Today, Adrien Broner turned to Instagram to share a heartfelt video about his late coach Mike Stafford. The former welterweight champion was once at the top of the boxing world, becoming a four-division world champion. However, the main man behind Broner’s success was Mike Stafford, who guided and mentored the champion throughout his career.

Unfortunately, the legendary coach passed away on 6 September, leaving behind decades of legacy and memories for all those he trained. Three months after his passing, Adrien Broner, the most popular among his pupils, continues to remember the late Olympic coach. 

Shawn Porter claims lots of southpaws come from Cincinnati

Broner shared three clips on his Instagram story with a caption that read, “R&R Promotions presents Tribute to Coach “Mike” RIP.” In the first clip, Shawn Porter claimed Cincinnati produced several Southpaw fighters, great counterpunchers, and fast movers – all because of one man named Mike Stafford. 

“You see, a lot of southpaws come from Cincinnati. See, counterpunchers come from Cincinnati. A lot of movers with a lot speed come from Cincinnati, and that is directly because of the foundation of Mike Stafford,” said Porter. In the next clip, Sam Watson spoke about Mike’s contribution to the sport in an old interview from ES News.

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“[Mike Stafford] will go down in history as one of the greatest trainers because nobody sees what he is doing with all these fighters. They do not want to believe it,” said Watson. In the third clip, Elie Seckbach questions Mike himself about making a living as an amateur boxer and a coach. In response, the late Cincinnati coach credited his friend next to him. While Broner is doing well now, that wasn’t the case when Mike passed.

Adrien Broner deals with Mike’s passing

The former world champion had a hard time coping with Mike’s passing. It took him several days to gather the courage to publicly acknowledge his mentor’s passing. On 14 September, eight days after Mike’s death, Broner finally spoke about Mike’s death. He took to Instagram to write a heartfelt message for the late coach.

“My coach/Dad was a man of joy I miss him dearly and being in a boxing gym don’t feel right with him being gone I know life goes on and he would want me to continue my journey but this is a big pill to swallow but I’m go take this thing one day at a time,” wrote Broner. Alongside the message, Broner shared a clip of Mike dancing and celebrating in the ring during a media day workout.

Mike Stafford had a great role to play in making Broner a champion by guiding and mentoring him throughout his career. So, the former champion continues to show his respect and admiration for the late coach through social media posts. What did you think of Mike Stafford? 

Watch This Story: Adrien Broner, Jamel Herring, and Other Famous Boxers Late Legendary Coach Mike Stafford Trained