Howard Jackson
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- This article is about a fighter. There is also a Howard W. Jackson, former mayor of Baltimore.
Howard E. Jackson (June 27, 1951 - March 7, 2006) was a noted American kickboxer, point Karate fighter, and professional boxer. He was born in 1951 in Detroit, Michigan, the oldest of four children; two brothers died violent deaths, and his parents died early as well, leaving only Howard and his sister Corliss. He began studying Kung Fu in 1967, switching to Tang Soo Do soon after, and earning his black belt in 1970 from Hwang Kee.
He began his point fighting career while serving in the U.S. Marine Corps. His speed earned him the nickname "California Flash". He frequently trained with such individuals as Chuck Norris, Bob Wall, and Pat Johnson. Later, Joe Lewis was a great influence on his fighting style.
Following a 1974 injury that sidelined him for two years, he returned in 1976, now as a full-contact fighter. In 1980 he won the WKA full-contact welterweight title, and would later become the sixth-ranked WBA boxer in his class. In 1983 he retired from competition and worked as a bodyguard and personal trainer for Chuck Norris and as a bodyguard for The Temptations, as well as doing seminars. He has appeared in a number of films and TV shows (often courtesy of Chuck Norris), both as an actor and as a fight coordinator and stuntman.
Howard Jackson had three children: Howard Jr., a detective with the LAPD; Jeremy, a minor-league hockey player in Canada (Western Hockey League) and hip-hop artist; and Amber Nicole, a junior high school student.
He was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2002, and died March 7, 2006 at 11:36AM at the City of Hope hospital in Duarte, California.
