Futchi to receive Lifetime Achievement Award.

William Futchi moved to Cleveland as a child and he attended North High School in Eastlake where he had an outstanding athletic career. Futchi’s compassion for competitive sports continued once he joined the Army, where he won many wrestling championships. Futchi was a 4th Army wrestling champion at Fort Hood, Texas.

Boxing became more of an interest to Futchi after he won two fights at the old Navy Park Gym. These fights helped him reach the 1961 Golden Gloves finals where he went up against Ted Humphrey for the Novice heavyweight title at the old Cleveland Arena. Futchi had only three prior bouts, but he proved himself to be a great fighter when he beat Humphrey. After the fight, the Plain Dealer called him “Slugging Futchi” and he received the Samuel D. Otis Trophy. After working in the construction industry, Futchi retired with 35 years of service.

Aside from boxing, Futchi coached softball and wrestling, and his girls softball team won three championships. Futchi won seven Ohio championships and one U.S. championship in flag football. Futchi also refereed a Tough Man competition with the late referee Jackie Keough. In addition to being inducted into the Ohio State Former Boxers and Associates, Inc. Hall of Fame, Futchi is in the North High Sports Hall of Fame for wrestling and in the Touch Football Hall of Fame. He was inducted into the North High School Legends Hall of Fame. Currently, Futchi resides in Mentor with his wife Karen, of 48 years. They have one son and two daughters, and 5 grandchildren. His granddaughter, Gabriella, was on the 9th grade varsity state championship volleyball team.

Futchi is being honored with a Lifetime Achievement Award along with Tom Lorek, Paul LaBuda, and Joe Gentile.

Alex Cooper is passionate about training boxers.

While other children were playing tag, Alex Cooper was watching every Mike Tyson fight as a young kid as he grew up to be a big boxing fan. Cooper was born on June 1, 1983, and he graduated from Mentor High School in 2001.

He later graduated from Miami University of Ohio with a degree in finance in 2005, and he earned his M.B.A. from Case Western Reserve University. Cooper and his wife, Renee, have one daughter, Nora, who is 21 months old. While in college, Cooper played lacrosse, and following graduation he wanted to continue to pursue athletics as he joined King’s Gym in 2007 when he started training boxers under the tutelage of Robert Francis. By 2009, Cooper, alongside Francis, was training several fighters. During the past five years, Cooper trained Golden Gloves and Junior Olympic champions including Jeremy Abram and Aurel Love (Open Division boxers). Cooper traveled to Las Vegas in 2014 to coach Love in the Golden Gloves National Tournament where Love advanced to the quarter finals.

Currently, Cooper is the head amateur and assistant professional boxing coach at the Old School Boxing Club/ Strongstyle Fight Team in Independence under head coach Joe Delguyd. Copper’s duties include assisting Delguyd with his professional fighters as well as being the boxing coach for UFC fighters Jessica Eye and Stipe Miocic. Cooper is president of the Lake Erie Association, and he was secretary for the organization from 2013-2014.

According to Cooper, his favorite fighters are: Arturo Gatti, Keith Thurman, Mike Tyson and Marvin Hagler, and the greatest and his favorite fight of all time was Gatti vs. Ward 1. Cooper is vice president and relationship manager in the Middle Market Commercial Banking Group at Fifth Third Bank.

Cooper is a licensed USA Boxing judge, licensed professional cutman, trainer and manager. During the past four years, Cooper has acted as a matchmaker for about five amateur boxing shows a year. According to Cooper, “My goals are to bring more notoriety to the sport of boxing in the Cleveland areas and to make Cleveland area boxers more prevalent on the national scene.” Cooper is being inducted into the Ohio State Former Boxers And Associates, Inc., Hall of Fame along with Michael Melbar and Terry Strowder.

Michael Melbar comes from a boxing family. Michael Melbar is a native Clevelander who was born at the old St. Alexis Hospital in 1966. As a young child, Melbar’s mother died. After her death, he and his brothers were raised by their grandparents, James and Genevieve Gray, until Melbar was eight years old. According to Melbar, his father took the responsibility to care for him and his brothers, Tony, Joey, Jim, and Johnny. “At nine years old,” Melbar said, “my first pair of boxing gloves were put on me by my father.”

Melbar and his brothers were trained by the late Jim Kelly at PAL 10 gym. According to Melbar, he had his first fight was at the old Navy Park. Melbar graduated from Central Catholic High School in 1984, and joined the United States Army. He served in the Army from 1984-1987. Melbar continued his boxing career in the Army and he is proud that he was a member of the `All Army Team’ of 1986 and 1987. Prior to an early retirement, Melbar was a machinist at Central Brass before the plant relocated overseas. According to Melbar, his biggest fan is his daughter, Destiny, who always been in his corner.

Melbar and his brother, John, were matched eight times against each other in the finals of the Tough Guy Competitions, and the brothers took turns so that the other could win. As a professional figher, Melbar got a late start in his career. He became a professional fighter at 38 years old. Melbar was trained by Gary Horath, and his first professional fight was against Robert Smart at St. Michael’s Hall in Cleveland in May of 2004, and he won the fight by a KO in the first found. In his second fight, he won it by a TKO in the first round 14 against Kelly Praterin in June of 2004 at the Knights of Columbus Hall in Cleveland. Melbar fought five professional fights, and retired with a record of 2-3.

Melbar enjoys watching all kinds of sporting events, but most especially boxing matches. Melbar is being inducted into the Ohio State Former Boxers And Associates, Inc., Hall of Fame along with Alex Cooper and Terry Strowder.