A Mississippi native, Henry Armstrong, is the only boxer to ever hold three world titles at the same time. Although the fighter was only 5 feet 5-1/2 inches tall, he was a champion known as "Homicide Hank." In only ten months, Armstrong won his triple crown.

Henry Armstrong was actually born Henry Jackson on December 12, 1912, in Columbus, Mississippi, and was the eleventh of 15 children. He was named after his father, Henry Jackson, Sr., who was of Irish, Indian, and African American descent. His mother, America Jackson, was half-Cherokee Indian.

When Henry was four years old, his family moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where he later attended Toussaint L’Ouverture Grammar School. His small physical frame and the red tint of his curly hair led many school children to tease him and call him "Red." In his defense, he began to fight and discovered he was good at it, so he decided to be a boxer.

Henry’s mother died of consumption in 1918. His paternal grandmother, Henrietta Chatman, moved in with the family, and was a great help in raising the children. She was dedicated to the idea that this grandson should grow up to be a minister.

At Vashon High School, Armstrong excelled academically. He was elected class president and was eventually the valedictorian of his graduating class. At the same time, he developed his physical strength through good self-discipline.

When young Armstrong got a job with the Missouri Pacific Railroad, to help support his family, he used a sledgehammer in order to build up his muscles. Many times he ran behind the handcar to get his exercise. After leaving the railroad in an effort to make lots of money boxing, Henry became a shoeshine boy in Los Angeles and invited his father and grandmother to come live with him.

Henry met Tom Cox, a fight manager, who hired him for three dollars. In 1931, he scored 66 knockouts and lost none of his contests. In 1932, he became a professional boxer. He was short in height but was a fast and powerful fighter. Throughout his career, he was titled with many nicknames, some being "Homicide Hank," "Perpetual Motion," "The Human Buzz Saw," and "Hammerin’ Henry." Between 1937 and mid-1938, he had 47 straight wins and three world titles.

Armstrong became Featherweight Champion of the World in October 1937. In May 1938, he became Welterweight Champion of the World, and in August, he was named the Lightweight Champion of the World in the bloodiest fight of his career. These three world titles came in less than a year’s time. During that time, he also produced and played himself in a movie about his life entitled "Keep Punching."

When Armstrong retired in 1945 at 32 years of age, he had won 151 of his 181 bouts, 101 by knockout. Henry had 21 losses and 9 draws.

After his illustrious career in boxing, he began to focus on God, remembering that his mother and grandmother had always wanted him to be a minister. In 1951, the Morning Star Baptist Church ordained him as a minister and large crowds began to attend his meetings.

Henry Armstrong was inducted into the Boxing Hall of Fame in 1954, beside Joe Louis and Jack Dempsey. In 1975, he became a member of the Black Athletes Hall of Fame. Finally, in 1990, the world famous boxer was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame, two years after his death due to heart failure. Armstrong was added to the St. Louis Walk of Fame in 1995.

In addition to being a true champion as a boxer and an effective minister of the gospel, Armstrong worked diligently to prevent juvenile delinquency by setting up youth foundations and boys clubs to reach out to the younger generations. Fellow boxers assisted him in these projects.

Mississippi is proud to claim Henry Armstrong as a native son. He followed his dream to become a champion fighter, ministered to multitudes of youth, and even wrote poems and an autobiography for publication. The boxer may have been small in stature, but he was a mighty big man in every other way.