Light Heavyweight
Height:	6’
Born:	3/28/81 in Lafayette, LA
Hometown:	Houston, Tx
Pro Debut:	2005
Stance:	Orthodox
Trainer:	Bobby Benton
Manager:	Bob Spagnola
Current Titles:	NABF Light Heavyweight Champion NABA Light Heavyweight Champion USNBC Light Heavyweight Champion
Current Rankings:	#3 WBC #12 WBA #13 IBF

 

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Chris “Hard Hittin’” Henry’s professional boxing career has been on the fast-track, having earned a WBC title belt and ranking in less than two years.  After debuting in January 2005, Chris has proven himself with a string of early round KO victories and impressive wins over veteran competitors.  Then in April 2006 in Dallas, Chris used a strong body attack to win the WBC USNBC title by KO over the very experienced Etienne “E.T.” Whitaker.

Born in Lafayette, Louisiana, Chris grew up in the Orange-Beaumont area of Texas.  A football and track athlete as a youth, he followed a friend into his first boxing gym at age 15 and immediately found success.  After only 3 amateur fights, Chris moved to the Open division and would go on to take silver in the national Junior Olympics.  In 2004, Chris made it to the semi-finals of the National Golden Gloves, and then turned his focus to becoming a pro.

Henry began his professional career taking his opponents out early with his first five fights ending via knockout in the 1^st or 2^nd round.  A self described boxer-brawler, Chris demonstrates both power and quickness in the ring.  “I’ve got power in both hands, and can KO guys with either one,” Henry professes.  In his sixth pro fight, he came up against his first well-traveled veteran fighter in Vincent Harris, who’d had almost 30 fights under his belt.  Harris would taste Henry’s power early and wanted no part of getting knocked out, spending the rest of the four rounds backpedaling and running as Chris won a shutout decision in his only fight to be decided by the judges’ scorecards.

Staying very active, Chris went on to knockout his next six opponents all in under three rounds.  Facing a mix of men ranging from cruiserweight to heavyweight, he proved he had no fear and would take on all comers.  Along the way, Chris quickly stopped two highly experienced veteran fighters, Anthony Stephens and Shannon Miller, both with 50 fights each.  Stephens, a former IBF Welterweight Title challenger, quickly wilted in the 2^nd round from Chris’s body shots.  Chris put Miller on the canvas three times en route to a 1^st round TKO victory.

Chris now had lost his sleeper status and found it difficult to schedule competitive fights.  Finally his shot would come and in his very first headlining main event, he would get to fight in his first title belt contest.  On the line was a regional WBC strap, and facing him would be the rugged, world traveled fighter, Etienne Whitaker, a veteran of over 50 contests.  It would prove to be Chris’s first stiff competition, as E.T. taught Henry a thing or two about the sweet science early on, even scoring a knockdown, in the first and only time Chris has been on the mat.  On this night, Chris would rely on the expert tutelage of his corner and showed composure in turning the tide with solid boxing and a constant body attack.  Eventually the veteran fighter would say “no mas” and refuse to answer the bell for the eighth round, conceding the WBC USNBC Light Heavyweight title to Henry.  “I see this belt as a stepping stone, a way to take me to even better things,” Chris envisions.

In his next contest, Chris used a strong body attack to become the first to ever score a first round stoppage of a very tough Brock Stodden.  Then in October of 2006, Chris headlined his first card in Houston, putting his USNBC title on the line versus the very formidable Rayco Saunders.  The fight proved to be a toe-to-toe contest of epic proportions as the two warriors slugged from start to finish in an exhilarating show.  Chris’s punches landed more frequently and he was the aggressor, but the game Saunders returned fire with authority.  The result was a split decision victory for Henry that left both fighters fully spent and requiring some recovery time.

Chris has established himself as a serious Light Heavyweight contender and earned a ranking of 12 in the WBC division.  He’s a local favorite drawing large crowds from Houston to Coushatta Casino in Louisiana.  He’s found great support in forming a solid team around him in highly experienced manager Bob Spagnola, veteran trainer Bobby Benton, and strength and conditioning coach Cameron Park.  Chris lives and trains in Houston, Texas, working out at Main Gym in the downtown area.  Known as one of the premier professional gyms in the area, it attracts many out of town guests which has benefited Chris with top level sparring.  When not in the ring, Chris spends his time taking care of his young daughters, ages 3 years and 10 months.