International Boxing Hall of Fame Flies Flags at Half-Staff for Emanuel Steward

HALL OF FAME FLIES FLAGS AT HALF-STAFF FOR TRAINER EMANUEL STEWARD

CANASTOTA, NY – OCTOBER 25, 2012 – The International Boxing Hall of Fame announced its flags will fly at half-staff in memory of legendary trainer Emanuel Steward. He passed away today at a Chicago hospital. He was 68.

Steward was born July 7, 1944 in West Virginia. He moved to Detroit as a child and began boxing there as an amateur, compiling a 94-3 record and winning the 1963 National Golden Gloves title. He then became a coach at the Kronk Gym and, in 1971, seven of his fighters won Golden Gloves championships. Next he began working with professional fighters and developed world champions such as Thomas “Hitman” Hearns, Hilmer Kenty, Dennnis Andries, Mike McCallum, Jimmy Paul, Duane Thomas and Michael Moorer. He also trained such superstars as Lennox Lewis, Evander Holyfield, Naseem Hamed, Oscar De La Hoya, Wladimir Klitschko and Miguel Cotto. Steward served as expert commentator for HBO’s World Championship Boxing.

“Without a doubt, Emanuel Steward was one of the most accomplished and respected trainers in the history of boxing. He was a great ambassador for the sport, always promoting boxing wherever he traveled,” said Hall of Fame Executive Director Edward Brophy. “The Hall of Fame joins the worldwide boxing world in mourning the passing of a legend.”

In 1996, Steward was elected into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.