As Marvin Gaye sang back in the day, “There’s nothing like the real thing, baby,” and these days how boxing fans crave “the real thing,” meaningful competition and genuine greatness. You’ll remember how several years ago Floyd Mayweather Jr. started calling himself “The Greatest of All Time”, ‘TBE’ for short, and while most took the self-praise with a large grain of salt, the fact that others didn’t say it all. You need to know about the lack of perspective some fight fans have regarding the history of boxing. The truth is that the Golden Age of boxing has passed decades ago, and the truly great achievements achieved by today’s fighters can only be dreamed of.
Take, for example, the man they called “Homicide Hank,” the one and only Henry Armstrong, without a doubt one of the greatest pressure fighters in the history of the sport, a dynamo of relentless aggression who attacked and took down his opponents like a hum -saw on wheels. In 1937 alone he fought 27 times, capping one of the best years of any boxer’s career by defeating Petey Sarrón to capture his first world championship. Think about it: 27 fights in one year. They all win, all but one by KO. That is greatness.
So is the fact that in May of the following year he jumped from featherweight to welterweight to challenge his all-time great mate, Barney Ross. After dominating Ross, he moved down in weight and challenged another champion and Hall of Famer, Lou Ambers, outlasting “The Herkimer Hurricane” in a brutal 15-round war and winning the lightweight crown. . Armstrong would vacate the featherweight title, but for a brief time held three of boxing’s eight traditional world championships at the same time, a feat that will never be repeated. And we won’t even get into how in March 1940 he fought for the middleweight title – against another Hall of Famer, Ceferino García – but had to settle for a draw, even though most of those present thought he deserved the win. decision.
Meanwhile, Armstrong kept up his hectic schedule, achieving victory after victory against truly formidable competition. This was a very different time from ours, when the ranks were filled with excellent fighters, not diluted by superfluous weight classes and meaningless titles, and when fans demanded that the best pugilists be tested against the most dangerous rivals.
And the simple truth is that it would be difficult to find a better winning streak in all of Boxiana than the ones Armstrong accumulated in his prime. The list of fighters he surpassed during those years, in addition to Sarron, Ross, Ambers and García, includes names such as Baby Arizmendi, Benny Bass, Juan Zurita, Frankie Klick, Lew Feldman, Chalky Wright and Lew Jenkins, a line-up of champions. and title challengers who, taken together, eclipse Floyd’s entire record in terms of quality opposition. And that’s just a sampling of the many fighters hit by Armstrong’s flailing fists.
To be more specific, in February 1936, Henry lost a decision to Richie Fontaine. A month later he avenged the loss and then began a truly incredible streak, winning all but three of 65 bouts in less than five years. The three matches he did not win included the aforementioned draw, a disqualification, and a highly controversial loss to Ambers in their rematch when referee Arthur Donovan deducted five points from Henry for fouls, resulting in Ambers’ decision victory being widely considered an injustice. ; In fact, Armstrong had surpassed “Hurricane Herkimer” for the second time. Think about it: 65 fights in 55 months against some of the best fighters in boxing history, and not a single truly legitimate loss. Talk about “the real thing.”
Following the controversial loss to Ambers, which had only reinforced Armstrong’s reputation as the greatest living boxer after Joe Louis, Henry focused his energies on defending his 147-pound title. He was actually a little small for a welterweight, but that didn’t stop “Hammerin’ Henry” from racking up the most title defenses in the history of the division, nineteen in total, before he was knocked down by the one and only Fritzie Zivic. in great discomfort. But before crossing paths with “The Croatian Comet,” Armstrong made his fourteenth title defense in his hometown of St. Louis, Missouri, when he faced Joe Ghnouly, also known as “The St. Louis Bearcat.”
The challenger was not far behind with 59 wins on his record, but he was not at the same level as his city rival. In other words, Ghnouly was a talented boxer, a legitimate contender who had gone all the way with Ross and Kid Chocolate and beaten Eddie Cool, but Henry Armstrong was something more, a true all-time great; In fact, without a trace of hyperbole, we can say that Hank was one of the greatest of all time. He dropped Ghnouly three times in the first round, prompting the challenger to get on his bike and keep the distance as best he could over the next few rounds, before three left hooks from Armstrong ended the match in the fifth.
And just twenty days later, there was “Homicide Hank” at Madison Square Garden, knocking down the fifteenth challenger, Pedro Montañez, in nine rounds and inspiring the New York Times to praise Henry’s bloody “savagery,” declaring that “no man About inches or pounds Armstrong could have survived [his] dizzying firepower.”
Two knockouts in two world title defenses in just three weeks. That’s how they used to roll, folks. A different era and a different type of fighting game, when boxing fans could watch true legends fight. And they knew “the real thing” when they saw it.
—Michael Carbert
