Henry Armstrong’s Top 12 Greatest Performances Remembered in Boxing

Henry Armstrong’s greatest ring performances are being remembered through a ranking of his top 12 victories, with entries 12 to 7 featuring six notable fights. The selection includes wins over Sammy Angott, Fritzie Zivic, Pedro Montanez, Ceferino Garcia and Mike Belloise, as well as Armstrong’s disputed defeat by Lou Ambers.

Armstrong finished his career with 151 wins and more than 100 knockouts in less than 15 years. He became the undisputed champion at featherweight, lightweight and welterweight at the same time, an achievement that has not been repeated. His opponents included several fighters who later entered the Hall of Fame.

At number 12, Armstrong’s 10-round decision over Angott on June 11, 1943, is recognised as an upset against a former champion who had been favoured before the bout. The fight took place at Madison Square Garden in New York. One place higher is the December 1942 decision against Zivic in San Francisco, a victory that followed two defeats by the same opponent in 1940.

Montanez is ranked 10th after Armstrong stopped the Puerto Rican in the ninth round on January 24, 1940. The welterweight champion dropped the challenger three times before the referee ended the contest. At number nine is Armstrong’s 15-round loss to Ambers on August 22, 1939, when he surrendered his lightweight title in a fiercely contested rematch. Five rounds were deducted from Armstrong for low-blow offences, while 14 of 27 sportswriters surveyed believed he had done enough to win.

The eighth-ranked performance came against Garcia on November 25, 1938. Armstrong overcame the Filipino contender by unanimous decision after 15 rounds, despite giving away more than 12 pounds, and made the first defence of his welterweight championship. Garcia had won 10 consecutive fights as a middleweight before that challenge.

The list places Armstrong’s fourth-round knockout of Belloise at number seven. Their March 13, 1937, non-title rematch marked Armstrong’s first appearance in New York City and at Madison Square Garden. After winning their earlier meeting on points, Armstrong ended the return bout with a left hook at the close of the fourth round.