Kronk Gym
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Kronk Gym (5555 McGraw Street, Detroit, MI 48210-1724) was a legendary boxing gym located in Detroit and led by equally legendary trainer Emanuel Steward. The gym was run out of the basement of the oldest recreation center of the City of Detroit. It opened shortly after Word War I (~1920) and closed in 2006.
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[edit] Boxing legends
Kronk began to earn fame during the late 1970s, when boxers like Thomas Hearns and Hilmer Kenty trained there. In 1980, Kenty became Kronk's first world champion, and Hearns followed him as world champion months after. In 1983, Kronk fighter Milton McCrory won the WBC's world Welterweight title that had been vacated by Sugar Ray Leonard; Jimmy Paul beat Harry Arroyo for the International Boxing Federation's world Lightweight title in 1985. Duane Thomas, another Kronk fighter, beat John Mugabi for the WBC's world Jr. Middleweight title in 1986. McCrory's brother, Steve McCrory, was also a world champion.
Prentiss Bryd was vice president of the gym during the 1980s. In the Lennox Lewis era, Richard Slone served as VP directly under Steward.
[edit] Kronk expansion
During the 1990s, Kronk opened a second gym, this one in Tucson. A new host of fighters who would later become world champions arrived at Kronk, among them Gerald McClellan, and the gym began to sell Kronk merchandise through catalog sales.
Among the many world champions who have also trained at Kronk at least once during their careers are Wilfredo Benitez (in the Tucson gym), Hector Camacho, Julio César Chávez, Naseem Hamed, Evander Holyfield, Lennox Lewis, and Jermain Taylor.
In 1998 Kronk opened Kronk Gym website, a Web site about the gym and its fighters. A "Save the Kronk" campaign, aimed at keeping the facilities from closing because of the budget shortfall is being spearheaded by Emanuel Steward. The campaign will be used to build a new Kronk.
[edit] Closing
In September 2006, the gym closed temporarily after thieves stole copper pipes cutting off water supply. Boxers relocated to a Dearborn Gold's Gym. The gym and recreation center was officially closed by the Recreation Department on November 28, 2006 due to the prohibitive cost of repairs to the plumbing and building infrastructure. (Detroit Free Press [1])
