Henry Armstrong vs Fritzie Zivic

Only eleven days separated Henry Armstrong’s previous title defence from the night Fritzie Zivic ended his long reign as welterweight champion. Armstrong had stopped Phil Furr in four rounds at Washington on September 23, then returned to meet Zivic over 15 rounds at Madison Square Garden on October 4, 1940. Before 12,081 spectators, the 4-1 underdog secured a unanimous decision and became champion after one of the roughest title contests staged at the Garden.

Armstrong weighed in at 142 pounds and Zivic at 146. The champion had made 18 successive defences of the welterweight title and had previously held the featherweight, lightweight and welterweight championships simultaneously. Zivic entered with more than 120 contests behind him but had been prevented by an uneven record from receiving an earlier championship opportunity. His decisive victory over lightweight champion Sammy Angott in a non-title match five weeks before brought him to the attention of promoter Mike Jacobs, who had originally considered Angott as Armstrong’s next challenger.

The champion took immediate command, boring forward in his accustomed crouch and working continuously with both hands. Zivic moved away from the corners, slipped what he could and countered to the body, but the pace left him little opportunity to develop an attack of his own. Armstrong crowded him through the first three rounds, punching at close quarters and using his shoulders and head as the two men struggled for position. Zivic, whose reputation for rough tactics was already well established, was initially cautious about retaliating in kind.

A cut appeared over Armstrong’s left eye in the fourth, though he continued to force the fighting in the fifth and sixth. Zivic began finding room for short right uppercuts and left hooks, particularly when Armstrong entered with his head low, but the champion’s work rate kept him ahead through the opening portion. The infighting was severe and contained repeated use of elbows, shoulders, heads and gloves around the eyes. Referee Arthur Donovan issued no decisive intervention, and the contest became progressively less orderly.

The direction changed in the seventh. Zivic stopped retreating, met Armstrong at close range and began landing the right uppercut with increasing regularity. Armstrong’s forward method, so effective against opponents unable to match his pace, now carried him onto the challenger’s counters. Zivic also answered the champion’s rough work with fouls of his own. In later accounts, he freely admitted using his head, elbows and thumbs. Armstrong’s handlers maintained that lacing and thumbing were chiefly responsible for the damage around his eyes, although both men had contributed to the disorder inside.

From the eighth through the tenth, Zivic became the more accurate fighter. His uppercuts lifted Armstrong’s head as the champion came forward, and he followed them with hooks to the face and body. By the ninth, Armstrong’s left eye had narrowed badly, and the right was also swelling. His vision and timing were affected, yet he continued pressing because he could not win at Zivic’s longer range. The challenger was now able to step aside from Armstrong’s charges and strike him as he passed.

Armstrong’s condition worsened in the eleventh and twelfth. He remained active, but many of his punches were thrown without their earlier accuracy, while Zivic’s shorter blows continued to reach the damaged eyes. The challenger controlled much of the thirteenth and fourteenth in the same manner, catching Armstrong with uppercuts and compact hooks as the champion tried to work inside. Despite Zivic’s apparent late advantage, the official scoring remained close. Armstrong was level on two cards entering the final round, leaving the championship dependent upon the last three minutes.

The fifteenth opened with Armstrong making one more determined attack. Zivic stood before him rather than moving away, and for a short period they exchanged at close quarters. Armstrong forced the challenger backwards but could not sustain the effort. His legs weakened, his punches lost their force, and Zivic took over. In the closing seconds, a left hook and right hand sent Armstrong reeling before he went to the canvas at the bell. Some contemporary accounts described the final fall as the result of a push rather than a clean knockdown, and no count was completed. Armstrong was exhausted and badly cut, but had lasted the distance.

Donovan and judge Marty Monroe each awarded Zivic eight rounds to seven. Judge John Potter gave Zivic eight rounds, Armstrong five and called two even. The Associated Press also favoured Zivic, nine rounds to six. The verdict was close in figures but deserved, for Zivic had taken control after the sixth and finished as the stronger and more accurate man. Armstrong did not dispute the result, although he objected to the methods used against his eyes and later said that excessive activity had left him tired before the contest.

Zivic praised the beaten champion’s courage after the decision, calling him the gamest opponent he had encountered. The victory gave Zivic the undisputed welterweight championship and ended one of the busiest title reigns in boxing history. A return match was arranged for January 1941, when Zivic again defeated Armstrong, this time by stoppage in the twelfth round. Armstrong later gained a measure of repayment by outpointing him in a non-title contest in 1942.

Sadly, I cannot find any film of this fight, although footage of their second meeting survives. I would love to see the first because Armstrong and Zivic rank among the greatest fighters of any era, and contemporary reports describe a contest full of technical craft, physical pressure and plenty of rule-bending.

Armstrong had defended his welterweight title only eleven days earlier. That schedule was ridiculous, even for a man accustomed to fighting constantly. He started strongly, crowding Zivic and working with both hands, but the challenger gradually solved the pressure. Zivic’s short right uppercut was the important punch because Armstrong’s low, forward movement carried him straight onto it.

There is no point pretending Zivic fought cleanly. He used his head, elbows, laces and thumbs, and later admitted as much. Armstrong was hardly innocent himself, but Zivic was the master of that dark trade. Once referee Arthur Donovan allowed them to work roughly, the fight moved in Zivic’s favour. Armstrong’s eyes were badly damaged, and his effectiveness declined over the closing rounds.

The official scores were close, yet I believe the decision was correct. Zivic finished stronger and nearly overwhelmed Armstrong in the fifteenth. Without film, we must be careful about declaring exactly how every foul occurred, but the available reports agree on the essential point: Zivic beat a tired but still formidable Armstrong and earned the title.