"He was like an open window in a hurricane"

Sharm de Alwis

There is much more to Boxing than the Heavyweight champion like Cassius Clay aka Mohammed Ali, Joe Louis or Rocky Marciano. The lighter weights have been where epic battles have been waged wherein speed and skill take precedence over brute power.

Henry Armstrong adorned three weight divisions. He is the only boxer in the whole of history to have been champion of three weight divisions simultaneously. The titles he held were in the divisions of Feather, Light and Welter.

He had a windmill style with flaying hands in non-stop aggression and carried two nom-de-plumes: Hurricane Hank and Homicide Hank.

He was a stand-up fighter unlike Sugar Ray Robinson of the impeccable footwork. Armstrong did not really need footwork because once the bout started he would be at his opponent with a flurry of punches which ended only with the gong.

Armstrong became a professional in 1931 when he missed out on qualifying to be in the American contingent for the 1932 Olympics.

He had an indifferent record until 1937 in which year he scored 27 knock-outs and one win on points. But 1938 was the best of his fourteen years as a pugilist even though it was in 1937 that he won the Featherweight title by knocking out the champion, Petey Sarron in the sixth round.

He didn't defend his title because he had set his sights on the Lightweight and Welterweight titles both os which he won with consummate ease before relinquishing the Featherweight crown.

Armstrong won the Lightweight title after he had annexed the Welterweight crown in the heavier division. The battle with Lightweight champion, Lou Ambers, was a blood-splattered affair that went the distance of fifteen rounds.He was busy every second of the fight, taking advantage of split-second openings to be a decisive winner at the end of the gory contest even though Lou's forte was his counter-punching.

The Welterweight title Armstrong had annexed by taking on the awesome Barney Ross. To gain weight he trained on beer. Despite the short reach, he would swarm all over Ross and, with his bobbying and weaving, wouldn't allow Ross to nail him with his pulverising left jab.

In his typically barging style he poured punches on Ross from all angles. But one thing was evident: Armstrong never had the deft footwork of Sugar Ray Robinson who also graduated through three weight divisions to be considered as the best boxer, pound for pound, the world has ever seen.

Ross said after the fight: "He was like an open window in a hurricane." Barney's footwork came into effect only in the final two rounds by which time all hope had been squandered.

Henry Armsrong had been inspired by watching Kid Chocolate making 75,000. dollars in thirty minutes and he developed the 'bolo' punch which was later made famous by Kid Gavilan. Armstrong defended his Welterweight title successfully nineteen times.

The first was against Safrino Garcia who was not given room to unleash his devastating left hook. Garcia's best round was also his last when he stood apart and boxed rather than slugged.

Armstrong lost his title to Fritzie Zivic on the 4th October 1940 and was stopped in the 12th round of the re-match. His muscles had gone to bed.

Armstrong fought 175 bouts from 1931 - 45, won 144 of which 97 were by knock-outs.

He lost 19 fights . Despite his primitive style and when compared with Sugar Ray, Henry Armstrong went on to be hailed as one of the greatest Champions of all time.

Armstrong's biggest battle was against alcoholism which he won, became a lay-preacher and died at the age of 75 years.

It was discovered then that his heart was one-third larger than the normal.