A Boxing Memory: John H. Stracey
John H. Stracey was born in Bethnal Green in 1950, near where the great Ted 'Kid' Lewis called home. The East End of London is the ideal place for an aspiring boxer, Stracey grew up on a council estate, and he learned to use his fists from an early age. His father, Dave, a passionate boxing fan himself, knew his son needed a way of controlling his aggression and took him to a boxing club when he was only eleven. The Repton Boxing Club was where Stracey learned his trade under Tony Burns, and his ability was obvious from the early stages of his fledgling amateur career. Stracey won a plethora of schoolboy baubles, including a couple of junior ABA titles.
In the 1968 ABA Championships, Stracey, courtesy of a previous win over the defending ABA Champion Terry Waller made him the betting favourite for the ABA title but a 45-second defeat to Jim Watt ended his ABA dream and seemingly any hopes of making the 1968 Olympics. Watt won the ABA title and was selected for the Olympic Games with Stracey as the reserve. Stracey was only seventeen, but he made the Olympics when Watt dropped out, citing weight-making issues.
Stracey, without any international experience and only sixteen senior bouts, was a surprise choice to many, but he made the last sixteen in Mexico losing to the eventual gold medallist Ronnie Harris. The following year, Stracey won the ABA title as a light-welterweight and turned pro soon after with Terry Lawless after around 130 amateur fights with only sixteen defeats. Jim Watt would later become his stablemate in that gym of champions.
The early years of his professional career followed the Lawless/Mickey Duff formula. Stracey was kept busy on his new beginning. A win over Santos Martins in 1969 on his debut, and after two years, Stracey was unbeaten in sixteen fights. A draw to Frankie Lewis in 1971 was a minor blemish on his record, but a disputed points defeat to the Canadian Marshall Butler the following year was the first real setback for Stracey. But three more wins earned Stracey a shot at Bobby Arthur for the British welterweight title in 1972. Stracey was a big pre-favourite and started the fight that reflected the odds in his favour. But the Terry Lawless fighter was seemingly the victim of a wrong call by the referee when he was disqualified for a supposed low punch. Stracey got the win back and the British title when he stopped Arthur in four rounds the following year.
Stracey lost to Cuby Jackson in three rounds in 1973, but three fights later, Stracey was the European welterweight champion by virtue of an 8th round stoppage of the French veteran Roger Menetrey in Paris. A career that had already found much success was about to take another giant step forward.
The British fighter travelled to Mexico in 1975 to fight the hometown hero and long-reigning WBC welterweight champion of the world Jose Napoles. The Mexican was close to 35, and with 87 fights in his legs, Stracey hoped he was in the right place at the right time. 40,000 passionate fans were there to witness their hero defend his title for the 14th time in that Mexican bull-ring. Napoles had been champion for six years, and Stracey wasn't expected to end his long reign, and when a left hook dropped the British challenger in the opening round, the perceived script was apparently being followed. But Stracey regrouped and gradually wore down the old champion before stopping a fading Napoles in the 6th round to record a famous victory. Time should never dim the importance and brilliance of that win for Stracey.
Stracey defended his world title against Hedgemon Lewis the following March, but a supposed routine defence against Carlos Palomino ended in disaster when the Mexican challenger stopped Stracey in the 12th round of their fight in London. The glory days were over for Stracey. The working relationship with Lawless was on the brink after the Palomino fight and finally ended on bad terms after his next fight. The former world champion lost to Dave 'Boy' Green in a terrific fight in 1977, and after a win over the French fighter Georges Warusfel the following year, at least allowed Stracey to leave the sport on a win.
The world title reign didn't have any real longevity, but the win over Napoles should never be forgotten. All these years on, it still ranks as one of the greatest ever wins by a British fighter.
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