Davey Lee Armstrong (June 9, 1956 – February 8, 2021) was a boxer from the United States.
Amateur career
Armstrong was born in
Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup ( or ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle. It had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from th ...
, and began boxing at the Tacoma Boys Club, along with future world champions
Rocky Lockridge
Rick "Rocky" Lockridge (January 10, 1959 – February 7, 2019) was an American professional boxer. He is perhaps best known for having handed Roger Mayweather his first defeat—a first-round knockout in just 98 seconds—earning him the WBA a ...
and
Johnny Bumphus
Johnny 'Bump City' Bumphus (August 17, 1960 – January 31, 2020) was an American professional boxer who held the WBA super lightweight title in 1984 and challenged once for the WBC and IBF welterweight titles in 1987.
Amateur career
Bumphus ...
, as well as 1972 Olympic Gold Medalist
Sugar Ray Seales and 1976 Gold Medalist and professional World Champion, Leo "The Lion" Randolph.
Armstrong represented the US at the
1972 Summer Olympics
The 1972 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad () and commonly known as Munich 1972 (german: München 1972), was an international multi-sport event held in Munich, West Germany, from 26 August to 11 September 1972. ...
. He was eliminated in the second round of the men's
light flyweight
Light flyweight, also known as junior flyweight or super strawweight, is a weight class in boxing.
Professional boxing
The weight limit at light flyweight in professional boxing is 108 pounds (49 kilograms). When New York legalized boxing in 1920 ...
division (– 48 kg) by bronze medalist
Enrique Rodríguez. Armstrong also was a member of the American Olympic team at the 1976 Montreal Olympics. He competed as a featherweight and was eliminated in the quarterfinals.
Amateur highlights
* 1972
National AAU Champion (106 lb)
* 1972 U.S. Olympian (106 lb)
* 1973 National AAU Runner-up (119 lb), lost to Mike Hess of Albany, Oregon, in the final by decision.
* 1975 National AAU Champion (125 lb)
* Won the gold medal at the
1975 Pan American Games
The 1975 Pan American Games were held in Mexico City, Mexico, from October 12 to October 26, 1975, exactly twenty years after the second Pan American Games were held there. It was the third major sporting event held in the Mexican capital in seve ...
.
* 1976 National AAU Champion (125 lb)
* 1976 U.S. Olympian (Placed Fifth)
* 1979 National AAU Champion (132 lb)
1976 Olympic results
Below is the record of Davey Armstrong, an American featherweight boxer who competed at the 1976 Montreal Olympics:
* Round of 64: bye
* Round of 32: defeated Anatoly Volkov (Soviet Union) by decision, 5-0
* Round of 16: defeated Tibor Badari (Hungary) by decision, 5-0
* Quarterfinal: lost to Angel Herrera (Cuba) by decision, 2-3
Pro career
David (Davey) started boxing out of the Tacoma Boy's Club Gym under the tutelage of Joe Clough. Armstrong turned pro as a
lightweight
Lightweight is a weight class in combat sports and rowing.
Boxing
Professional boxing
The lightweight division is over 130 pounds (59 kilograms) and up to 135 pounds (61.2 kilograms) weight class in the sport of boxing.
Notable lightweight boxe ...
on March 28, 1980 and boxed out of the
Kronk Gym
Kronk Gym is a boxing gym located in Detroit, once led by trainer Emanuel Steward. It was run out of the basement of the oldest recreation center of the City of Detroit, and became a household word in the sport of boxing and its gold shorts a magn ...
in Detroit. He was a kind and gentle man and rarely if ever had a bad word for anyone. Armstrong retired in 1983 after 27 bouts (24 wins and 3 losses).
Life after boxing
Armstrong lived in
Puyallup, Washington
Puyallup ( or ) is a city in Pierce County, Washington, United States, located about 10 miles (16 km) southeast of Tacoma and 35 miles (56 km) south of Seattle. It had a population of 42,973 at the 2020 census. The city's name comes from th ...
, and worked for the City of Seattle as a bookkeeper. He died from dementia on February 8, 2021.
Honors
* 2005 Inductee into the Tacoma (Pierce County) Sports Hall of Fame
References
*
1956 births
2021 deaths
Boxers from Washington (state)
Lightweight boxers
Olympic boxers for the United States
Boxers at the 1972 Summer Olympics
Boxers at the 1976 Summer Olympics
Sportspeople from Puyallup, Washington
American male boxers
Boxers at the 1975 Pan American Games
Pan American Games gold medalists for the United States
Pan American Games medalists in boxing
Medalists at the 1975 Pan American Games
Deaths from dementia
20th-century American sportsmen
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