LEGENDARY BOXING TRAINER EMMANUEL STEWARD DIES

Emmanuel Steward, one of boxing's greatest ever trainers has died after a protracted but undisclosed illness at the age of 68. Although Steward may not be too well known among Nigerians, he was nevertheless an iconic figure of world boxing in a career that spanned three decades. It is also instructive about the fact that Nigeria's impact and relevance in boxing has significantly declined since the late 50s and early 60s when she produced two legendary world champions, the featherweight Hogan Kid Bassey and middleweight Dick Tiger.

Steward, whose father was a coal miner and mother a seamstress, was born in West Virginia. He got boxing gloves as a Christmas present at the age of 8, beginning what would turn out to be an illustrious and long career. He moved to Detroit a few years later and trained as an amateur boxer at Brewster Recreation Center, which once was the home gym of Joe Louis.

Steward, , won the national Golden Gloves tournament as a bantamweight at the age of 18. But instead of trying to make it as a professional boxer, he went to work for the Detroit Edison Co. In 1971, he accepted a part-time position as head coach – for $35 per week – of the boxing program at the Kronk Recreation Center. He was ultimately to run the gym and produce great fighters out of there, eventually turning it into legendary status and booking the name 'The Kronk' a place in the lexicon of modern world boxing. He was arguably most renowned for turning Thomas Hearns into one of the fiercest boxers of all time, yet he was also largely responsible for the success of other great fighters as well, most notably Lennox Lewis, Oscar de la Hoya and current world champion  Vladimir Klitschko. 

"He brought the very, very best out of me," Hearns once said of Steward.

A 1996 inductee of the Boxing Hall of Fame, he was known for his technical ability and the capacity to coach boxers of varying styles. Most undoubtedly, he is ranked among the very best trainers the world has ever known, right up there shoulder to shoulder with the likes of Angelo Dundee, Cus d'Amato, Eddie Futch, Ignacio Beristain and Freddie Roach.

In addition to his tremendous influence as a trainer, he later won acclaim as a boxing analyst when he was hired in 2001 by Ross Greenburg, former president of HBO Sports to work alongside legendary analysts Jim Lampley and Larry Merchant. He brought along his easygoing reputation to the often contentious fight game, which was not easy at all.

"He's going to be most known as one of the greatest trainers in the history of the sport," Lampley said. "That's the central element of his identity. He's my best friend and it's on a personal level I have the most appreciation for him. But he is the man who groomed Thomas Hearns and who built an iconic inner city gym in the working class capital of America."

Ken Hershman, Greenburg's successor as president of HBO Sports, said in a statement: "There are no adequate words to describe the enormous degree of sadness and loss we feel at HBO Sports with the tragic passing of Manny Steward. For more than a decade, Manny was a respected colleague who taught us so much not only about the sweet science but also about friendship and loyalty. His energy, enthusiasm and bright smile were a constant presence. Ten bells do not seem enough to mourn his passing. His contributions to the sport and to HBO will never be forgotten. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family."

He will be sorely missed by not just the boxing fraternity but the entire world of sports.