Legendary trainer Emanuel Steward once revealed the greatest heavyweight that he ever witnessed during his storied tenure.
Working out of the world famous Kronk Boxing Gym in Detroit, Michigan, Steward trained no less than 43 world champions throughout the course of his coaching career, which began back in 1970 and stretched up until his tragic death in 2012.
He is often commended for the role that he played in the respective professional careers of heavyweight legends Lennox Lewis and Wladimir Klitschko, who speak fondly about the iconic trainer to this very day.
In an interview with Boxing247, Steward once claimed that the late great George Foreman was the ‘most amazing heavyweight of his lifetime’, paying homage to the man that remains the oldest world heavyweight champion of all time.
“George Foreman may be the most amazing, definitely heavyweight, that I ever saw in my lifetime … I think that what a lot of people don’t realise is George Foreman was an extremely smart fighter in the ring, too.
“The first George Foreman right after the Olympics was very aggressive, threw punches relentlessly, had tremendous knockout power in both hands, but still was such a smart fighter that he gradually burnt guys out. All of a sudden he decided to come back and not be such a mean guy, to be a pleasant jollier type of guy, but still, that meanness was still there in the ring and he changed his style a little bit to be adjusted to his age and not burn up too much energy.”
“He would have been a big threat to any heavyweight of any era because of his size and his unbelievable tough mental attitude.”
‘Big George’ is widely considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights ever, proving his credentials throughout the course of his storied professional career which spanned across three decades.
He shared the ring with the likes of Evander Holyfield, Joe Frazier and Muhammad Ali along the way, although his 1994 victory over Michael Moorer, which saw him capture the IBF and WBA heavyweight titles and become boxing’s oldest heavyweight champion, remains one of the most memorable moments in the sport’s history.
