Boxing History
Armstrong against Roderick: When the British boxer dared to challenge the best warrior on the planet
Published
1 month agoon

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 12th 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.
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In my last column, I mistakenly stated that Frankie Lucas failed to twice the boxing to the British medium title. I said he lost to both Kevin Finnegan and Alan Minter. It was of course Tony Sibson, not Minter, who defeated Lucas in his second attempt in the title in 1979. This error will now be repaired by recognizing the meteor’s growth of juvenile Sibson in the ranks at the beginning of his career. Tony’s five -time victory over Lucas was for a free British title, because Minter actually slowed him down. Sibson also maintained the titles of the Nations Community, as well as European ones at a time when these titles meant something and he boxed three times to the world belts, both in medium weight and in hefty weight.
Ecdicted by the notable “Sibbo army”, Tony had an extremely scarce attribute, which makes the warrior so observed because he could take his man at any time with one blow. His contemporaries, Dave Green and Jimmy Flint, were similar types. Each of them brought drama and strict energy to their competitions, and fans loved them.
Sibson was not the best amateur. In 1975 he reported to Adolescent England against the Irish team, but he was not a fertile winner of the title with a vest. However, he came from struggle wrestling, because his relationship Wally Sibson won 19 of 30 competitions at the beginning of the 1920s. Tony became a professional in 1976 and was managed by Carl Gunns, who then developed a fairly useful stable of Leicester fighters, including Mick Bell, Romal Ambrose, Adey Allen, Tony Hague, Carl North and Larry Richards. Carl was Tony’s coach in Belgrave ABC and he understood the potential of a juvenile boy and Sibson did not last long to become a star of his stable.
The first victory of Sibbo took place on his 18th birthday and after winning the next 12 convincing, the last of them was the 59-second Gareth lightning “Tasha” Jones, he was ready to debut in his hometown in Dave Roden’s show at De Montfort Hall in Leicester.
This aged room was first used for boxing during World War II, when Jack London and Bruce Woodcock, both masters of British heavyweight, fought there. The place was also used in the 1960s, when Bill-Toppers included Mick Greaves, Rocky Campbell and Jack Bodell. Leicester has not seen a professional boxing for nine years, and Sibbo was just a man who managed his awakening.
Bonny McKenzie from Cardiff took the fight at 16:00 the same day after Paddy Doherty from Belfast left his flight, and the Welsh gave Tony a fight before he stopped in cuts in seven rounds, after he was in the competition twice as aged. This victory anticipated Tony in the top ten British, and during the next competition in Hall Sonny Kamunga was easily overtaken.
After completing a series of six straight at the distance of victory, Sibson was tailored to Zambia, Lottie Mwala, during his third competition in a local hall and it was generally expected that Sibson would win, boxing messages correctly predicted that it would not be basic, “gold medalist from the Games of the Community of nations was recognized in six fights.” This opinion turned out to be extremely prophetic when he pulled out Sibson with the law measured, which meant that Leicester was unconscious before he hit the floor.
Sibson returned with revenge, learned from his defeat and became one of the best fighters of Great Britain by the rest of his career and the way the American destroyed the American, John Collins in two rounds in Atlantic City in 1983, is a lesson in the object on the employ of raw, controlled power. The fight is on YouTube, look at it.
Boxing History
On this day: Andrew Golota stunned the gap when he gave up Mike Tyson
Published
16 hours agoon
April 18, 2025
In 2000, at the Palace in Detroit, the former heavyweight king Mike Tyson scored a quick TKO over notoriously unstable Andrew Golota, but the victory that occurred when Golota refused to start the third round, was later changed to the lack of because Tyson touched the drug test.
1. The fight, which was called “Showdown in Motown”, was promoted by Lois Hearns, mother of the legendary “Hitman” Thomas Hearnswhich leads in entertainment Hearns.
2. As part of the fight, boxing writers had a day in the field, asking if it is actually possible for Tyson and Golota-Okór with the most controversial bad boys from boxing-to an sincere and flawless competition.
3
4. Getting to knock down thanks to his powerful right hand a few seconds before the end of the opening session, Tyson looked on the road to the next explosive victory of KO. But Golota, after injury at the beginning of the second round, held his fire for landing. An unforgettable fight was damaged.
5. However, Golot, who raised the cut above the left eye, and then livid both Tyson and fans, refusing to go to the third round. “I threw,” told Judge Frank Garz. Golota also claimed that Tyson deliberately hit him on the first round, and the violation causes the cut in his eye. The Golota corner, Al Certo, begged his warrior to continue the fight, trying to force the rubber cover to the mouth of Golota in the third round. “I should have pushed his ass,” noted the Certo later.
Or Golota was thrown with beer cups and other things by an annoyed crowd when he went to the wardrobe.
7. Golota, later happened, beat. The trip to the hospital revealed how he suffered, along with cutting above the eye, brain shock, broken cheekbone and a hernia plate around the neck.
8. After the fight and sudden ending, people tried to find out what happened. The then corner of Tyson, Tommy Brooks, said that in his opinion Golota suffered an attack and was not a coward. Certo also revealed how his warrior really wanted to give up after the first round.
9. Advisor Tyson Shelly Finkel told the press that the fight in Golota would be the last fight of Tyson. Instead, the former champion boxed (during the break) for the next five years, winning two more trips and stopped in the other three. Golota returned in 2003, boxing irregularly until 2009, only to return at the beginning of 2013 – with a possible fight this year.
10. The Tyson-Golota fight is in record books as NC 3, because Tyson has obtained a positive marijuana test.
Boxing History
On this day: Evander Holyfield needs only one right hand to drop Buster Douglas to get a full number in Las Vegas
Published
1 day agoon
April 17, 2025
Evander Holyfield in Ko 3 James “Burster” Douglas
October 25, 1990; Mirage Hotel & Casino, Las Vegas, NV
Do not watch this and expect one of the biggest fights in heavyweight history. Nevertheless, it’s worth visiting. Finishing with Holyfield, when he swayed from the Upper Upper Bulban, before he punished Douglas with his right hand, is very impressive, even if the master’s efforts of the uprising attracted understandable criticism at the time. There is also flashes – Buster’s stab and a wise right hand in the third round – about how great the fight it could be if Douglas regained his determination that fuel his victory over Mike Tyson, eight months earlier. Although the hangover has been destroying Douglas for years for years, Holyfield took a long time to generate the respect he deserved.
Do you know? The huge $ 200,000 was accepted by bookmakers for the Holyfield betting to win Douglas (at 246 pounds he was 15 pounds more than when he defeated Tyson) was revealed on the eve of the fight.
Watch out for: Things before the fight are captivating, just like the forecast of the legendary writer Bert Sugar, that Douglas will win. He is so satisfied and authoritative that you were forgiven twice checking the result.

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