The WBA and other outlets reported the death of greatly respected trainer Mike Stafford on September 6th. Stafford was 67 years old and dedicated his life to boxing. He worked with champions Adrien Broner, Rau’shee Warren, Jamell Herring and Robert Easter Jr. A native of Cincinnati, Ohio, Stafford managed the Cincinnati Golden Gloves gym for several years, where he welcomed many children and young people from different parts of the city and gave them the opportunity to train in this sport. He was also part of the U.S. national teams as part of the coaching staff for the 2004 Athens and 2008 Beijing Olympic Games.

Boxing publicist Jule Goldsticker posted this eloquent trbute to Stafford:

Michael Stafford was one of one. I’ve honestly never met anyone quite like him. He brought joy and pure love for the sport and everyone around him to everything he did. No matter what happened in his life, he never changed who he was or how he treated others. He was always the same giving, fun-loving, joyful person who just wanted to see everyone in his life win (and not just in boxing). That included the countless young people that he mentored and treated liked his own kids, his fellow coaches, those in the boxing world, and his friends and family.

He made everyone in his life feel like family. He often called me daughter and reached out to me on every holiday [with] Happy Thanksgiving Daughter! The texts often came with a photo, sometimes a selfie of him smiling. I’m so thankful for those photos now. When I think of Mike, I think of that bright smile and his joy for life, for boxing, for his Cincinnati community and for those that he cared so much about and would fight to the death for.

In this often dirty sport, he was one of the good ones who epitomized what the sport of boxing could do for young people and not just those who would go on to become one of his many national champions, Olympians and world champions. He used the sport to save and change more lives than any of us can count. His impact was truly limitless as evidenced by the tributes pouring in from all over the country. Everyone around Mike has a story about him looking out for them, checking on them, and a fun memory of their time with him throughout the globe.

Boxingtalk joins the legions of others in honoring the memory of Mike Stafford and sending sympathy to his friends anf family.