Henry Jackson, later known as Henry Armstrong, was born with a passion for boxing. He became inspired to take up the sport after reading about Kid Chocolate's victory over Al Singer at the Polo Grounds in New York, which earned him a purse of $75,000.
Jackson began his boxing journey at the "colored" YMCA on Pine Street in St. Louis, where he met an experienced fighter named Harry Armstrong who became his mentor, trainer, and friend. After three amateur fights, Jackson turned professional in 1931 under the name "Melody Jackson". He made $35 for his debut and was knocked out in three rounds. Following his second win by decision, he moved to Los Angeles with Harry Armstrong.
Once in Los Angeles, Jackson decided to return to the amateur ranks, but since he had already had two professional fights, he told people he was Harry's little brother, Henry Armstrong.
Armstrong competed in the 1932 Olympic trials but lost and returned to the professional ranks. In 1936, he was able to secure managerial support from Al Jolson and George Raft.
In 1937, Armstrong won the World Featherweight Championship by knocking out Petey Sarron in six rounds and was named "The Ring Fighter of the Year" in the same year.
In 1938, Armstrong won the World Welterweight Championship by defeating Barney Ross in a fifteen-round unanimous decision and then won the World Lightweight Championship by defeating Lou Ambers in a fifteen-round split decision.
Armstrong became the only boxer to hold world titles in three different weight divisions simultaneously, with all three titles being undisputed championships. After Armstrong achieved this feat in 1938, no boxer was ever allowed to be a champion in more than one weight division simultaneously.
In 1939, Armstrong lost the World Lightweight Championship in a rematch with Ambers and starred in the feature film "Keep Punching" (1939).
In 1940, Armstrong challenged Ceferino García for a portion of the World Middleweight Championship, but the fight ended in a draw, with Armstrong being recognized as the winner by most at ringside.
Armstrong held the World Welterweight Championship for a record 19 times and had a record of 27-0 with 26 knockouts in 1937, 14-0 with 10 knockouts in 1938, and 59-1-1 with 51 knockouts from December 1936 to October 1940. He defeated 16 world champions.
After retiring from boxing, Armstrong became an ordained minister and devoted his life to helping underprivileged children. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame in 1990 and was ranked 2nd on "The Ring's 2002 list of the 80 Best Fighters of the Last 80 Years".
