CINCINNATI — Cincinnati native and all-time boxing great Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor was honored by friends and family at a party recognizing what would have been his 70th birthday Monday.
LaRosa's Founder Buddy LaRosa shook hands and chatted with people in the tight crowd gathered inside his Westwood location, as everyone watched old fights of the man Buddy once managed.
Pryor's long-time friend Daryl Jones remembered fighting him in Milwaukee as Pryor attempted a late-career comeback.
"Everyone was saying, 'You going in there to win?' I said, 'Yeah, I'm going in there to win. Then I might be a champion,'" Jones told us through a chuckle.
WATCH: We talk with The Hawk's friends, family about the legacy he leaves for others to follow
Pryor was the WBA and IBF Junior Welterweight champion during his illustrious professional career, and may be best known for his two-time title defense fights against Alexis Arguello.
The boxer vacated his title while struggling with substance abuse issues, and suffered the only professional loss of his career when he returned to boxing.
"They said he was on drugs," Jones said. "I was on drugs. I beat it, he beat it, but when you got in the gym, nothing but training."
Jones said he measured his long-time friend by the contents of his heart.
"His heart was full of gold," Jones said.
Aaron Pryor Jr. said he organized the celebrations in his father's name so his legacy can be carried forward.
We asked what it was like to watch people who primarily knew "The Hawk" as a boxer share stories with people who knew him as a person.
"To me, he's my hero," Pryor Jr. said. "To me, to his grandkids, he's grandpa. He's dad."
Pryor Jr. told us current generations could learn something from his father's story.
"They can use a lot of that. Hard work. No cutting corners, dedication, that's what he was. That's why he's the fighter he was," Pryor Jr. said. "Hopefully that reaches some kid someday, and they're like, I want to fight like that. I want to fight like The Hawk."
Oct. 2026 will mark 10 years since Pryor died at 60 after a long fight with heart failure.
