Emanuel Steward: The Mastermind Behind Boxing Greatness
Emanuel Steward, born on July 17, 1944, in Bottom Creek, West Virginia, was one of the most exceptional and respected figures in boxing. Not only was he a legendary trainer, but he also became a veteran ringside commentator for HBO Sports, where his deep knowledge and unique insight added richness to boxing broadcasts.
Before becoming a trainer, Steward enjoyed a stellar amateur career, compiling an impressive record of 93–4 and winning the 1963 National Golden Gloves bantamweight title. Interestingly, he never fought professionally, yet went on to redefine the art of training.
A former electrician, Steward’s journey began at the famous Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit, Michigan, where he first trained his younger brother. By the 1970s, his passion for grooming amateur fighters blossomed, and he developed one of the most successful stables of champions in boxing history.
His first world champion was Hilmer Kenty, who captured the WBA Lightweight title in March 1980. Shortly after, his greatest protégé emerged—Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns, a devastating puncher who became the first boxer in history to win world titles in four different divisions. Hearns’ success elevated Steward into the ranks of elite trainers.
Throughout his remarkable career, Steward produced 41 world champions, including Hilmer Kenty, Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitschko, and Miguel Cotto. His unmatched ability to study fighters, identify weaknesses, and build strategies made him a boxing mastermind.
As a commentator for HBO Sports, Steward further cemented his legacy. Fans valued his clear, passionate, and knowledgeable commentary that combined the perspective of a trainer with the charisma of a natural broadcaster. His voice became part of many unforgettable nights in boxing history.
Emanuel Steward’s place in history is right alongside American greats such as Jack Blackburn, Eddie Futch, Angelo Dundee, George Benton, Lou Duva, and Gil Clancy, all of whom shaped generations of fighters.
Sadly, on October 25, 2012, Emanuel Steward passed away from cancer. His death left a void in both the boxing ring and the broadcast booth, but his influence still echoes through the sport he loved.
Emanuel Steward was more than a trainer—he was a teacher, a visionary, and a voice of boxing. His passion transformed fighters, inspired fans, and built a legacy that remains timeless.
Emanuel Steward encourages Lennox Lewis in his corner. It's a testament to the genius of Emanuel Steward because after Lennox Lewis got with Steward, he became a truly great fighter. Lennox Lewis hooked up with Emanuel Steward in 1994 after Lewis lost his WBC heavyweight title to Oliver McCall. Lewis then trained at Steward's renowned Kronk Gym in Detroit, eventually reclaiming his title in 1997 and becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion, and one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time under Steward's guidance.
This is a crazy story, in 2014 Marcos "El Chino" Maidana, a hard-hitting Argentina fighter, and Floyd "Money" Mayweather mixed it up for the second time, Floyd ended up winning both fights, but Maidana gave him all he could handle. Anyway, in their second fight, Maidana rocked Mayweather in the third round, caught him with a brutal right hand and the punch supposedly knocked Mayweather's tooth out of his mouth, if you watch the footage you can definitely see something pop up in the air after the punch lands. After the tooth was knocked out, someone, I don't know who, but someone scooped up the tooth and kept it, and later gave it to Maidana, who then proceeded to make a necklace out of it and wear it. This whole story got started because Maidana came out and made this claim on Instagram in 2020, and posted a video of himself wearing the necklace. Floyd denies it and claims that he's never had a tooth knocked out during a fight. I don't know what to believe but it is a fascinating story.
This is the punch that supposedly knocked out Floyd Mayweather's tooth. A lot of people claim that it was just Vaseline popping off of Floyd's face after the punch and not Floyd's tooth. I've viewed the footage up close many times and whatever it was is solid and it was about the size of a tooth, but honestly, I don't know what to believe, nevertheless it's a fascinating story.
Charley Burley, legendary welterweight and middleweight who fought from 1936 to 1950. He was part of the infamous black murderers row, a group of highly skilled and feared Black middleweight contenders in the 1940s who were so good they were never given a shot at the world title. The term, coined by writer Budd Schulberg and originally associated with the 1927 New York Yankees baseball team, described fighters like Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, and Holman Williams, who were avoided by famous champions and were forced to fight each other over and over again in grueling contests. It's a shame because Charley Burley was one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing. He was as slick as an eel at a Vaseline party, very smart, tactical fighter, defensive genius that would make you miss and counter the crap out of you. There's a bit of footage of him available, and watching him fight is better than porn.
"Burley was the toughest man I ever faced. If anybody was the perfect fighter, it was Burley. When I fought Burley, I was no greenhorn. l'd had nearly 80 fights at the time. He could feint you crazy with his eyes, shoulders, head, even his pectoral muscles. If you threw a punch at Charley Burley, you had better hit him; if you didn't, he would counter your head off. Hitting Burley with a solid punch was near impossible. The night we fought in Hollywood, I caught Burley leaning way back. He appeared to be off balance. I did not think he could find any leverage in that position, but he almost took my head off with a counter right cross. He had suckered me in beautifully. Charley Burley was inhuman!" - Archie Moore
Comments
This was one of the great images from that fight, Ngannou folding up like a lawn chair.
One of my favorite magazine covers, "World-class boxer obliterates mixed martial artist with sickening ease."
The Joshua-Ngannou KO.
Emanuel Steward: The Mastermind Behind Boxing Greatness
Emanuel Steward, born on July 17, 1944, in Bottom Creek, West Virginia, was one of the most exceptional and respected figures in boxing. Not only was he a legendary trainer, but he also became a veteran ringside commentator for HBO Sports, where his deep knowledge and unique insight added richness to boxing broadcasts.
Before becoming a trainer, Steward enjoyed a stellar amateur career, compiling an impressive record of 93–4 and winning the 1963 National Golden Gloves bantamweight title. Interestingly, he never fought professionally, yet went on to redefine the art of training.
A former electrician, Steward’s journey began at the famous Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit, Michigan, where he first trained his younger brother. By the 1970s, his passion for grooming amateur fighters blossomed, and he developed one of the most successful stables of champions in boxing history.
His first world champion was Hilmer Kenty, who captured the WBA Lightweight title in March 1980. Shortly after, his greatest protégé emerged—Thomas “Hit Man” Hearns, a devastating puncher who became the first boxer in history to win world titles in four different divisions. Hearns’ success elevated Steward into the ranks of elite trainers.
Throughout his remarkable career, Steward produced 41 world champions, including Hilmer Kenty, Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Wladimir Klitschko, and Miguel Cotto. His unmatched ability to study fighters, identify weaknesses, and build strategies made him a boxing mastermind.
As a commentator for HBO Sports, Steward further cemented his legacy. Fans valued his clear, passionate, and knowledgeable commentary that combined the perspective of a trainer with the charisma of a natural broadcaster. His voice became part of many unforgettable nights in boxing history.
Emanuel Steward’s place in history is right alongside American greats such as Jack Blackburn, Eddie Futch, Angelo Dundee, George Benton, Lou Duva, and Gil Clancy, all of whom shaped generations of fighters.
Sadly, on October 25, 2012, Emanuel Steward passed away from cancer. His death left a void in both the boxing ring and the broadcast booth, but his influence still echoes through the sport he loved.
Emanuel Steward was more than a trainer—he was a teacher, a visionary, and a voice of boxing. His passion transformed fighters, inspired fans, and built a legacy that remains timeless.
Detroit's legendary Thomas Hearns gets his hands wrapped by trainer and manager Emanuel Steward at the Kronk Gym in 1981.
Emanuel Steward encourages Lennox Lewis in his corner. It's a testament to the genius of Emanuel Steward because after Lennox Lewis got with Steward, he became a truly great fighter. Lennox Lewis hooked up with Emanuel Steward in 1994 after Lewis lost his WBC heavyweight title to Oliver McCall. Lewis then trained at Steward's renowned Kronk Gym in Detroit, eventually reclaiming his title in 1997 and becoming the undisputed heavyweight champion, and one of the greatest heavyweights of all-time under Steward's guidance.
This is a crazy story, in 2014 Marcos "El Chino" Maidana, a hard-hitting Argentina fighter, and Floyd "Money" Mayweather mixed it up for the second time, Floyd ended up winning both fights, but Maidana gave him all he could handle. Anyway, in their second fight, Maidana rocked Mayweather in the third round, caught him with a brutal right hand and the punch supposedly knocked Mayweather's tooth out of his mouth, if you watch the footage you can definitely see something pop up in the air after the punch lands. After the tooth was knocked out, someone, I don't know who, but someone scooped up the tooth and kept it, and later gave it to Maidana, who then proceeded to make a necklace out of it and wear it. This whole story got started because Maidana came out and made this claim on Instagram in 2020, and posted a video of himself wearing the necklace. Floyd denies it and claims that he's never had a tooth knocked out during a fight. I don't know what to believe but it is a fascinating story.
This is the punch that supposedly knocked out Floyd Mayweather's tooth. A lot of people claim that it was just Vaseline popping off of Floyd's face after the punch and not Floyd's tooth. I've viewed the footage up close many times and whatever it was is solid and it was about the size of a tooth, but honestly, I don't know what to believe, nevertheless it's a fascinating story.
Charley Burley, legendary welterweight and middleweight who fought from 1936 to 1950. He was part of the infamous black murderers row, a group of highly skilled and feared Black middleweight contenders in the 1940s who were so good they were never given a shot at the world title. The term, coined by writer Budd Schulberg and originally associated with the 1927 New York Yankees baseball team, described fighters like Charley Burley, Lloyd Marshall, and Holman Williams, who were avoided by famous champions and were forced to fight each other over and over again in grueling contests. It's a shame because Charley Burley was one of the greatest fighters in the history of boxing. He was as slick as an eel at a Vaseline party, very smart, tactical fighter, defensive genius that would make you miss and counter the crap out of you. There's a bit of footage of him available, and watching him fight is better than porn.
"Burley was the toughest man I ever faced. If anybody was the perfect fighter, it was Burley. When I fought Burley, I was no greenhorn. l'd had nearly 80 fights at the time. He could feint you crazy with his eyes, shoulders, head, even his pectoral muscles. If you threw a punch at Charley Burley, you had better hit him; if you didn't, he would counter your head off. Hitting Burley with a solid punch was near impossible. The night we fought in Hollywood, I caught Burley leaning way back. He appeared to be off balance. I did not think he could find any leverage in that position, but he almost took my head off with a counter right cross. He had suckered me in beautifully. Charley Burley was inhuman!" - Archie Moore