Clarence Henry

Lost Boys.

 

Just read that he first picked up boxing gloves when he was 20 (after coming home from 8 months of WWII service) and had won an amateur title 6 months later.

 

Henry's career was effectively ended by the eye injury he suffered while training for a rematch with Archie Moore in September 1952. He was out for a year, and though he did make a comeback he never fully recovered and a second operation in 1954 forced his retirement.

The story about trying to bribe Bobby Jones $15,000 to lose to Giardello is a strange one. Giardello was around a 2-1 favourite, so if this was a betting scam whoever was behind it would have had to bet a huge sum just to break even, let alone make enough profit to make the whole exercise worthwhile.

 

Henry was undoubtedly not working on his own account - someone put him up to the job of trying to bribe Jones, probably because Jones knew him and might trust him more than he would a stranger. In fact Jones had already gone to the commission the previous day to report that a man he didn't recognise had offered him $5000 to throw the fight. That's why there were detectives ready and waiting so that Henry was picked up immediately when he came along with the increased offer.

I don't think anyone knows exactly what the motivation for all this was - as I said, the odds weren't good enough to make the fight tempting for a betting scam. Giardello was coming off an upset loss to Pierre Langlois and really needed the win against Jones to get back on track as a top contender and possibly get a shot at Olson's title. It may be that his backers decided to put the result beyond doubt.

Ultimately Henry pleaded guilty and got away with a suspended sentence. It was too late to ban him because his eye injury had already ended his career. It's a sad tale.

 

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Check this out, particularly watch the baker performance

henry could punch..and I mean PUNCH. He had a viscous left hook and fast hands. Electrifying.



“Before Henry was blind in one eye ('n even then), he was a thing-a-beauty to watch -- silky smooth 'n lethal -- a CLOSER.

The guy that lost to Hurricane Jackson wasn't even a pale imitation of Henry.

But because Henry's natural inclination was to close the show, not box, think he'd trade with Marciano 'n come out second best.”- Joe Rein, boxing enthusiast

 

He ran into Moore at his peak, but he gave Harold Johnson quite the battle. Unfortunately he missed out on Charles, Walcott, and Louis (came close to happening) in 51-52 which would have told us where he stood. Marciano was obviously the biggest what if, Henry’s team did offer $40,000 to marcianos camp in title eliminator. Weill turned them down and signed to fight Lee Savold. Lastarza’s management admitted ducking Henry. We know Henry wouldn’t have beaten a prime Marciano, but would have been a much more entertaining fight than ding dong lee

henry was a dangerous puncher and mob connected. I really don’t think he was going to get a lot of big fights for those reasons. He went blind early on unfortunately

 

This type of thread is why Iove this forum. Great stuff - thanks all!

 

Clarence Henry had a lot of potential, but I think his original team made a big mistake letting Dempsey come in and become his manager. Dempsey was great in a limited advisory role and great for bringing publicity to his fighter, but when it came to matchmaking and slowly developing a fighter he had a bad track record.

Here is a piece on Clarence Henry and Jack Dempsey.

Dempsey's back in action!

That was the exciting shout around Main St. Gym recently when the onetime Manassa Mauler donned his old fight togs and entered the ring to do combat with Clarence Henry.

And it wasn't just a gag on the part of the most popular ex-heavyweight champion of all time. Dempsey was fighting for a purpose, that being to test and to show Henry, his undefeated heavyweight protege, the ins and outs of the game which he helped make so popular back in the roaring 20s.

It was quite a sight to see Dempsey back in there, his black eyes dancing in angry anticipation, sweat dripping from his brow and his 54-year-old legs carrying him forward into the sharp, youthful fists of a young ambitious kid who wasn't even born when Dempsey engaged Gene Tunney in those two great title matches, the first of which took place 3 years ago Friday.

It was not a swap of easy taps. Dempsey can't go that route. Put a pair of gloves on him and he's ready to slug it out with any foe until one or the other falls.

And don't let those few gray hairs fool you. Dempsey's still a fighter by instinct. At 220 pounds he was puffing a bit after the workout, but otherwise he said he felt fine.

"Probably could stand a little roadwork," he laughed.

Awe-struck the first few seconds of action, Henry allowed Dempsey to nail him with a few lefts. Then it suddenly dawned on the kid that the old master wasn't playing. When he discovered Dempsey meant real business Henry went to work. It made for an exciting swat-fest.

After it was over Henry confided to a spectator:

"I'm glad I wasn't around when that guy was champ. I wouldn't want to work too much with him even today."

It's always been Dempsey's desire to guide a young heavyweight to the championship. He's been connected with a few. They flashed briefly, then faded. Such might discourage some guys, but not Jack. He keeps pitching.

In Henry, 1948 Times Golden Gloves champ, Dempsey feels he's got the real goods. He wasn't sure at first, but after viewing Henry in his two recent kayo victories over Baby Dutch Culbertson and Jay Lambert, Dempsey is showing definite signs of optimism.

"That left hand is dynamite," Dempsey said of Henry after he stopped Lambert. "And he stopped Lambert. "And the way he throws it to the stomach is a thing to behold. Most modern fighters are head-hunters, but not Henry. He hits 'em where they can't take it.

Henry, a converted southpaw makes little use of his right. This Dempsey intends to correct. He demands a two-fisted fighter.

Present plans call for Dempsey and his partner, Movie Magnate Sam Stiefel, to Keep Henry on the Coast for a least another year. If he makes out as his handlers expect, Dempsey will move him East and eventually work him around into a challenging spot.

We'll be getting a pretty fair line on Henry next Tuesday night. It's then he'll face his toughest assignment to date when he fights Jimmy Bivins in a 10-rounder at the Olympic.

This may be further evidence of Jack's faith in his latest discovery.
https://imgur.com/q17L0vB
https://imgur.com/M3rRERu

Here is picture Clarence Henry and Jack Dempsey sparring
https://imgur.com/Ni3YCGL

Here is a piece on Clarence Henry facing defeat for the first time as a pro against Jimmy Bivins. A lot of managers such a Weill were critical of Dempsey putting Henry who didn't even have 20 fights under his belts against a seasoned vet like Bivins.

Jimmy Bivins topples Henry from ranks of the unbeaten

Members of the California mitt fraternity today were seriously thinking of putting up road blocks to keep out "undesirable" eastern fighters after another of their unbeaten boys went down to defeat last night in the Olympic ring.

The latest to join the defeated ranks as a title contender in the heavyweight ranks. Not so long ago a gent named Beau Jack whipped unbeaten Johnny Gonzales in Oakland and unbeaten Tote Martinez at the Olympic.

Henry had the misfortune of running into Jimmy Bivins last night an he became a technical knockout victim at 2:59 of the eighth heat.

For only one round did Henry look like he might live up to his beautiful press clippings, and that was the first. He out punched the veteran Bivins in close and at long range, but what happened after that pathetic.

Henry, tiring midway through the second round, never recovered was in the fight thereafter as Bivins mauled and punched him full of holes to snap the Jack Dempsey tutored heavyweight's win streak at 11 in a row.

As the fight progressed Henry became more arm weary and tossed less punches despite pleas from his corner and referee Joe Stone, and at 2:50 of the eighth he collapsed to the deck from a push and stone never hesitated a second to hoist Bivins arm in token of victory.

Had Bivins opened up with both hands Henry would probably have hit the deck much sooner, but as it was Bivins toyed with his tired rival and punched only hard enough to win the rounds.

Why Henry tired as early as the second round remains a mystery.

Either he was over-trained, or lost his fight in the dressing room. Henry had never traveled 10 full rounds before the Bivins tiff, but he did get over two last night before it was obvious Kid Fatigue was getting the best of him.

And when that old tired feeling bested Henry he lost his punching powers, blocking ability and ambition to fight back, which made Bivins' task a very simple one.

A crowd of 3783 paid a gross of $7521 to witness the tame affair. Bivins weighed 183.5 and was a 10-7 favorite. Henry scaled 181.
https://imgur.com/llNcJV1

Here is a picture from the fight with Bivins standing over a defeated Henry.
https://imgur.com/h0jjak5

 

Henry was very good,

but what is missing from his resume is a win over a really top man. Bivins was slipping and Baker was always a notch below the top men like Moore. Satterfield was in and out.

Henry missed out on the top heavyweights. Perhaps they didn't think the risk was worth the reward or perhaps it was just never the right time. He didn't fight Louis, Charles, Walcott, or Marciano, or Layne. He did fight the top light-heavies, Johnson and Moore, and lost to both of them. Leaves his actual record coming up a bit short of top status.

 

That's why I love classic.
You can learn stuff on here about guys that never really shine out or are mostly forgotten.
Great posts lads!

 

His fight against moore wasnt an upset moore had over 100 fights and ur gonna tell me henry did a upset loss how tf can u win against Archie moore hes a genius

 

Could he have beaten prime Mike Tyson