Dr Mark Prince was presented with the Helen Rollason Award at BBC Sports Personality of the Year 2024.
Prince – a former champion boxer – was honoured for his work with the Kiyan Prince Foundation, which keeps young people away from knife crime through boxing.
The foundation is named after Prince’s son Kiyan – an academy footballer who was stabbed to death outside his school’s gates in 2006.
Prince received the award from former world boxing champion Barry McGuigan at the Sports Personality of the Year ceremony at MediaCity, Salford.
Speaking on BBC One he said: “I am not often short of words, I am always up and motivating other people, and this is really overwhelming for me.”
The Helen Rollason Award recognises outstanding achievement in the face of adversity.
It was introduced to Sports Personality of the Year in 1999 in memory of the BBC Sport journalist and presenter, who died of cancer that year at the age of 43.
“I want to let Nikki Rollason [Helen’s daughter] know that this is such a blessing receiving this award in your mum’s name – your mum was an awesome individual,” said Prince.
He had a tough start to life, finding himself on the streets and becoming involved in crime and drugs.
He turned his life around through boxing and the discipline it brought him – culminating in him winning the WBO intercontinental light-heavyweight title in September 1997.
“I spent six years leading the wrong life – running away from home at 15 years old, a lot of drugs and crime,” Prince told BBC Sport.
“I had to change, and I thought boxing was going to be the best route, and the way to make it work was if I became a champion.”
After twice defending his crown, Prince was beaten when he fought Dariusz Michalczewski for the world title in Oberhausen, Germany in September 1998.
In 2006, his 15-year-old son Kiyan was murdered by a fellow teenager while trying to break up a fight.
Kiyan was a talented footballer, who had joined the academy of Championship side Queens Park Rangers when he was 13.
Reflecting on his son’s death, Prince said: “I don’t think we are built for news like that.
“I wanted to do bad things. The pain is indescribable. Boxing is easy – this was a different fight.
“The only control I really have is how I deal with the situations I find myself in. After Kiyan died, I thought, ‘why don’t I do this for my son?'”
Prince created the Kiyan Prince Foundation, which has reached more than 100,000 children through its programmes, life coaching and motivational talks.
He was made an OBE in the 2019 New Year’s Honours list for his work to combat knife crime.
The foundation was awarded the naming rights to QPR’s Loftus Road in 2019 following a public vote, and has been supported by current and former footballers including Les Ferdinand, Jamie Redknapp and Charlie Austin.
“The club was heavily involved in supporting Mark,” former QPR and England striker Ferdinand told BBC Sport.
“What he brings is honesty and truth. In Mark, these boys can see themselves. They come from where he did.”
This year marks the 25th year of the Helen Rollason Award.
Former javelin world record holder and Olympic medallist Fatima Whitbread won the award in 2023, and previous recipients include rugby league legend Rob Burrow, Scotland rugby union great Doddie Weir, Hillsborough campaigner Anne Williams, football fan Bradley Lowery and racing driver Billy Monger.
