Henry Clark
By Jim Amato
There were many who thought he was going to be the next Cassius Clay/Muhammad Ali. He was a tall, smooth boxing heavyweight with a world of potential. His professional career began in 1964 and before long he was mixing it up with some of the best fighters in the world, including a four round decision loss to the rugged Joey Orbill in his pro debut!
Less than two months later he pounded out a ten round verdict over future title challenger Manuel Ramos. The following year he whipped tough trial horse George “Scrapiron” Johnson. In 1966, he fought a no-decision bout with Amos “Big Train” Lincoln, and he lost a decision to highly regarded Zora Folley. The year 1967 saw Henry establish himself as a force in the heavyweight division by winning on points over Bill McMurray, Steve Grant on two occasions, Fred Lewis, Eddie Machen and Roger Rischer.
Henry opened 1968 by defeating the clever Leotis Martin. This led Henry into a major bout against come-backing ex-heavyweight king Sonny Liston. This was Sonny’s first major step on his comeback trail and he passed with flying colors. Sonny pummeled a game but overmatched Clark in scoring a seventh round stoppage.
The year 1969 had mixed results. Henry drew with Brian London and kayoed Bob Stallings. He then lost on points to “Florida” Al Jones and Jeff “Candy Slim” Merritt. In 1970, his best win was a points call over Jimmy “The King” Fletcher. In 1972, Henry won and lost to Jack “The Giant” O’Halloran. He was then stopped in nine rounds by an up and coming Ken Norton on the Muhammad Ali-Bob Foster undercard.
Henry came back to win three bouts in 1973 and then on March 4th 1974 in a rematch, Henry blew out the now ranked Jeff Merritt in one round. Henry quickly followed with a decision win over faded ex-contender Mac Foster. Henry remained unbeaten through four more fights and was then matched with the dangerous Earnie Shavers in Paris, France.
Try as he might for the KO, Shavers was unable to stop the wily Clark and had to settle for a hard earned points win over Henry. They met again six months later on the undercard of Ali-Norton III. This time Henry was overwhelmed by the murderous punching Shavers in two rounds.
Henry attempted to bounce back four months later but was defeated over ten by Howard “Kayo” Smith. Henry did not fight again for over two and a half years. When he did return he was defeated in ten rounds by fringe contender Bernardo Mercado.
Henry’s final tally was 32 wins, 12 losses and four draws. He scored seven knockouts but he was only stopped on three occasions. That was by Liston, Norton and Shavers. Surely no shame there.
Jim Amato is a participating member of both the Boxing Writers Association of America and the International Boxing Research Organization. He is a longtime correspondent of sport, both inside and outside the ring, and he is currently the president and owner of Amato Sports Memorabilia. Jim’s other works and “Legends of Leather” articles can be found at http://boxinggreats.multiply.com.
There are certain dates that will stick with you as long as you live. Your birthday, the birthdays of family members, anniversaries, the day that you got your divorce(s), etc…Happy and important days that mark milestones in your life.
Primo Carnera, the 13th lineal heavyweight champion of the world, known disparagingly as the “Ambling Alp” (perhaps as much for his naiveté as his lumbering giganticness), fought his entire career without knowledge that the majority of his fights were not “above board.” More side-show curiosity than top tier pugilist, Carnera, standing 6’6” and routinely weighing more than 260 pounds, was an attractive commodity for the unscrupulous sorts looking to derive profit out of “stage-managing” a heavyweight to the championship in the 1920s and 30s. While many boxing pundits are divided on the exact degree of fraudulence that defines the legacy of Primo Carnera, most would agree that without the right underworld connections he would never have made it to the pinnacle of the sport solely on his own merits. In fact, it is widely believed that most of Carnera’s fights (including his championship victory over Jack Sharkey in 1933) were manipulated by his manager Leon See and New York mobster Owen “the Killer” Madden, a claim that is substantiated by the inordinate number of investigations, and withheld purses, sprinkled throughout Carnera’s record. More snake oil salesmen than a reputable management team, Carnera’s merry band of pranksters hastily made a bee line out of town after each fight before the stench of the hoax had time to settle in, hitting 22 different cities in 1930 alone. It was quite a show, and everywhere Carnera went there was a throng of fans eager to witness the spectacle of the “strongman-turned boxer,” and there was no shortage of individuals willing to take a dive for the right compensation. However, on one occasion, a 32-year journeyman named Leon “Bombo” Chevalier nearly sabotaged the whole racket when, after a change of heart, he decided to go “off-script” and fight Carnera on even terms. 
In the early part of the twentieth century it was not uncommon for boxers of a certain ethnicity or denomination to assume the identity or pseudonym of a different group in order to increase their fan base and improve their overall stock to matchmakers. Jewish fighters often took on the personas and monikers of Irish fighters when looking to land fights in predominantly Irish locales, while others, like Max Baer (who was a quarter Jewish on his mother’s side) were not above sporting the Star of David in cases when it enflamed and inspired (as it did in his fight with “Aryan Ambassador” Max Schmeling in 1933*). In some cases, however, the assumed names were simply a cover to avoid the ire of disapproving parents. Boxing promoter Russell J. Peltz once quipped, “I tell people that Jewish fighters were as tough as they come … but they were all afraid of their mothers.” One of the most famous examples of a fighter forsaking his heritage is that of junior welterweight champion Vincent Morris Scheer, who held the world title from 1926 to 1930 under the alias “Mushy Callahan.” Scheer, Jewish by birth, originally adopted the Irish moniker during his days on the West Coast in an effort to create a greater following, but eventually found himself so immersed in the yarn that he later converted to Catholicism, he married an Irish girl, and he had a son that went on to join the priesthood. In his later years, Callahan also served as a creative consultant and technical director on such films as Gentleman Jim (starring Errol Flynn), Kid Galahad (starring Elvis Presley), and The Great White Hope (starring James Earl Jones). 
On June 23, 1969 at New York’s Madison Square Garden, Joe Frazier met the popular Irish fighter, Jerry Quarry, for the New York State recognized heavyweight title. Back in the day, the New York State Boxing Commission wielded quite a bit of power. Commissioner Edwin Dooley wasted little time stripping Muhammad Ali of his heavyweight title when Ali refused induction into the Armed Forces. When the World Boxing Association did the same, a tournament was set up to determine a new champion, and eight top contenders were selected, including unbeaten Joe Frazier. Unfortunately, Frazier’s management declined the invitation, however, and the eventual winner of the tourney was Jimmy Ellis, who defeated Jerry Quarry in the finals.
