Kronk’s Gym Begins Its Boxing Return to the Motor City

A gym that celebrates the legacy of a former national Golden Gloves bantamweight boxing champion is returning to Detroit.

Kronk's Gym, initially founded by boxing legend Emanuel Steward, is experiencing a rebirth thanks to the dedication of the Kronk organization. Marie Steward (Emanuel's widow) and Sylvia Steward-Williams (Emanuel's daughter) have collaborated to open a new Kronk Gym in “the heart of the city,” according to a press release, and involve “many of Kronk's former world champions and fighters that trained under Steward.”

While details on the location and the new gym's opening were not announced in March when the original press release was distributed, Kronk managing partner John Lepak told Hour Detroit that it “will be very close to the other Detroit sports franchises in the heart of the city, at a historical location within an existing building that will be renovated.”

During his lifetime, Steward trained and managed several famous boxers and supported 41 world champions,  including Milton McCrory, Lennox Lewis, Michael Moorer, and Wladimir Klitschko.

In 2006, when Detroit began closing its recreation centers due to financial hardships, the Kronk boxing program relocated from its 1921 building. The original Kronk Recreation Center sat vacant for over a decade before being demolished after a 2017 fire, which mainly consumed the structure. 

The Kronk boxing program moved to Warren Avenue and operated until Steward's death at 68 in 2012. After 2012, it moved to Mettetal Street, where it ultimately closed during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Lepak, who trained as a boxer at Kronk beginning in 1987 and became Steward's assistant and office manager, told Hour Detroit he is excited for Kronk to hopefully train new boxing champions. He also said the new Kronk ownership would be “very active in several community programs, youth mentorship initiatives, and training opportunities for the youth of metro Detroit.”