Boxer, Trainer And Analyst Emanuel Steward Dies At 68

Boxing great Emanuel Steward, who was known as the godfather of Detroit boxing and one of the greatest trainers in boxing history, died on Thursday afternoon at the age of 68. After some confusion about the time of his passing, as his death was reported on Twitter and picked up by some news media outlets too soon, prompting a retraction from his sister, Diane Steward-Jones, Steward actually did pass away.

"He has passed — he has gone home," Steward-Jones personally told the Detroit Free Press after the death of her brother. "He was in no pain, and we sang to him, as well as did the doctors present. He had loved ones around him," she said, even remarking on how the hospital staff rallied around the charming Steward. "They loved him," she said. "He'd tell them to lose some weight and fight for him."

Steward, who was also a boxing analyst and owned the Kronk Gym in Detroit, retained close ties with boxing legends such as Thomas Hearns, Lennox Lewis, Oscar De La Hoya and Wladimir Klitschko, but it is they who think of Steward as a legend.

"It is not often that a person in any line of work gets a chance to work with a legend," Klitschko said in a statement. "Well I was privileged enough to work with one for almost a decade,'' Klitschko said Thursday. "I will miss our time together. The long talks about boxing, the world, and life itself. Most of all I will miss our friendship.''

Hearns also chimed in about his relationship with Steward. "Emanuel was like a daddy to me," he told the Detroit Free Press. "The man literally changed my life. I loved him and respected him so much."

Steward is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame. In addition to being a famous boxer-turned-trainer, he also did commentary for HBO Boxing and youth-oriented charity work in Detroit. He trained 41 world champion fighters during his career.

Get Uinterview's FREE iPhone App For Daily News Updates here.

Get the FREE Uinterview iPad app here and watch our videos anywhere.

For more like this:

NFL Films President Steve Sabol Dies At 69

Sylvester Stallone's Son Sage Dies AT 36

Ron Palillo, Horshack From 'Welcome Back, Kotter,' Dies At Age 63

Cosmo Editor Helen Gurley Brown Dies At 90

'Welcome Back Kotter' Star Robert Hegyes Dies

Country Music Pioneer Kitty Wells Dies At 92

Etta James Dies At 73

Banoist Earl Scruggs Dies At 88