Respected trainer Mike Stafford passes away at age 67

Mike Stafford, a respected trainer who made a lasting impact among boxers in his hometown of Cincinnati, died late Wednesday afternoon at the age of 67.

Over the course of his storied career, Stafford trained a host of fighters, including three world champions he raised from the amateurs to the pros: Adrien Broner, Robert Easter Jr. and Rau’Shee Warren. Stafford was also a fixture on the U.S. amateur boxing scene, working with several U.S. Olympic squads and earning induction to the National Golden Gloves Hall of Fame.

But it was Stafford’s avuncular nature that endeared him to fighters and families who witnessed how he shaped the lives of so many children in Cincinnati, often picking them up and taking them to the gym, making sure they had a warm meal in their stomach and dropping them off after.

“We’re all saddened by his passing,” said Tim Smith, Premier Boxing Champions’ VP of Communications. “He was one of boxing’s good guys and he will be dearly missed by all those who knew him. Boxing lost a piece of its heart with the passing of Mike Stafford. We offer our deepest condolences to his family and all the boxers he has worked with through the years.”