in life as he did in the ring. Armstrong would ride out those early losses and go on to become a bona fide boxing legend.

In boxing, more than most other sports, the numbers alone rarely tell the true tale of a fighter’s legacy. Whether this is due to the negative grounds of padded and manufactured records, or the positive reason that there is so much character exuding from that fabled square circle, records and titles can only say so much – they really do not matter. In an age of impressive records and winning streaks, it is hard to be impressed by the numbers alone, however, in the case of Henry Armstrong that is not necessarily true.

While most fighters would be overjoyed to boast 101 professional bouts, and could only fantasize about 101 professional wins, Armstrong was the proud proprietor of 101 professional knockout victories. His official career record totalled 149 wins, 21 losses, and 10 draws, and this even excluded a fiercely debated number of unofficial early contests under differing aliases.

While winning one world title, particularly in Armstrong’s era, is undoubtedly an impressive feat, Henry Armstrong simultaneously held three world titles, in three different weight classes.  That’s right; Henry Armstrong was the featherweight, lightweight, and welterweight champion of the world – all at the same time.

Rebounding from a challenging start to his career and fighting in various locations across America, Armstrong’s legacy, much like his style inside of the ring, was gathering pace. Carrying an ever-expanding record of 53-7-7, along with a growing reputation, Armstrong would enter the most illustrious period of his entire career which was kick-started by one of the most impressive years of boxing that any fighter, before or since, has ever experienced.

In his most impressive period (1937-1940), Armstrong compiled a record of 59-1-1. In that period, Henry Armstrong did something that even in hindsight is still as breathtaking as ever. In 1937, against solid competition, Armstrong went an astonishing 27-0 with 26 stoppage victories. Making waves at featherweight, Armstrong continued his year as he had impressively started it, stopping a very game Rodolfo Casanova in three punishing rounds, even against the harsh backdrop of an increasingly hostile Mexican crowd.  His next fight, against Tony Chavez, demonstrated Armstrong’s power and relentless aggression, as he dropped his former foe three times in the ninth round, where the referee really should have ended it, before finally stopping him in the tenth. With that victory, Armstrong had avenged his most recent loss, and solidified himself as an exciting, albeit slightly sloppy prospect for contendership.

It may have been Armstrong’s “ugly” swarming style that prevented him from climbing the ladder at a faster rate. While he did not immediately win over the boxing purists of the time, “Perpetual Motion”, as he was also known, was swiftly amassing a legion of loyal fans. His style may not have been pretty, but Henry Armstrong was most definitely an exciting fighter.

Three more early stoppage victories ensued and Armstrong was paired with an exceptionally tough fighter in Mike Belloise. Belloise, like too many boxers, would go on to fight well past his ideal expiry date, but when he met Armstrong at Madison Square Garden, he was a fighter still nearing his prime and considered a very tough opponent. Coming-off an especially close decision loss to Jackie Wilson –  which in itself is a must see fight, Belloise was predicted by fans and critics alike to give the unrefined Armstrong just about all he could handle. Armstrong dispelled these predictions with four rounds of all out action, bobbing his head in what was now his trademark manner.

Armstrong spent large portions of most fights staring straight at the floor with no more than a foot of space between him and his opponent. In this fight, as in so many others, Armstrong’s timing, pace, speed, and power, allowed him to swarm a very game Belloise and floor him right at the end of the fourth. Remarkably, Belloise was able to make it to his feet by the count of seven and survive the round. His corner could see that he was out on his feet, however, and saved their man further punishment by doing the right thing -- stopping the contest before the fifth round could begin. Another fight, and another dominant knockout victory for Armstrong. His sixth win in six bouts for the year so far, and it was only March; it was an amazing feat on its own, but for Henry Armstrong it was almost becoming routine.

Armstrong followed-up this fight with his only points win of the year, ten hard rounds against the in-form Italian, Aldo Spoldi, which had Armstrong knocking on the door of title contention. Subtlety, however, was never one of Armstrong’s qualities. Not content with merely knocking on that door, Henry made it his mission to practically break it down. Five more early stoppage victories followed, each ending before the fifth round, and Armstrong found himself matched-up against an often underappreciated Alf Blatch.  Blatch, an Australian, was nearing the end of his career and while he never held a title, he had succeeded in compiling an impressive record with wins over good, but not great fighters. It would be a tough test for Armstrong, and would measure his ability to cut off the ring against a classic “out-fighter”. In one of the most brutal fights either man was ever involved in, Armstrong continually stalked and pummelled Blatch, over three painful rounds in which Blatch was floored an astonishing eight times. The fight would almost certainly have been stopped earlier if it were to happen today, however, this was the 1930s, and Blatch took a beating that a fighter simply cannot recover from before the referee stepped-in, midway through the third. Blatch would go on to fight only six more times, all in his native Australia, with two wins and four losses. While Blatch was clearly on his way down, Henry Armstrong was only looking up, “Homicide Hank” was now firmly on the title trail.

The harsh reality of the world at the time, however, would prove to be a speed bump in Armstrong’s road to the belt.  Despite Joe Louis winning the heavyweight world title just a month prior to Armstrong’s win over Blatch, it was still an unfortunate era in boxing, where a black fighter’s road to the title was significantly longer than that of their white counterparts. With an uncompromising style inside of the ring, and an unrelenting attitude outside, Henry Armstrong would need to further impress to earn his long overdue shot at the title. He would need to wow the crowds and make it impossible for people to refute his claim for a title fight. Another nine straight knockout victories, taking his streak of stoppages to 15 and wins to 22, had the desired effect, and Henry Armstrong was finally granted his title shot. It would not be the lightweight title that he had craved, no, Armstrong would be moving down to the featherweight division to face the reigning champion, Petey Sarron.


His fight with Sarron, fought at the now legendary Madison Square Garden, would prove to be a defining performance that epitomized Armstrong’s nickname, “Perpetual Motion”. With his head pressed tightly against Sarron’s chest, Armstrong pursued him relentlessly, fighting for every inch of the ring, using a constant barrage of wind-milling punches from a wide variety of angles. Sarron must have felt as if he were surrounded, it seemed almost unfair. His unremitting attack and assiduous pace – aided by an irregular heartbeat– would prove the difference that night. Armstrong never stopped throwing punches, felling his rival in the sixth round, the seemingly tireless machine won his first world title. Henry Armstrong was the featherweight champion of the world, and celebrated by rounding out 1937 with a further four knockout victories.

The next year of Henry Armstrong’s career would prove to even more exceptional. In 1938 he would win the world welterweight title by way of a wide decision over Barney Ross. He would then make history by claiming the lightweight title from Lou Ambers in a fight so brutal, it consisted of Armstrong removing his mouthpiece and swallowing his own blood for much of the latter half of the bout, in fear of the contest being stopped due to a cut.

Fighting on until 1945, Armstrong vacated the featherweight belt, lost his lightweight one in a bizarre rematch with Ambers, and would focus on defending his welterweight crown a record 18 times. He would challenge for the middleweight title against Ceferino Garcia in 1940, but a decidedly questionable decision saw the bout end in a ten round draw, dashing Armstrong’s hopes of a fourth world title.

Like too many great champions, Henry Armstrong fought on far past his prime, and ended his career on the wrong end of another bad decision against a very average fighter in Chester Slider. The indignity of leaving on a loss was the least of his worries though, as retirement brought to the forefront a much larger problem for Henry Armstrong; alcoholism. Without boxing, Armstrong experienced what Bert Sugar aptly describes as “a fall from grace, not as a champion, but simply as a man.” Living the Hollywood lifestyle with no training regimen to pull him back into focus, Henry Armstrong fell deeper and deeper into addiction, causing him to squander his fortune. He had finally hit bottom.  Now living rough in Los Angeles, an old friend found Armstrong and took him back home, to St. Louis.

Focusing again on boxing, Armstrong devoted his time to working with underprivileged youths, in a small boxing club at Herbert Hoover Boys’ Club. Armstrong found God and became an ordained Baptist Minister, even nearing the end of his life he continued to devote his time to working with troubled children, as Reverend Henry Armstrong, trying to give youngsters the same chances he had given himself, by pushing them towards sport. In the old dusty boxing gym, pushing young men into adult lives of their own, there were flashes of the “Homicide Hank” of old. Upon the death of his wife, Armstrong moved back to California and removed himself from public life. He died in 1988 aged 75, penniless and blind but satisfied; content that he had given the latter part of his life in an effort to improve the very society he himself had emerged from.

Exciting inside and outside of the ring, it is hard to befittingly describe a man who collected nicknames almost as fast as he collected knockout victories. Armstrong was bestowed with moniker’s such as “Hammerin Hank”, “Perpetual Motion”, “Human Buzzsaw”, “Hurricane Henry”, and of course, “Homicide Hank”. The most fitting eulogy for a man such as this is often the most simple, and it comes from one of his peers, the great Jack Dempsey:

“I never saw a better small man and I never expect to. They don’t make them like Armstrong anymore.”

And Dempsey’s words still hold true to this very day.


High Point and Low Point

Career High Point: The manner in which he won the lightweight title exemplifies Armstrong as a man and a fighter, hurting Ambers early, Armstrong had to dig deep to take this one.  Showing an endless amount of heart while swallowing a large amount of his own blood, he never gave an inch as he claimed his third title.

Career Low Point: The draw against Garcia is particularly hard to stomach. Armstrong was denied a record fourth world title, this time at middleweight, by a suspiciously bad decision from the referee. It was an indignity that a great champion such as Armstrong did not deserve.


Top 5 Must See Fights:

vs. Lou Ambers I

vs. Pedro Montanez

vs. Fritzie Zivic I

vs. Al Tribuani


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