I can tell you that the real spirit of Emanuel Steward is with us. He wasn't able to speak too much, but that was the last line I heard from Emanuel - a strong, happy and clear-sounding voice. "The only line that I got to hear from him was, 'Hello, hello, how ya doing?' Unfortunately that was the last words that I heard from Emanuel," Klitschko said. The last time they spoke was about three weeks ago while Steward was hospitalized. "His spirit was young and he was always learning and he never stopped," Klitschko said. They trained together and talked about boxing and life. Over the years, Klitschko said he spent more time with Steward than his own father, who died in July 2011. He never lost confidence in me, and he made me believe in myself." I fought perfectly in the Brewster fight, other than the outcome. Emanuel's strength was to take the fighter who was down and build him back, as he did with Lennox and with me. "We got a little emotional because we lost. "I remember after the fight, we were both sitting in his room and we actually teared up," Klitschko said. Fighter and trainer quickly bonded, and even though Klitschko lost to Brewster (a defeat he later avenged), he had no intention of making another change. Klitschko, 36, of Ukraine, flew to the United States to begin training with Steward. "Bernd put me on the phone with him and we chatted," Klitschko said, "and I asked him, 'Are you available to train me?' He said, 'Let's give it a try,'" He won two fights after that, but his confidence was shaky and he was at the lowest point of his career.īernd Boente, Klitschko's manager, thought Steward, who had great success helping Lennox Lewis rebound from a knockout loss to become a dominant heavyweight champion, was just the man for the job and reached out to him. Three fights earlier, Klitschko had suffered another shocking knockout loss, this one to Corrie Sanders in the second round. Considering Klitschko (58-3, 51 KOs) was stopped in the fifth round by Lamon Brewster in his first fight working with Steward, in 2004, the pairing went a long way. Klitschko went 16-1, won three major belts and became the universally recognized champion under Steward's guidance. Steward was such a significant part of Klitschko's rise as the dominant heavyweight champion of this era that it's hard to envision him not being part of the corner on fight night. After his controversial split decision win against Dereck Chisora in December, Helenius underwent surgery on his right shoulder. Often mentioned as a possible challenger for Klitschko, Helenius, 28, will be fighting for the first time in 11 months. I know that for sure."Īlso on Epix's split-site telecast, 6-foot-6 heavyweight contender Robert Helenius (17-0, 11 KOs) of Finland will take on 5-11 Sherman Williams (35-11-2, 19 KOs), a 40-year-old journeyman from the Bahamas who lives in Vero Beach, Fla., in a scheduled 10-rounder at the Helsinki Ice Hall in Finland. He is laughing and enjoying himself and also looking forward to that fight. He is not here, but we know his spirit is with us and around us. "He was a great, great friend and one of the geniuses in boxing. "The relationship between Emanuel and me was very special - not just a regular relationship between a coach and a boxer," Klitschko said. The broadcast will include a tribute to Steward. ET) in Hamburg, Germany, at the O2 World Arena. 25 in a Chicago hospital from colon cancer.Īs happy a time as it was for Klitschko to celebrate with Steward after what turned out to be their final fight together during an exceptional nine-year run, the feeling is now one of profound sadness as Klitschko prepares to make his 13th title defense against Mariusz Wach on Saturday (Epix and, 4:30 p.m. Now, four months later, Steward, a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and one of the sport's most beloved figures, is gone. Klitschko took the ring microphone and proceeded to lead the crowd of more than 20,000 in Bern, Switzerland, in singing "Happy Birthday" to his trainer and dear friend Emanuel Steward, who was celebrating his 68th birthday that day. You have reached a degraded version of because you're using an unsupported version of Internet Explorer.įor a complete experience, please upgrade or use a supported browserĪfter heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko polished off Tony Thompson in a sixth-round knockout victory in their July 7 rematch, there was still one more thing for him to do before he left the ring.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |