![]() ![]() It was allowed to remain open, but it put Steward in a difficult financial situation and he later rented space at a gym in Dearborn so his young fighters could train. The city closed the original Kronk Recreation Center - a hot, sweaty basement gym - after vandals stole its copper piping in 2006. "I'm so glad he made the Kronk Gym what it was, helping countless young boys become men and many amateurs become champions."Ī private dinner and party in Detroit followed the service. "He had a million-dollar smile you couldn't deny," Franklin told The Associated Press from her front-row seat. Franklin, a friend of Steward's in Detroit for decades, said she wouldn't have missed the memorial for anything. 1 pound-for-pound fighter in the world."Īnd if that wasn't impressive enough, Aretha Franklin sang a stirring rendition of "I'll Fly Away" in front of a few thousand witnesses at Greater Grace Temple. ![]() "There are five legitimate heavyweight champions sitting in the first two rows and the No. ![]() You would have to go to Canastota (N.Y.) in midsummer to the Hall of Fame to see anything even remotely approaching this group. "Over here, you have a section that I would call the Hall of Fame section. "What a spectacular turnout of support," HBO Sports commentator Jim Lampley said. His family took its time to plan a memorial befitting a beloved public figure - and it was a hit.Ĭhampions he trained - including Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko and Evander Holyfield - one he worked out only briefly - Sugar Ray Leonard - and another he didn't train at all - Roy Jones Jr. Steward, the man who made the Kronk Gym famous, died of colon cancer last month at the age of 68. For those interested in hearing what Emanuel Steward had to say about many heavyweight legends of the past – including, but not limited to, Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston, Jack Johnson, Joe Louis, Jack Dempsey, George Foreman, Joe Frazier, and Rocky Marciano just to name a few – please watch and enjoy the video.You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĭETROIT - Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward was celebrated by boxing royalty and the Queen of Soul at a star-studded memorial service Tuesday in the Motor City. The original audio for this interview has been completely remastered for this video by Ryan MacNamara. With the recent 10 year anniversary of this interview having just passed, that interview was just recently transformed into an historical boxing documentary. On March 30, 2010, Steward was interviewed by Geoffrey Ciani (aka – Rummy) about the history of boxing’s marquee weight class, the heavyweight division. With his deep knowledge of heavyweight history and his first hand experience in being part of that history, Steward’s perspective is historically unique. Not only has Steward had great success in heavyweight championship contests, but he was also an avid fan of boxing history and one of the most prominent boxing historians to ever analyze the rich history of heavyweight boxing. In addition to training all time greats in Lewis and Klitschko, both of whom had long and illustrious dominant reigns as champion, he also trained Oliver McCall when he scored his dramatic upset knockout against Lewis (prior to the two teaming up), and he also guided Evander Holyfield to victory when he became the only man to defeat Riddick Bowe. Steward had an especially good track record at heavyweight. Steward worked in that capacity from 2001 until he sadly passed away in 2012. In addition to his outstanding career as a world class trainer, Steward was also an exceptional commentator who called the HBO fights with exceptional ability to provide valuable insight to the viewing audience when it came to breaking down the sweet science in ways that were easy to follow and understand. ![]() He is best known for training Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and Wladimir Klitschko. In total, Steward trained 28 world champions during his time as a boxing trainer. This was Steward’s first world champion, but it would certainly not be his last. Steward’s first champion was On March 2, 1980, at new Joe Louis Arena, Steward-trained Hilmer Kenty won the WBA lightweight championship when he defeated Ernesto Espana. Steward ultimately did return to boxing in his best known capacity as a trainer at Kronk Gym, where he had a highly decorated career. ![]()
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