by Johnny Walker and Philip H. Anselmo

Emanuel Steward, Kronk Gym founder and Hall of Fame trainer to boxing legends such as Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and current heavyweight champion of the world Wladimir Klitschko, has been hospitalized with a serious illness.

Steward underwent surgery yesterday in Chicago. He had been feeling unwell recently and was forced to miss scheduled appearances for his job as a boxing analyst on HBO, including last weekend’s fight between Julio Cesar Chavez Jr. and Sergio Martinez.

Quebec boxing promoter Yvon Michel has told the press that Steward, who trains Canadian super middleweight Adonis Stevenson, “is currently hospitalized in the Chicago area and had surgery today (Wednesday). He will undergo chemotherapy in the future.” Steward will not be in the corner for Stevenson’s bout against Donovan George in Montreal on October 12.

Steward’s sister Diane Steward-Jones offered a different diagnosis to the Detroit Free Press: “My brother has had problems with a nervous stomach, which turned into diverticulosis,” Steward-Jones said. “He had to have some repairs and he is resting and recuperating. He is doing very well.”

Philip H. Anselmo, currently vocalist with the hard rock band Down and formerly lead singer of heavy metal legends Pantera as well as a frequent contributor to Boxing Insider, offers this statement:

“Emanuel Steward and I became friends so quickly, and so genuinely, that it’s a rarity. He loves talking boxing, and so do I. Most times we end up screaming over one another to nail a point home, and we’re both screaming the same thing. Emanuel is, and has been nothing short of a class act, and a good friend to me, and damn near every boxing personnel I’ve come across can express similar sentiments. Right now, during his onrushing of the bitter side of the human condition, I ask that all of us; boxing enthusiasts and all righteous folk of all walks of life, to keep this great man in your thoughts, and make the thoughts of the supreme positive sort. Emanuel is my brother, and he is your brother. Give him your best. He deserves it, and sadly, needs it.”

Likewise, everyone at Boxing Insider wishes Emanuel Steward the best, and hopes that he is back on his feet again very soon.

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