John H. Stracey

Last updated

John H. Stracey
Statistics
Weight(s) Welterweight
Height5 ft 7+1⁄2 in (171 cm) [1]
Reach70 in (178 cm) [1]
NationalityBritish
Born (1950-09-22) 22 September 1950 (age 72)
Barking, England
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights51
Wins45
Wins by KO37
Losses5
Draws1

John Henry Stracey MBE (born 22 September 1950) is a British former professional boxer who competed from 1969 to 1978. He is a former welterweight world champion, having held the WBC and lineal welterweight titles between 1975 and 1976. [2] At regional level, he held the British and European welterweight titles between 1973 and 1975, and is ranked by BoxRec as the 8th best British welterweight of all time.

Contents

Amateur career

Stracey competed for Great Britain as a lightweight at the 1968 Summer Olympics. He was defeated in the Round of 16 by eventual gold medallist Ronnie Harris. [3] Stracey won the 1969 ABA light-welterweight championship. [4]

Professional career

Early career

Stracey began his professional career on 17 September 1969, knocking out Santos Martins in two rounds. Stracey won his first twelve fights, eleven by knockout, but against obscure opposition. Fight number thirteen was against Teddy Cooper, on 19 January 1971. Cooper was not a big name in boxing either, but this fight ended in controversy when Stracey won by a fifth round disqualification. On 5 October 1971 Stracey drew (tied) in ten rounds against Frankie Lewis.

Stracey produced five more wins before being matched with Marshall Butler, on 25 May 1972, at the Royal Albert Hall, suffering his first defeat after being outpointed by Butler over eight rounds. [5] He then put a string of four more wins together, before facing Bobby Arthur for the British welterweight title, on 31 October, at the Royal Albert Hall. He lost the fight with another controversial ending: This time, Stracey found himself disqualified in round seven. [6] Stracey then won five more bouts in a row. In February 1973, Stracey traveled to the United States, were he fought Danny McAloon on the undercard of the first Ali vs. Bugner fight, at the Las Vegas Convention Center, on 14 February. Stracey won the bout via unanimous decision. [7] He then met Bobby Arthur in a rematch on 5 June, this time winning the British title with a fourth-round knockout. [8]

Stracey vs. Menetrey

On 27 May 1974, Stracey got his chance at the European welterweight title, fighting Roger Menetrey at the Stade de Roland Garros, in Paris, France. Stracey won via eighth-round knockout. [8] On 29 April 1975, he defended his European title against Max Hebeisen, at the Royal Albert Hall, winning via RTD in the sixth round. [9]

Stracey vs. Nápoles

During the 1970s, it was a common practice to give world title shots to boxers that held continental titles. For example, the OPBF (Oriental Pacific Boxing Federation) champion would be given priority over other challengers for world title fights. Stracey was not the exception, and, after winning five more fights in a row (including a win over Ernie Lopez), he received his first world title shot: challenging WBC welterweight champion José Nápoles, in Nápoles' home-town of Mexico City, Mexico, on 6 December 1975. Stracey was sent down in round one, but he recuperated to close Nápoles' eye and have referee Octavio Meyran stop the fight in the sixth round, Stracey winning the world championship by a technical knockout. [8] The new champion declared, "He [Nápoles] could have knocked me down in every round but I'd have won it anyway". It was Nápoles' last fight.

1976

On 20 March 1976 he retained the title against perennial world title challenger Hedgemon Lewis by a knockout in round ten, [10] but on 22 June, at Wembley, he lost the world title, being knocked out in twelve rounds by California-based Mexican Carlos Palomino. [8] In his next fight, he lost to future world title challenger Dave Boy Green, with a badly damaged eye in round ten. [11] Stracey retired as a winner when he knocked out George Warusfel in nine rounds in Islington on 23 May 1978. [12]

Outside the ring

Stracey bought the Three Horseshoes pub in Briston, Norfolk, in 1975 and renamed it the John H Stracey. In 2011 the pub reverted to its original name. [13] He also had, at one point, a boxing school in London. [14]

John also had a hotel in Bournemouth with a public bar called The Ringside.when he was married to Michele,they also had a daughter called Laura.

Professional boxing record

51 fights45 wins5 losses
By knockout373
By decision82
Draws1
No.ResultRecordOpponentTypeRound, timeDateLocationNotes
51Win45–5–1Georges WarusfelTKO9 (10)23 May 1978Michael Sobell Sports Centre, London, England
50Loss44–5–1 Dave Boy Green TKO10 (10)29 Mar, 1977Empire Pool, London, England
49Loss44–4–1 Carlos Palomino TKO12 (15), 1:3522 Jun, 1976Empire Pool, London, EnglandLost WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
48Win44–3–1 Hedgemon Lewis TKO10 (15), 1:2520 Mar, 1976Empire Pool, London, EnglandRetained WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
47Win43–3–1 José Nápoles TKO6 (15), 2:306 Dec, 1975 Plaza de Toros México, Mexico City, MexicoWon WBC and The Ring welterweight titles
46Win42–3–1Keith AveretteDQ8 (10)30 Sep, 1975Empire Pool, London, England
45Win41–3–1Ruben Vazquez ZamoraTKO8 (10)30 Jun, 1975Royal Albert Hall, London, England
44Win40–3–1Max HebeisenRTD6 (15)29 Apr, 1975Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandRetained European welterweight title
43Win39–3–1 Ernie Lopez TKO7 (10)29 Oct, 1974Royal Albert Hall, London, England
42Win38–3–1Tony GarciaTKO3 (10)1 Oct, 1974Empire Pool, London, England
41Win37–3–1 Roger Menetrey TKO8 (15)27 May 1974 Stade Roland Garros, Paris, FranceWon European welterweight title
40Win36–3–1Vernon MasonKO4 (10)23 Apr, 1974Royal Albert Hall, London, England
39Win35–3–1Jack TillmanTKO4 (10)26 Mar, 1974Royal Albert Hall, London, England
38Loss34–3–1Cuby JacksonTKO3 (10)11 Dec, 1973Royal Albert Hall, London, England
37Win34–2–1Marc GervaisTKO4 (10)13 Nov, 1973Empire Pool, London, England
36Win33–2–1Urban BaptisteTKO4 (10)30 Oct, 1973Royal Albert Hall, London, England
35Win32–2–1Jose Papo MelendezTKO3 (10)10 Sep, 1973Empire Pool, London, England
34Win31–2–1Bobby ArthurKO4 (15)5 Jun, 1973Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandWon British welterweight title
33Win30–2–1Pat MurphyTKO5 (10)9 May 1973York Hall, London, England
32Win29–2–1Jose PetersonPTS813 Mar, 1973Empire Pool, London, England
31Win28–2–1Danny McAloonUD10 14 Feb, 1973 Las Vegas Convention Center, Winchester, Nevada, U.S.
30Win27–2–1Otha TysonKO3 (10)15 Jan, 1973 Nottingham Ice Stadium, Nottingham, England
29Win26–2–1David MelendezTKO7 (10)5 Dec, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
28Loss25–2–1 Bobby Arthur DQ7 (15)31 Oct, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, EnglandFor vacant British welterweight title
27Win25–1–1Les PearsonTKO2 (12)10 Oct, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
26Win24–1–1Joe YekinniTKO2 (10)6 Jun, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
25Win23–1–1Antonio TorresTKO6 (8)22 May 1972Piccadilly Hotel, Manchester, England
24Loss22–1–1Marshall ButlerPTS825 Apr, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
23Win22–0–1Ricky PorterPTS84 Apr, 1972York Hall, London, England
22Win21–0–1Des ReaTKO2 (8)7 Mar, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
21Win20–0–1Bernie TerrellTKO2 (8)15 Feb, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
20Win19–0–1Yvon MariolleKO4 (8)25 Jan, 1972Royal Albert Hall, London, England
19Win18–0–1Guy VercoutterTKO7 (10)17 Nov, 1971Empire Pool, London, England
18Win17–0–1Dave WyattTKO3 (8)27 Oct, 1971York Hall, London, England
17Draw16–0–1Frankie LewisPTS85 Oct, 1971Royal Albert Hall, London, England
16Win16–0Bouzid Ait ElmenceurPTS84 May 1971York Hall, London, England
15Win15–0Dante PelaezPTS816 Mar, 1971Empire Pool, London, England
14Win14–0Yvon MariolleKO6 (8)23 Feb, 1971Shoreditch Town Hall, London, England
13Win13–0Teddy CooperDQ5 (8)19 Jan, 1971Royal Albert Hall, London, England
12Win12–0Ferdinand AhumibeTKO4 (8)8 Dec, 1970Royal Albert Hall, London, England
11Win11–0Willie ReaTKO3 (8)6 Oct, 1970Royal Albert Hall, London, England
10Win10–0Billy SeasmanRTD5 (8)29 Sep, 1970York Hall, London, England
9Win8–0David PesentiPTS912 May 1970 Empire Pool, London, England
8Win8–0Harri PiitulainenRTD6 (8)27 Apr, 1970Royal Albert Hall, London, England
7Win7–0Bernard MartinRTD3 (8)17 Mar, 1970 Shoreditch Town Hall, London, England
6Win6–0Tei DoviTKO3 (8)10 Feb, 1970Royal Albert Hall, London, England
5Win5–0Tommy CarsonTKO7 (8)20 Jan, 1970Royal Albert Hall, London, England
4Win4–0Bryn LewisTKO6 (8)9 Dec, 1969 Royal Albert Hall, London, England
3Win3–0Ray OpukuTKO3 (6)18 Nov, 1969York Hall, London, England
2Win2–0Ronnie CliffordTKO2 (8)2 Oct, 1969York Hall, London, England
1Win1–0Santos MartinsKO2 (6)17 Sep, 1969 York Hall, London, England

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References

  1. 1 2 Boxing record for John H. Stracey from BoxRec (registration required). Retrieved 30 March 2020.
  2. ↑ "The Lineal Welterweight Champs". Cyber Boxing Zone.
  3. ↑ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "John H. Stracey Olympic Results". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 9 December 2018.
  4. ↑ "Best I Faced: John H. Stracey - The Ring". The Ring. 19 August 2019. Retrieved 28 March 2020.
  5. ↑ Allen, Neil (31 October 1972). "Stracey to win inside distance". The Times . Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  6. ↑ Allen, Neil (1 November 1972). "One indiscretion gives Stracey's rival title". The Times. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  7. ↑ "How it was in Las Vegas for Joe Bugner" . Daily Mirror . 16 February 1973. Retrieved 29 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
  8. 1 2 3 4 Golesworthy, Maurice (1988) Encyclopaedia of Boxing, 8th edition, Robert Hale Limited, ISBN   0-7090-3323-0, p. 229
  9. ↑ Allen, Neil (30 April 1975). "Stracey calls a halt to the hit and run man". The Times. Retrieved 31 March 2020.
  10. ↑ "Good Old British Gobblers" . Daily Mirror. 22 March 1976. Retrieved 29 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
  11. ↑ "Oh, Boy! What a Man" . Daily Mirror. 30 March 1977. Retrieved 29 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
  12. ↑ "Stracey Back in Business" . Daily Mirror. 24 May 1978. Retrieved 29 March 2020– via British Newspaper Archive.
  13. ↑ Wyllie, Sophie (2 October 2011). "Briston pub is back in business". Eastern Daily Press . Retrieved 23 February 2023.
  14. ↑ Phillips, Neil (2007). Doctor to the world champions : my autobiography. Victoria, BC: Trafford. pp. 579–. ISBN   978-1-4251-1261-5.
Sporting positions
Amateur boxing titles
Previous:
Eamonn Cole		 ABA light welterweight champion
1969		Next:
Dave Davies
Regional boxing titles
Preceded by British welterweight champion
5 June 1973 – 15 December 1975
Vacated		Vacant
Title next held by
Pat Thomas
Preceded by European welterweight champion
27 May 1974 – 9 April 1976
Vacated		Vacant
Title next held by
Marco Scano
World boxing titles
Preceded by WBC welterweight champion
6 December 1975 – 22 June 1976		Succeeded by
The Ring welterweight champion
6 December 1975 – 22 June 1976
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