Titles won: Welterweight champion from 1938-1940, Featherweight champion 1937-1938, lightweight champion 1938-1939. Record: 152-21-8 (97 K.O's) Born: December 12, 1912 in Columbus, Mississippi (USA) Years active: 1931-1951 Nickname: "Hammerin", "Hurricane Hank" or "Homocide Hank" The only fighter to ever hold 3 championships simultaneously and he won the 3 titles in a span of 10 months! Armstrong went from a street fighter to a gym fighter to the triple championships using the same style at each stop. Armstrong abided by the old sports law that the best defense is a good offense. He hit hard and often. He actually came close to winning a fourth crown and would have been the only one to do it. He put on some weight and fought middleweight title holder Ceferino Garcia to a 10 round draw, which many scored in his favor. He wore many fighters who were perhaps more skillful than him with his sheer aggression and extraordinary stamina. To win his 3 titles he first knocked out Petey Sarron (the only man to ever knock Sarron out) then went on to defeat the tough Barney Ross over 15 rounds. He then fought and beat Lou Ambers with a badly cut mouth and he bleed freely from the 3rd round on. His two fights with Lou Ambers are considered two of the greatest ever in the lighweight division. Armstrong gave up his lightweight belt and continued to defend the welterweight crown until he lost it to Fritzie Zivic. Hank Armstrong had an incredible physiology, he had a heartbeat averaging 36 beats when at rest. More importantly, and this was measured, after a 3 minute hard workout his pulse would be back to 36 after a minutes rest. Imagine trying to fight an opponent, who basically comes out fresh in each and every round that he fights. After his retirement he became a ordained minister in the Baptist Church but died in poverty.
1931 27 Jul Al Iovino Braddock, PA KOby3 31 Jul Sammy Burns Millville, PA W6 1932 30 Aug Eddie Trujillo CA L4 27 Sep Al Greenfield CA L4 1 Oct Max Tarley CA W4 1 Nov Young Taylor CA KO2 1 Dec Vince Trujillo CA KO2 13 Dec Gene Espinoza CA W4 31 Dec Young Corpus CA W4 1933 3 Feb Johnny Ryan CA W6 17 Feb George Dundee CA W6 21 Mar Paul Wangley CA KO4 28 Apr Perfecto Lopez CA W6 31 May Max Tarley CA KO3 7 Jun Ricky hall CA KO3 11 Jul Baby Manuel CA L6 8 Aug Bobby Calmes CA KO5 30 Aug Hoyt Jones CA D4 5 Sep Perfecto Lopez CA D4 7 Sep Joe Sanchez CA KO4 28 Sep Perfecto Lopez CA W8 11 Oct Perfecto Lopez CA D4 19 Oct Johnny Granone CA KO6 3 Nov Kid Moro CA W10 23 Nov Kid Moro CA D10 14 Dec Gene Espinoza CA KO7 1934 26 Jan Baby Manuel CA W10 13 Feb Benny pelz CA W6 8 Mar Perfecto Lopez CA W8 17 Mar Young Danny CA KO1 4 May Kid Moro CA D10 10 May Mark Diaz CA W8 22 May Johnny DeFoe CA KO5 5 Jun Vincente Torres CA W4 14 Jun Davey Abad CA W10 17 Jul Perfecto Lopez CA W6 28 Aug Perfecto Lopez CA KO5 13 Sep Max Tarley CA KO3 3 Nov Baby Arizmendi Mexico L10 2 Dec Joe Conde Mexico KO7 15 Dec Ventura Arana Mexico KO5 1935 2 Jan Baby Arizmendi Mexico L12 15 Feb Baby Casanova Mexico LDQ4 19 Mar Salvador Hernandez CA KO2 31 Mar Davey Abad Mexico W10 6 Apr Tully Corvo CA KO5 16 Apr Frankie Covelli CA W8 28 May Davey Abad CA W10 25 Jun Varias Milling CA W10 8 Sep Perfecto Lopez CA D8 21 Oct Lester Marston CA KO7 12 Nov Leo Lomelli CA KO6 27 Nov Midget Wolgast Oakland, CA W10 6 Dec Alton Black NV KO7 1936 1 Jan Joe Conde Mexico City L10 26 Feb Ritchie Fontaine Oakland, CA L10 31 Mar Ritchie Fontaine Los Angeles, CA W10 19 May Pancho Leyvas Los Angeles, CA KO4 22 Jun Johnny DeFoe Butte, MT W10 4 Aug Baby Arizmendi Los Angeles, CA W10 28 Aug Juan Zurita Los Angeles, CA KO4 3 Sep Buzz Brown Portland, OR W10 8 Sep Dommy Ganzon Sacramento, CA KO1 27 Oct Mike Belloise Los Angeles, CA W10 2 Nov Gene Espinoza Los Angeles, CA KO1 17 Nov Joey Alcanter St. Louis, MO KO6 3 Dec Tony Chavez St. Louis, MO LDQ8 1937 1 Jan Baby Casanova Mexico City KO3 19 Jan Tony Chavez Los Angeles, CA KO10 2 Feb Moon Mullins Los Angeles, CA KO2 19 Feb Varias Millings Hollywood, CA KO4 2 Mar Joe Rivers Los Angeles, CA KO4 12 Mar Mike Belloise New York, NY KO4 19 Mar Aldo Spoldi New York, NY W10 6 Apr Pete De Grasse Los Angeles, CA KO10 4 May Frankie Klick Los Angeles, CA KO4 28 May Wally Hally Los Angeles, CA KO4 9 Jun Mark Diaz Pasadena, CA KO4 15 Jun Jackie Carter Los Angeles, CA KO4 8 Jul Alf Blatch New York, NY KO3 19 Jul Lew Massey Brooklyn, NY KO4 27 Jul Benny Bass Philadelphia, PA KO4 13 Aug Eddie Brink New York, NY KO3 16 Aug Johnny Cabello Washington, DC KO2 31 Aug Orville Drouillard Detroit, MI KO5 9 Sep Charley Burns Pittsburgh, PA KO4 16 Sep Johnny De Foe New York, NY KO4 23 Sep Bobby Dean PA KO1 18 Oct Joe Marcienti Philadelphia, PA KO3 29 Oct Petey Sarron New York, NY KO6 (Won World Featherweight Title) 19 Nov Billy Beauhuld NY KO5 23 Nov Joey brown NY KO2 6 Dec Tony Chavez OH KO1 12 Dec Johnny Jones LA KO2 1938 12 Jan Enrico Venturi New York, NY KO6 21 Jan Frankie Castillo Phoenix, AZ KO3 22 Jan Tommy Brown Tuscon, AZ KO2 1 Feb Chalky Wright Los Angeles, CA KO3 9 Feb Al Citrino San Francisco, CA KO4 25 Feb Everett Rightmire Chicago, IL KO3 28 Feb Charley Burns Minneapolis, MN KO2 15 Mar Baby Arizmendi Los Angeles, CA W10 25 Mar Eddie Zivic Detroit, MI KO4 30 Mar Lew Feldman New York, NY KO5 31 May Barney Ross New York, NY W15 (Won World Welterweight Title) 17 Aug Lou Ambers New York, NY W15 (Won World Lightweight Title) 25 Nov Ceferino Garcia New York, NY W15 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 5 Dec Al Manfredo Cleveland, OH KO3 (Retained World Welterweight Title) (Gave Up Featherweight Title) 1939 10 Jan Baby Arizmendi Los Angeles, CA W10 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 4 Mar Bobby Pacho Havana KO4 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 16 Mar Lew Feldman St. Louis, MO KO1 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 31 Mar Davey Day New York, NY KO12 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 25 May Ernie Roderick London W15 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 22 Aug Lou Ambers New York, NY L15 (Lost World Lightweight Title) 9 Oct Al Manfredo Des Moines, IA KO4 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 13 Oct Howard Scott Minneapolis, MN KO2 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 20 Oct Ritchie Fontaine Seattle, WA KO3 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 24 Oct Jimmy Garrison Los Angeles, CA W10 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 30 Oct Bobby Pacho Denver, CO KO4 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 31 Dec Jimmy Garrison Cleveland, OH KO7 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 1940 4 Jan Joe Ghnouly St. Louis, MO KO5 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 24 Jan Pedro Montanez New York, NY KO9 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 1 Mar Ceferino Garcia Los Angeles, CA D10 (For World Middleweight Title) 26 Apr Paul Junior Boston, MA KO7 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 24 May Ralph Zanelli Boston, MA KO5 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 21 Jun Paul Junior Portland, OR KO3 (Retained World Welterweight Title) 17 Jul Lew Jenkins New York, NY KO6 23 Sep Phil Furr Washington, DC KO4 4 Oct Fritzie Zivic New York, NY L15 (Lost World Welterweight Title) 1941 27 Jan Fritzie Zivic New York, NY KOby12 (For World Welterweight Title) 1942 1 Jun Johnny Taylor San Jose, CA KO4 24 Jun Sheik Rangel Oakland, CA W10 3 Jul Reuben Shank Denver, CO L10 20 Jul Joe Ybarra Sacramento, CA KO3 3 Aug Aldo Spoldi San Francisco, CA KO7 13 Aug Jackie Burke Ogden, UT W10 26 Aug Rudolfo Ramirez Oakland, CA KO8 7 Sep Johnny Taylor Pittman, NY KO3 14 Sep Leo Rodak San Francisco, CA KO4 30 Sep Earl Turner Oakland, CA KO4 13 Oct Juan Zurita Los Angeles, CA KO2 26 Oct Fritzie Zivic San Francisco, CA W10 4 Dec Lew Jenkins Portland, OR KO8 14 Dec Saverio Turiello San Francisco, CA KO4 1943 5 Jan Jimmy McDaniels Los Angeles, CA W10 2 Mar Willie Joyce Los Angeles, CA L10 8 Mar Tippy Larkin San Francisco, CA KO2 22 Mar Al Tribuani Philadelphia, PA W10 2 Apr Beau Jack New York, NY L10 30 Apr Saverio Turiello Washington, DC KO5 7 May Tommy Jessup Boston, MA KO1 24 May Maxie Shapiro Philadelphia, PA KO7 11 Jun Sammy Angott New York, NY W10 24 Jul Willie Joyce Hollywood, CA W10 6 Aug Jimmy Garrison Portland, OR W10 14 Aug Joey Silva Spokane, WA W10 27 Aug Ray Robinson New York, NY L10 1944 14 Jan Aldo Spoldi Portland, OR KO3 26 Jan Saverio Turiello Kansas City, MO KO7 7 Feb Lew Hanbury Washington, DC KO3 23 Feb Jimmy Garrison Kansas City, MO KO5 29 Feb Jackie Byrd Des Moines, IA KO4 14 Mar Johnny Jones Miami, FL KO5 30 Mar Frankie Wills Washington, DC W10 24 Mar Ralph Zanelli Boston, MA W10 25 Apr John Thomas Los Angeles, CA W10 16 May Ralph Zanelli Boston, MA W10 22 May Aaron Perry Washington, DC KO6 2 Jun Willie Joyce Chicago, IL L10 15 Jun Al Davis New York, NY KO2 21 Jun Nick Latsios Washington, DC W10 4 Jul John Thomas Los Angeles, CA L10 14 Jul Slugger White Hollywood, CA D10 21 Aug Willie Joyce San Francisco, CA W10 15 Sep Aldo Spoldi St. Louis, MO KO2 4 Nov Mike Belloise Portland, OR KO4 1945 17 Jan Chester Slider Oakland, CA D10 6 Feb Genaro Rojo Los Angeles, CA W10 14 Feb Chester Slider Oakland, CA L10