Chris Henry, 34, Shot and Killed in Houston, Texas

By Jake Donovan

Former light heavyweight contender Chris Henry was gunned down over the weekend in Houston, Texas, according to multiple reports coming out of the region.

A spokesperson for the Houston Police Department declined comment on the shooting or even revealing his identification, claiming the family hasn’t yet been formally notified. However, members of Henry’s family have taken to social media in confirming the falling of the once promising boxer.

Henry was 34 years old.

According to local reports, the incident was said to have taken place between 7:00-7:30 p.m. local time near a convenience store and apartment complex on the 6700 block of Westbranch Drive in Southwestern Houston.

Police have yet to make an arrest, or learn of (or at least have yet to reveal) the motive behind the horrific crime.

Henry was born in Lafayette, Louisiana before relocating to Beaumont, Texas as a child. A standout athlete who excelled in football and track, he turned his attention to boxing as a high school freshman, immediately taking to the sport.

Among his achievements in the amateurs include having claimed top honors in the 1998 Junior Olympics in the Under-19 division, and finishing top runner-up in the same competition one year later.

Believing he had gone as far as he could in the non-pay ranks, Henry turned pro in 2005 and quickly emerged as a fighter to watch given his fan-friendly style.

His lone title shot came after just three years in the pro ranks, albeit in an interim title fight as he came up just short in a closely contested and somewhat disputed decision loss to Adrian Diaconu in his opponent’s birth country of Romania.

A win would have set up Henry for a shot at then-reigning titlist Chad Dawson or a career-best payday for an interim title defense versus Jean Pascal.

Instead, the balance of his career fell under the radar, saved for a pair of ESPN2-televised appearances in 2009 providing very different endings – a 12-round loss to Yusaf Mack in Feb. ’09, followed by a 6th round knockout of Shaun George just five months later. Both bouts served as the main event of separate ESPN2 Friday Night Fights telecasts.

Henry ended his career on somewhat of a high note, winning his final three bouts though spray painted over a three-year stretch as he dealt with issues outside the ring.  The closest he came to a win at the world level was a 1st round knockout of former light heavyweight champ Hugo Garay in their March ’10 clash in Mexico, avenging an amateur loss more than a decade prior.

His final career bout came in April ’07, stopping hapless Marvin Hunt in one round in Southaven, Mississippi, just outside of the Memphis area. He left the game with a mark of 26-2 (21KOs)

There were talks of a planned comeback this year—including a discussed showdown with Oleksandr Gvozdyk, a bronze medalist for Ukraine during the 2012 London Olympics—as he fought hard to get his life in order. Those dreams were evaporated by the violent nature of the senseless crime that led to his untimely passing.

ON A PERSONAL LEVEL

I had the pleasure of serving as an official ringside judge for two of Henry’s pro bouts in Tennessee, including his second career fight. His all-action style didn’t provide much need for scorecards, having scored 2nd round knockouts over Edgar King (March ’05) and Dan Thornton (March ’06) in trips to Franklin, TN in consecutive years.

His personable ways perfectly complemented his thirst for crowd-pleasing fights. Henry’s tireless work ethic in the gym was once described by Karl Hegman—a former colleague of mine during our time spent at FightBeat.com—as “the traditional demeanor of the great Zulu warrior; grim and forbidding,” though beneath his chiseled physique existed an endearing gentleman who always sought to connect with his audience.

BoxingScene.com offers its deepest condolences to Henry and his loved ones.

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