Background
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 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. According to Paul Maslak in the November, 1984 issue of Official Karate Magazine, Jackson originally received his black belt in Tang Soo Do from Harold Williams. However, he later retested under Chuck Norris.
He began his point fighting career while serving in the United States. Marine Corps.
His speed earned him the nickname "California Flash". He frequently trained with such individuals as Chuck Norris, Bob Wall, and Pat East. Johnson.
Later, Joe Lewis was a great influence on his fighting style. In 1974, The California Flash, as Jackson was nicknamed, was invited to participate in the first PKA world Full-contact championship promoted by Mike Anderson and Don and Judy Quine.
lieutenant was celebrated in The Los Angeles Arena on September 14.
Jackson was one of four elite American fighters invited to the event, along with Jeff Smith, Bill Wallace, and Joe Lewis. Jackson, as well as his fellow Americans, was the overwhelming favorite in the Light-Weight division, where he fought Dominican Tae-Kwon-Do fighter, Ramón Smith, who had been invited to the tournament with a two-week notice as a replacement for Mexican José Luis Olivares. In what commentators labeled "The Upset of the decade", Ramón Smith defeated Howard Jackson on points in a very explosive fight.
This loss was singularly significant, since it prevented the Americans from winning all four categories.
After the fight, Jackson alleged that he had gone into the fight with a hurt knee. Following a 1974 knee injury that sidelined him for two years, he returned in 1976, now as a full-contact fighter.
In kickboxing, Jackson defeated among others, Ricci Wynn, Miguel Sanders, Sam Montgomery, Ray McCallum,Jerry Galarza, Tabata, and Toshio Arima to become the 1980 number one world contender in both the WKA and the PKA. In a non-title bout, Jackson decisioned Joe Marciano who was 12-1. On April 21, 1984, Jackson lost his WKA World Welterweight Title to Andre Brilleman by 12 round decision.
Following his defeat, Jackson retired from competition with a 23-2-1 (12 knockouts) record, 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 television shows (often courtesy of Chuck Norris), both as an actor and as a fight coordinator and stuntman. Howard Jackson had three children: Howard Junior., a detective with the LAPD. Jeremy, a minor-league hockey player in Canada (Western Hockey League) and hip-hop artist.
And Amber, a designer and illustrator. He was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2002, and died March 7, 2006 at 11:36 am at the City of Hope hospital in Duarte, California.