Video Interview: John H. Stracey at The Hall of Fame

Former welterweight champion John H. Stracey sat down with TheSweetScience.com at the annual Hall of Fame induction weekend in Canastota, New York.

Career: 1969-1978

Record: 45-5-1, 37 knockouts

Welterweight champion: 1975-76

Of note: Stracey competed for England in the 1968 Olympics in Mexico City. He lost in the third round to eventual gold-medalist Ronnie Harris of the U.S. He returned to Mexico City in 1975 to capture the world welterweight title from Jose Napoles … Stracey is a natural southpaw but fought from an orthodox stance (think Virgil Hill in theory but not style). Thus his left jab and left hook were extremely potent.

The skinny: Today, Stracey, 54, is a recording artist in London. He has a pair of CDs out and is working on a third. In Canastota, he entertained the cocktail hour-crowd by singing for approximately 45 minutes. “I like to perform. It's not quite like boxing. There is no rush in the world like boxing. But singing is close. It allows me to get out there and do my thing.”