In England in the summer months of 1939 it was clear that a storm was coming. Just over two decades from the end of the First World War in Europe, another terrible conflict approached. However, the danger also approached the West, in the shape of a hurricane. Leaving a trace of destruction, he showed no signs of a slowdown. This storm will hit London on May 25, and his name was Huragan Henry Armstrong.

Armstrong is certainly the second greatest warrior for Sugar Ray Robinson, who took part in a professional boxing match in Great Britain. However, in 1951 it was an unlimited and underestimated Robinson, who lost to Randy Turpin. The Henry Armstrong version from 1939, which came to London, was removed from the largest year of his career and a series of victories, which are one of the most amazing achievements in the history of boxing.

Henry’s grandfather was a white owner of slaves. His grandmother was a slave. There were 11 out of 15 children and grew up in St. Louis, Missouri. Despite the usually modest beginnings, his place in the history of boxing is forever protected as the first man who organized the world championship in three weight divisions at the same time: featherweight, lightweight and half -weight. He won his first crown in October 1937, attracting a featherweight title from Petey Sarron. He won Barney Ross’s welterweight title in May 1938, and then released Lou Ambers from the airy championship championship three months later.

When he arrived in London in 1939, he was still a champion in two divisions, abandoning the title of a featherweight without losing him in the ring. That he would sit after the imagination of havoc, in 1937 he won all 27 fights, 26 after detention.

The man he was about to face the ring at the Harringay Arena in May 1939 was Ernie Roderick from Liverpool. Boxing fans like to talk about who is the greatest British warrior who has never won the title of world champion. Ernie deserves his place in this conversation. Armstrong has come to defend his world welterweight title. Roderick was then a British champion. He would have this title for almost 10 years. Later in his career he was also the European champion of the same weight and briefly had the title of British medium. He was a worthy claimant to the crown of Armstrong and took two places in the world according to the Ring magazine as the fight was approaching.

Ernie was a generation where life had a great impact on both world wars. He was born on the eve of the First World War, and his chance to success the title of the world took place just before the second. Entering Armstrong, he was never knocked out in 98 competitions in his career starting in 1931. From 1935 he experienced only two defeats and one draw with 58 wins.

He was in a series of 23 consecutive wins, whose culmination is the British title, defeating Jake Kilrain just two months before the armestrong shot.

Armstrong usually had a busy year, with a defense against Roderick the fifth competition in 1939. He has already undo the challenges in Los Angeles, Havana, St. Louis and Novel York. His latest competition is 12^th Victory for round will stop with Davey Day in Madison Square Garden on March 31. Press reports described the fight as one of Henry’s most challenging fights, leaving him to need four seams on the left eye. Armstrong also claimed that he had hurt both hands in the fifth round. He had less than two full months to recover and prepare for Ernie.

The BLOKlin Christmas camp in Clacton-on-SEA had an additional attraction for vacationers in the behind schedule spring 1939, because it was a base chosen for Armstrong, when he came to Great Britain, but he was here in business, not pleasure.

Meanwhile, Roderick trained at Swan Inn in Augton, a few kilometers from Liverpool. He decided that he was his lucky camp, using him before a few key victories. Ernie was in a mood when the fight was approaching.

“I am not to brag, but if someone is knocked out on Thursday, it will be Armstrong. He was beaten earlier and I’m sure I can do the trick. “

The difference in weight would be one of the reasons for Roderick’s confidence. Despite the success of Henry in welterweight, until this point he never weighed over 135 pounds, a airy limit and 12 pounds in a maximum of welterweight. On the other hand, Roderick was a fully shown Heelter, who was also successful against heavier men, beating 14 average in medium weight. If a larger size is an advantage, it would be in favor of Ernie.

The place to fight for the title of world champion will be Harringay Arena, which was built only three years earlier. With about 10,000 people, it was built mainly for ice hockey, popular sport in the years before WW2. It had a removable floor, which could be placed above the ice if necessary for other events. Boxing was often staged there during the 22-year existence. The British Master of Weighty Libra, Len Harvey, fought three times on the spot and supported his countryman to win. In the column for Sunday ExpressHarvey expressed concern about Armstrong’s speed, but he felt that Ernie had a “sufficient brain” and a hit to change something.

“Roderick rests a lot on the shoulders. I have a feeling that he intends to do it. “

During the fight, as expected, it was a slight defense of the world welterweight title. Armstrong weighed 135 pounds to 145 ¾ pounds of Roderick. It turned out to be a disappointing crowd of no more than 5,000, but those who were awarded a Donnybrook to remember.

The first round went to Ernie because Henry devoted time to acceleration and evaluating his opponent. From there it was a long and painful battle for the British pretender. He had satisfaction with the survival of full 15 rounds, but the decision was never doubtful. Armstrong, as always, was tenacious with attacks on the body and head. In the ninth round, it seemed that Roderick could wither under pressure, but he was resistance to the stern, even achieving successes at 10 .. There was never any danger that Hank Hank was unable to keep up with the entire duration and entering the last round, in which he was on the fingers like a ballet dancer and still releases two fifth ponderous firewalls.

Boxing news He was full of both the winner and loser. Apparently Roderick was: “Just great. His fighting non -users’ spirit, his granite determination and his courage wonderful. “Respect was devoted to the fact that despite the attack he met, Ernie never seemed to satisfy the loss. He always looked for a way to land his own shots, even though the task turned out to be in vain.

For his part, Armstrong was a “complete miracle of his fist.”

“View in defense – he does not need the fact that his acceptance of the role of a Pugilist in constant motion creates a vortex of coming from every point of view that the other man put a real blow at all.”

Not all press reports were so nice for the British king of welterweight in his defeat. It was reported abroad that Armstrong “hit Roderick around the ring so easily that he almost looked like training a training camp.” It was also thought that if it wasn’t for the fact that Henry had damaged his hands again during the fight, he would win in space.

Regardless of this assumption, Ernie Roderick took a bold fight and went on a distance with probably the best warrior in the world, and a man who would be considered one of the best in history. Both men leave the competition with appreciation, looking back more than 80 years later. Armstrong has again demonstrated his ability to fight at a rate unbalanced for most fighters and the possibilities of it successfully against greater, high -quality opponents. Meanwhile, Roderick proved that he deserved his place in the ring with great all time.

Henry Armstrong returned to the ring less than three months later, losing the airy title of Lou Amber at points at the Yankee stadium. Despite the loss, Henry maintained a tight schedule, creating another 12 defense of the welterweight title, before he lost him with Fritza Zivic in 15 rounds in Madison Square Garden in October 1940. Finally, all the hurricanes blend.

Ernie continued boxing throughout the war, and also dragging himself to the Royal Air Force. In the end he lost his British Crown of the Country in 1948, also at Harringay Arena, Henry Hall at points in 15 rounds. Two years later he hung up the gloves. Roderick ended his career over 100 wins, including 45 by knockout. But in May 1939, when England prepared for the next war, Ernie stood in the face of Hurricane in Harringay. Maybe he did not win, but he did not release anyone and continued the fight, showing the kind of spirit whose country needed for battles.