The best punch trackers on the market
10th March 2020
By: Max Taylor
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. This is most applicable for Javan ‘Sugarhill’ Steward, as he is the nephew of famous Kronk gym boxing coach Emanuel Steward. He trained tens of World Champions and his Nephew has started to make a notable list of his own after his boxer, none other than Tyson Fury, won the WBC world heavyweight title last month.
The connection between Fury and his trainer has been long in the making, almost a decade ago the Manchester resident found himself inside the glorious walls of the Kronk gym for the first time and enjoyed a three-week camp with his cousin Andy Lee, Sugarhill and the Detroit gym’s founding father Emanuel.
Following a seismic split from Ben Davison only a few months before the biggest fight of his career, Fury called upon Steward as his new trainer for the rematch against Deontay Wilder. The general reaction was that of shock, as Fury did not win but still put on a convincing display under Davison during his first battle with the ‘Bronze Bomber’, so why the need to change?
Fury spoke of a different game plan in conference’s leading up to the rematch, one being where he knocks his opponent out, something he did not achieve but almost received in his last outing. It seemed with Davison in his corner that goal wouldn’t be reached thus putting the ‘Gypsy King’ in a tight position of stick or twist.
Fury took what seemed to be the high risk but with it came high reward as he pummelled Wilder to earn the win and more importantly, the WBC title courtesy of his training with Steward.
It goes without saying that Fury’s power that claimed the World title came from within, but with him and Steward using their Kronk experience and knowledge together, he was able to discover it and as a result transcend his usual strength and previous performance which had him labelled ‘pillow fists’.
‘Sugarhill’ told The Express how he trained Fury and helped him materialise the knockout ability he would speak of in the interviews for his February showdown.
“We needed to touch up on some basics like his balance
“We used his height and weight to our advantage in the rematch
“I told him I would give him more punching power. People say you can’t teach it but there are basics that maximise it”
The gym that the household Steward name resides from is notorious for teaching their students the art of the knockout. Former WBC Heavyweight icon and all time boxing great Lennox Lewis, trained under Emanuel and claimed 11 knockout wins in their 18-fight stint. One in which saw the Brit beat Oliver McCall, taking back the WBC title and avenging his previous loss to McCall three years prior. Another example of the Kronk’s ability to make heavyweights heavier handed is none other than Wladimir Klitschko. This name brings ‘Sugarhill’ Steward’s career full circle in a sense. Klitschko was trained by Uncle Emanuel as well, however he fell short, literally, at the hands of Fury who is the newest mega star to have trained with a Steward. The Ukraine champion first united with Emanuel Steward in 2004 and ended up building a nine-year title reign with his trainer that featured brutal knockouts. The new Kronk trainer ‘Sugarhill’ will surely be trying to replicate these successive Steward stories with Fury at his disposal.
The Detroit trainer’s regime and preparation carved out a new front footed Fury, a style that contrasted with his valiant but disappointingly scored fight with Wilder in 2018. Their second dual saw the Gypsy King refuse to leave it in the hands of the judge’s by securing the KO. ‘Sugarhill’ explained to Express Sport his late great Uncle taught him to train fighters with the philosophy of “being your own judge” and to “take destiny into your own hands” which was represented in the MGM Grand on the 22nd of February.
With all due respect to Davison, who took Fury out of the depths of despair by helping him overcome substance abuse and alcoholism. It has been ‘Sugarhill’ Steward who put salt in the wound of Wilder and strength in the fists of Fury to crown a new champion and continue the Kronk legacy.
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Max Taylor articles
Photography – Bradley Collyer