Legendary trainer Emanuel Steward once revealed who he considers to be the best fighter that he ever worked with.
Steward began working as a trainer at the world famous Kronk Gym in Detroit, Michigan during the early 1970s and would go on to work with no less than 43 world champions throughout the course of his career.
He guided the careers of a number of legendary fighters during his tenure, including the likes of former unified heavyweight champions Wladimir Klitschko and Lennox Lewis, Mexican icon Julio Cesar Chavez and five-weight world champion Thomas Hearns.
In an interview with Boxing 247, Steward didn’t hesitate to name Thomas ‘Hitman’ Hearns as the greatest fighter that he ever trained, paying homage to the ‘dedication’ of the retired American star.
“Not only was Tommy the best fighter I ever worked with, he was also the most exciting. For me, climbing in the ring whenever Tommy fought, it was just so exciting. Tommy was very special.
“He was probably the closest reflection to my own style of fighting [in the amateurs]. With Tommy, he had so many outstanding qualities it’s hard to list just one – but he was so dedicated. Tommy worked so hard in the gym. If I told him, ‘Tommy, today you spar 20 rounds.’ He’d say ‘Okay.’ That’s just the way he was – dedicated.”
Hearns became boxing’s first ever five-division world champion when he defeated fellow countryman Virgil Hill in 1991 to capture the WBA world light-heavyweight title.
Perhaps the bulk of his success came during the 1980s when he became a member of the iconic ‘Four Kings’ alongside former rivals Sugar Ray Leonard, Marvelous Marvin Hagler and Roberto Duran.