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great story from todays free press talking about the personal relationships that manny has with his fighters and they have with each other.
House of champions: Boxers get lodging and life lessons at home of Emanuel Steward
November 15, 2007
BY MIKE BRUDENELL
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
When men with heavy fists and granite jaws live under the same roof, there have to be a few house rules or all hell could break loose.
Like, "There'll be no cheating at Monopoly, and you must also wash out your own bowl when you're finished with meals," explains Andy Lee, a rangy Irish middleweight with a choirboy smile and a short fuse.
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Lee's words spark a quick verbal jab from Johnathon Banks, a normally low-key Detroit cruiserweight with a murderous left hook.
"Andy gets mad if there are dirty dishes left in the sink," says Banks with a half grin. "He's an Irishman, and he has a bad temper."
Which prompts Lee to counter with a shot of his own: "Johnathon is a complete (expletive). But he did put the word out on the streets when I arrived not to mess with the Irishman."
Lee (12-0, nine KOs) and Banks (17-0, 13 KOs) are housemates, an odd couple sharing space in the home of legendary Kronk Gym manager/trainer Emanuel Steward in north Rosedale Park in Detroit.
Steward is hosting them and three other boxers -- former junior lightweight champion Joey Gamache (55-4, 38 KOs, now retired), IBF welterweight title-holder Kermit Cintron (28-1, 26 KOs) and his younger brother, Jason (6-0, one KO), a light welterweight prospect.
"They've nested together -- it's like a family," says Steward, who has opened his doors to many boxers over the years, including Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis and Hilmer Kenty. "I don't have to bother them much. Nothing is hidden in the house -- money, contracts. It's an open book."
While Lee and Banks might joke about each other, they are serious about the need to show each other respect as they go about their training and keeping the peace in Steward's three-level home in one of Detroit's most charming areas.
As Lee, who hails from Limerick, prepared a cup of tea in Steward's kitchen Monday, Banks sat at a nearby table, finishing a bowl of Rice Krispies.
"Andy's a great guy, but he'll snap at you if you don't pull your weight," says Banks, who is 40 pounds heavier than Lee. "He's a mean dude -- the smile is just for the camera."
Banks, Lee and Jason Cintron will be among a group of Kronk fighters in action tonight on a pro-am card being promoted as the "Ultimate Night of Boxing" at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township.
When the Free Press knocked on the door of Steward's home this week, Banks and Co. were winding down after a hard training camp in the Pocono Mountains. They roamed the house, moving from the kitchen to the basement where they played pool, to the family room where they played poker and ate spaghetti.
Fighters rubbing shoulders, sharing food and taking the occasional poke at one another.
"I live in the dungeon," says Banks, whose favorite spot when he's not doing road work in the morning or sparring at the Dearborn Kronk in the late afternoon is a red leather chair in front of a large TV in Steward's basement. "Andy's bedroom is on the third floor -- the penthouse."
The Cintrons have come to town from Reading, Pa., where they moved as kids from their native Puerto Rico. Gamache, a successful businessman in New York, travels with Steward and his troupe as an assistant trainer.
When they are under one roof, as they've been at Steward's for several weeks, there's no pecking order, however.
"I like it here -- it's very relaxing," says Jason Cintron, 25. "My brother and I play pool, have fun and tell jokes."
Big brother Kermit, 28, with whom Jason lives in Pennsylvania, is a little more serious.
"I'm here for the boxing -- for the training," he says. "Living with Emanuel and the guys keeps you motivated. We are all in this thing together. There are no favorites."
At 41, Gamache is the elder statesman of the group, earning the respect of his housemates from his past performances in the ring and his levelheadedness away from it.
"You live by the rules here," he says. "We keep ourselves busy. We play cribbage, poker, pool when we're not training. We respect each other's privacy -- that's just common sense. This is a house of real talent -- a house of present and future champions."
Lee, 23, who represented Ireland at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, has stayed full-time with Steward since October 2005. He has found a home away from home in Detroit, made new friends and found a church.
"I go to mass on Sundays at Christ the King on Grand River," says Lee, a devout Catholic who has a large tattoo of the crucifixion on his upper body. "I got the tattoo in Ireland right after the Olympics."
Banks, who has sparred with heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko for several years and is one of the most feared cruiserweights in the world, has known Steward since his amateur days. He is a regular at Steward's home, which has five bedrooms and four bathrooms.
"There's no stress here," says Banks of the accommodations at Steward's. "I grew up in a house with six sisters, three brothers and one bathroom. If you didn't get up by 5:30, you wouldn't get the bathroom until 7:30. This is like a walk in the park."
For Steward, it's like being a father all over again, he says.
"They're a bunch of children, really," Steward says of his guests. "Everyone is different. Andy is high-energy. Kermit loves to sit in front of a computer, and Johnathon gets on the phone and disappears down in the basement. They go bowling on Monday nights. They're always welcome here with me."
House of champions: Boxers get lodging and life lessons at home of Emanuel Steward
November 15, 2007
BY MIKE BRUDENELL
FREE PRESS SPORTS WRITER
When men with heavy fists and granite jaws live under the same roof, there have to be a few house rules or all hell could break loose.
Like, "There'll be no cheating at Monopoly, and you must also wash out your own bowl when you're finished with meals," explains Andy Lee, a rangy Irish middleweight with a choirboy smile and a short fuse.
Advertisement
Lee's words spark a quick verbal jab from Johnathon Banks, a normally low-key Detroit cruiserweight with a murderous left hook.
"Andy gets mad if there are dirty dishes left in the sink," says Banks with a half grin. "He's an Irishman, and he has a bad temper."
Which prompts Lee to counter with a shot of his own: "Johnathon is a complete (expletive). But he did put the word out on the streets when I arrived not to mess with the Irishman."
Lee (12-0, nine KOs) and Banks (17-0, 13 KOs) are housemates, an odd couple sharing space in the home of legendary Kronk Gym manager/trainer Emanuel Steward in north Rosedale Park in Detroit.
Steward is hosting them and three other boxers -- former junior lightweight champion Joey Gamache (55-4, 38 KOs, now retired), IBF welterweight title-holder Kermit Cintron (28-1, 26 KOs) and his younger brother, Jason (6-0, one KO), a light welterweight prospect.
"They've nested together -- it's like a family," says Steward, who has opened his doors to many boxers over the years, including Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis and Hilmer Kenty. "I don't have to bother them much. Nothing is hidden in the house -- money, contracts. It's an open book."
While Lee and Banks might joke about each other, they are serious about the need to show each other respect as they go about their training and keeping the peace in Steward's three-level home in one of Detroit's most charming areas.
As Lee, who hails from Limerick, prepared a cup of tea in Steward's kitchen Monday, Banks sat at a nearby table, finishing a bowl of Rice Krispies.
"Andy's a great guy, but he'll snap at you if you don't pull your weight," says Banks, who is 40 pounds heavier than Lee. "He's a mean dude -- the smile is just for the camera."
Banks, Lee and Jason Cintron will be among a group of Kronk fighters in action tonight on a pro-am card being promoted as the "Ultimate Night of Boxing" at Compuware Arena in Plymouth Township.
When the Free Press knocked on the door of Steward's home this week, Banks and Co. were winding down after a hard training camp in the Pocono Mountains. They roamed the house, moving from the kitchen to the basement where they played pool, to the family room where they played poker and ate spaghetti.
Fighters rubbing shoulders, sharing food and taking the occasional poke at one another.
"I live in the dungeon," says Banks, whose favorite spot when he's not doing road work in the morning or sparring at the Dearborn Kronk in the late afternoon is a red leather chair in front of a large TV in Steward's basement. "Andy's bedroom is on the third floor -- the penthouse."
The Cintrons have come to town from Reading, Pa., where they moved as kids from their native Puerto Rico. Gamache, a successful businessman in New York, travels with Steward and his troupe as an assistant trainer.
When they are under one roof, as they've been at Steward's for several weeks, there's no pecking order, however.
"I like it here -- it's very relaxing," says Jason Cintron, 25. "My brother and I play pool, have fun and tell jokes."
Big brother Kermit, 28, with whom Jason lives in Pennsylvania, is a little more serious.
"I'm here for the boxing -- for the training," he says. "Living with Emanuel and the guys keeps you motivated. We are all in this thing together. There are no favorites."
At 41, Gamache is the elder statesman of the group, earning the respect of his housemates from his past performances in the ring and his levelheadedness away from it.
"You live by the rules here," he says. "We keep ourselves busy. We play cribbage, poker, pool when we're not training. We respect each other's privacy -- that's just common sense. This is a house of real talent -- a house of present and future champions."
Lee, 23, who represented Ireland at the 2004 Olympics in Athens, has stayed full-time with Steward since October 2005. He has found a home away from home in Detroit, made new friends and found a church.
"I go to mass on Sundays at Christ the King on Grand River," says Lee, a devout Catholic who has a large tattoo of the crucifixion on his upper body. "I got the tattoo in Ireland right after the Olympics."
Banks, who has sparred with heavyweight champ Wladimir Klitschko for several years and is one of the most feared cruiserweights in the world, has known Steward since his amateur days. He is a regular at Steward's home, which has five bedrooms and four bathrooms.
"There's no stress here," says Banks of the accommodations at Steward's. "I grew up in a house with six sisters, three brothers and one bathroom. If you didn't get up by 5:30, you wouldn't get the bathroom until 7:30. This is like a walk in the park."
For Steward, it's like being a father all over again, he says.
"They're a bunch of children, really," Steward says of his guests. "Everyone is different. Andy is high-energy. Kermit loves to sit in front of a computer, and Johnathon gets on the phone and disappears down in the basement. They go bowling on Monday nights. They're always welcome here with me."
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