CINCINNATI — A street in the Villages at Roll Hill was renamed Thursday in honor of a legendary boxing coach.
The late coach Michael Stafford was recognized with the renaming, which is on the street of his childhood home. Coach Michael Stafford Way is located along President Drive, with the sign at the intersection of Nottingham Road.
Cincinnati's Vice Mayor Jan Michele Kearney and city council member Seth Walsh were in attendance at the ceremony. Stafford's family and big Cincinnati names like Buddy Larosa, who founded the Cincinnati Golden Gloves, also attended the ceremony to unveil the new street name.
Stafford was a boxing coach at the Cincinnati Golden Gloves where he both trained and mentored young men. He had multiple accomplishments in his coaching career, including various titles by the U.S. Olympic Committee.
In 2003, 2005 and 2007, he was named the U.S. Olympic Committee National Coach of the Year for boxing, and in 2004 and 2008 he was part of the coaching staff for the U.S.'s boxing team at the Summer Olympics.
Under his coaching, the Cincinnati Golden Gloves sent local boxers to the Olympics eight different times, including world champions Rau’shee Warren and Duke Ragan. Warren was also at Thursday's ceremony.
"Michael he was always the type that don't give up," said Kita Furr, Stafford's niece. "Fight for anything that you want, anything that's possible."
Stafford died in 2023. Those that worked with him and were close to him said he was always caring and "like a father."
"We are so grateful just as a family for him to be recognized in this type of way," Furr said.
Watch Live:
