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.' '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. Champions 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.

Hall of famer emanuel steward