Davey Armstrong’s Two Olympic Campaigns Anchored a Decorated Boxing Career
Davey Armstrong represented the United States at the 1972 Munich and 1976 Montreal Olympics, with Pan American Games gold between those appearances. The Tacoma boxer developed a substantial amateur résumé before moving into the professional lightweight ranks in 1980.
Career highlights
Born in Tacoma, Washington, on June 9, 1956, Armstrong competed at light flyweight in Munich and finished equal ninth. Four years later, he boxed at featherweight in Montreal, reaching the quarterfinals and an equal-fifth-place finish.
In Montreal, Armstrong defeated Anatoly Volkov and Tibor Badari before losing a close decision to Cuba’s Ángel Herrera. Herrera went on to win the gold medal. Armstrong’s amateur achievements also included featherweight gold at the 1975 Pan American Games and AAU championships in 1972, 1975, 1976 and 1979.
The professional chapter
Armstrong began his professional career in 1980 and won twenty-two of his first twenty-three bouts. Olympedia records his final professional totals as twenty-four wins, three defeats and fourteen knockout victories. He retired in 1983 after competing as a lightweight.
After boxing, he worked as a bookkeeper for the city of Seattle. Armstrong died on February 8, 2021, aged sixty-four. His sporting legacy rests on sustained national-level amateur success, two Olympic selections and a brief professional career that began with an extended run of victories.
Sources
- Olympedia: Davey Armstrong biography and career record
- Olympedia: Montreal 1976 featherweight tournament
Article Tags
Davey Armstrong, Boxing, Combat sports
