Emanuel Steward Appoached About Kronk Reality Series
By Lem Satterfield
Respected boxing trainer, Emanuel "Manny" Steward was recently approached concerning a potential television series devoted to "The Kronk Gym," which he ran in Detroit.
"I've been told that there is something in the works right now to do a complete television series called, 'The Kronk,'" said Steward. "It's going to go beyond the boxing and all of the other things that the children that we taught had to overcome just in their every day lives living in the neighborhood."
Run out of the basement of the oldest recreation center, "The Kronk" was a refuge for inner city youth, producing such boxing champions as Hilmer Kenty, Thomas Hearns, Milton McCrory, and, Jimmy Paul.
"The kids always had to deal with the drug-dealers, stuff like that. I mean, there's a whole lot more to what we did at The Kronk than just the boxing," said Steward of a gym which opened in 1920, and closed in 2006. "It's about the childhoods of all of the fighters, and the tough things that they always had to endure just to live a decent life or simply to survive the streets."
Steward was reached in New York, where he preparing former three-time world champion, Miguel cotto (34-2, 27 knockouts), for Saturday night's challenge against WBA junior middleweight (154 pounds) champion, Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs).
