Emanuel Steward to save the Kronk gym!

Steward bids to save Kronk December 1, 2005 Email this Print this BY MIKE BRUDENELL FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER Boxing legend Emanuel Steward says he would buy the historic Kronk Recreation Center on Detroit's west side rather than see it closed. The center, home to the original Kronk Gym, where Steward has trained hundreds of young boxers over four decades, is one of nine community recreation centers in Detroit that will close as the city attempts to balance its budget. Already, some centers have seen their hours of operation reduced, from Monday through Saturday to a three-day schedule. On Tuesday, Steward had a letter hand-delivered to Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick's office, in which he expressed his concerns over the proposed closure of Kronk, located at 5555 McGraw and built in 1921. In it, Steward volunteered to purchase, then renovate the property. "As you know, I've spent the last 36 years of my life making this the most famous and recognized recreation center in the world," Steward wrote. "I have worked consistently with the youth of our city to groom them for success in life. "Many youngsters need this building and the support I give them, not only for boxing, but important life skills. It hurts to think this neighborhood will no longer be my hub for making change." On Wednesday, Charles Beckham, Detroit Recreation Department director, confirmed that nine of 29 recreation centers, including Kronk, would close by year's end. However, Beckham said the Kronk Gym would be relocated to another recreational center in the city, possibly the Coleman A. Young Community Center or the Adams/Butzel Recreation Complex. "Kronk boxing will still be alive," Beckham said. "It might be somewhere else, but we have no intention of ending Kronk as a gym." Beckham said he had not heard from Steward on his offer to buy the Kronk Recreation Center but would entertain the idea. "I'd be more than happy to sit down with Emanuel and talk about it," Beckham said. "I think we'd be happy to partner with him if that were the case." The Kronk Recreation Center offers youth and adult activities to the surrounding community, including boxing, basketball, volleyball, and arts and crafts. The Kronk Gym, situated in the basement of the red brick building, has been a haven for youngsters looking for something constructive to do after school and a breeding ground for world champions. Since the late '70s, Kronk has produced champions such as Thomas Hearns, Hilmer Kenty, Milton McCrory, Jimmy Paul and Duane Thomas. Among the champions who have visited and trained at the Kronk are Muhammad Ali, Wilfredo Benitez, Hector Camacho, Julio Cesar Chavez, Evander Holyfield, Aaron Pryor and Lennox Lewis. But, it's the kids, age 7 and up, who train at Kronk every day that Steward worries about. "I am a product of the Detroit recreation program," Steward wrote. "It saved me from an early career of juvenile crime, mainly street fighting in my ******** neighborhood where I was raised. Scores of other young men and women have been saved from the streets because of the availability of recreation centers." Before heading to Kronk on Wednesday, Steward, who has been beset by financial problems at times, said if the city closed the center and he could not buy it, he would move the gym elsewhere, perhaps to the suburbs. But that would be a last resort, he said. "The Kronk is a landmark, a positive influence in this city," he said. "It has too much history to be closed or moved. People -- basketball players, professional athletes, tourists -- come to Detroit to visit the Kronk." http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20051201/SPORTS18/512010467 Hahahahahah! I guess I'll be going to Kronk suckers!:D This is great news for me!