Henry Armstrong vs Howard Scott

Five welterweight title defences in 22 days formed one of the most demanding passages of Henry Armstrong’s championship career, and the second of them came only four nights after he had stopped Al Manfredo in Iowa. On 13 October 1939, the champion entered the ring at the Armory in Minneapolis to meet Howard Scott of Claremore, Oklahoma, in a contest scheduled for ten rounds. Armstrong’s New York State Athletic Commission, National Boxing Association and Ring Magazine championships were recognised as being at stake.

Armstrong came to Minneapolis with a record of 99 victories, 13 defeats and seven draws. His lightweight championship had been lost to Lou Ambers at Yankee Stadium in August, but he remained the undisputed ruler of the welterweights and had resumed his customary heavy programme. Scott was an experienced campaigner who had shared the ring with Ambers, Tony Canzoneri, Battling Battalino, Frankie Klick and Pedro Montañez. He had often proved competitive against accomplished opposition, although his form had declined sharply by the autumn of 1939. Against Armstrong, he faced a champion whose pace was difficult enough to withstand after a full preparation, let alone during such a crowded schedule.

Armstrong went immediately to close quarters in the opening round. There was little preliminary sparring. He advanced behind a crouching guard, worked his way inside and crowded Scott before the challenger could establish his jab or obtain room for a straight right. Armstrong’s method depended upon continual pressure rather than isolated attacks. He struck to the body, brought short punches upstairs and remained close enough to begin again whenever Scott attempted to reset himself.

Scott was driven backwards and sent to the canvas during the first round. He rose and completed the session, but the knockdown made plain the difference in strength and sustained punching. Armstrong did not give him sufficient space to recover his balance or settle into a defensive rhythm. Scott could tie him up briefly, but the champion resumed work as soon as the men were separated. There were no significant fouls and no dispute over Armstrong’s command of the round.

The second began with the same relentless pressure. Scott was already showing the effects of the first round and again found himself forced towards the ropes by Armstrong’s compact combinations. The champion continued to shorten the distance, striking with both hands and denying Scott the time required to organise a reply. A second knockdown brought the contest to its conclusion. Referee Johnny Sokol completed the count, giving Armstrong victory by knockout at 1 minute 38 seconds of the second round. Judges Johnny DeOtis and Britt Gorman had been appointed, but their scorecards were not required.

The victory was Armstrong’s 100th recorded win and another entry in an October schedule that would be considered excessive even by the standards of that period. He stopped Richie Fontaine in Seattle seven days later, outpointed Jimmy Garrison over ten rounds in Los Angeles on 24 October and halted Bobby Pacho in Denver six nights after that. Thus, between 9 and 30 October, Armstrong made five recognised welterweight title defences in five different cities, winning four by stoppage.

Scott fought only once more before leaving the ring. His defeat in Minneapolis was decisive, but it should be placed against the quality of the man who beat him. Armstrong was operating at his peak, carrying his pressure from one contest to the next with scarcely enough time for ordinary rest, much less a fresh training camp. The challenger survived the opening knockdown and continued to resist, but he possessed neither the strength to hold Armstrong away nor the movement to escape his persistent advance. The matter was settled in less than five minutes of fighting.

There is no film of Armstrong against Howard Scott, so I am not going to pretend I can analyse every movement. The record tells us enough. Armstrong dropped Scott in each round and finished him after 1 minute 38 seconds of the second round, only four days after stopping Al Manfredo.

Scott had mixed with Lou Ambers, Tony Canzoneri and Pedro Montañez, but his form had gone, and Armstrong was operating on another level. What stands out is the schedule. This was the second of five welterweight title defences Armstrong made in 22 days. Modern champions sometimes require months between fights. Armstrong travelled from city to city, kept making weight and kept overwhelming respectable professionals. That is why his record still looks scarcely believable.