Jimmy Garrison: Henry Armstrong Title Challenger
Jimmy Garrison was an American boxer from Kansas City, Missouri, who twice challenged Henry Armstrong for the world welterweight championship in 1939. Known as the “Mud Flats Kid,” he competed in the lightweight and welterweight ranks and also faced larger opponents. Much of his career was based in Southern California, particularly Hollywood.
Career and championship record
Boxing records identify Garrison as an orthodox fighter, standing 168 centimeters tall with a listed reach of 163 centimeters. His managers included Charlie Perry and Jimmy Murray. His professional schedule brought him into competition with leading fighters across several weight divisions, including Armstrong and middleweight contender Jack Chase.
Garrison’s first championship meeting with Armstrong took place at the Olympic Auditorium in Los Angeles on October 24, 1939. Armstrong won a points decision over ten rounds and retained the welterweight title. The recorded weights were 138 pounds for Armstrong and 140 for Garrison, both below the division’s 147-pound limit.
The rematch followed on December 11 in Cleveland. Armstrong won by knockout at 1:19 of the seventh round of a scheduled ten-round contest. Garrison weighed 141 pounds, while Armstrong weighed 139. The two bouts therefore produced different endings but the same championship outcome: Armstrong remained the titleholder.
Garrison faced Armstrong again in 1943 and 1944 and lost both encounters. The sequence connects his 1939 championship challenges with later welterweight competition, after Armstrong’s title reign had ended. His record also includes victories over Frankie Klick, Georgie Crouch, Tony Chavez, Henry Woods, Toby Vigil and Cecil Hudson.
Historical summaries of The Ring’s rankings credit Garrison with appearances in the lightweight and welterweight ratings between 1936 and 1944, reaching a highest position of fourth. His title challenges and ranked opposition form the documented basis of his standing as a contender during that period.
Garrison died on April 18, 1966, aged 54. A retrospective feature entitled “A Fighting Irishman” appeared in the December 1968 issue of Boxing Illustrated, providing a later account of his boxing career.
Sources
Additional sources: https://boxrec.com/wiki/images/e/eb/Jimmy_Garrison.pdf
Additional sources: https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Jimmy_Garrison; https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Henry_Armstrong_vs._Jimmy_Garrison; https://boxrec.com/wiki/index.php/Henry_Armstrong_vs._Jimmy_Garrison_%282nd_meeting%29
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