Javan SugarHill Steward is yet another great trainer associated with the city of Detroit. An integral cog in the machine to reestablish Kronk Gym after the death of its figurehead Emmanual Steward, SugarHill’s uncle, Steward has helped give many opportunities to the youth of the Detroit streets. He has trained some of the best fighters in the world, including one of the best heavyweights to ever do it. Stewards’ life and career were deeply shaped by his uncle’s Kronk Gym, much like his hometown of Detroit.
A True Son of Detroit
Steward was born in Detroit, Michigan and spent most of his youth in the legendary Kronk Gym. He is the nephew of beloved boxing trainer Emmanuel Steward, who coached some of the best boxers in the history of the sport. Steward had a first-row seat as he watched the evolution of boxing legends like Tommy Hearns and Milton McCrory as they rose from that basement in Detroit to worldwide stardom. The gym and his uncle meant so much to Steward that he changed his name from Javan Sugar Hill to Javan SugarHill Steward in honor of Emmanuel Steward.
Kronk Gym was something different in Detroit. In most cities, boxing gyms are simply a place where young kids go to learn how to fight. But in its heyday, Kronk Gym was the heart and soul of motor city. In an interview with Boxing News, Steward reflected on what Kronk meant to Detroit. “Detroit has the Pistons and the Lions, but back then they also had the Kronk like we were some sort of sporting franchise. It was like a big squad with my uncle as the coach and Hearns being the star player. Rumors would be flying round about who would be joining the gym next because everybody came to my uncle, and it gave this place an identity it needed.”
Steward also recognized the need in his community and chose to give back in his own way. Before becoming a successful trainer, Steward spent 12 years as a police officer in the city of Detroit, something his uncle was extremely proud of. His mission as part of the Detroit police force was to help the youth of the city who didn’t have much opportunity outside of crime. Steward once met a young kid after catching him stealing a car. He chose not to lock the boy up and instead took him to Kronk Gym, where the boy was given the opportunity to be a part of something bigger than himself. Steward always wanted to help the kids get off the street instead of putting them behind bars.
Working with the Best of the Best
Kronk Gym did quite a lot for Javan SugarHill Steward. It allowed him to work with great fighters like Anthony Dirrel and Andy Lee, but the biggest opportunity came in 2010 when he met one of the future’s best heavyweights Tyson Fury. The pair grew very close, and this led to Fury hiring Steward as his new trainer ahead of one of his biggest fights. In 2019, Fury proposed that he split his training time between SugarHill Steward and his current trainer Ben Davison. However, Davison didn’t like the idea and declined. So, SugarHill Steward became the new head trainer of one of the greatest heavyweights to ever step in the ring.
Their first two fights together were part of the major trilogy between Fury and rival Deontay Wilder. The first fight went fairly smoothly, with Fury knocking Wilder down twice before finishing the fight via TKO in the seventh round. The second fight was less smooth. Fury and Wilder traded knockdowns early in the fight, with Fury going down twice in the fourth round.
Most coaches would talk to their fighter in the corner about the knockdowns, but not Steward. In fact, Fury said that Steward didn’t address the knockdowns at all. Instead, he elected to give the heavyweight champion a few pointers, a little bit of direction and then sent him back out. Not the option most coaches would have chosen, but SugarHill Steward isn’t most coaches. Fury went on to dominate most of the rest of the fight, knocking the Bronze Bomber down in the tenth round and then finishing him off with a vicious KO in the eleventh. It was one of Fury’s best performances, and as he celebrated atop the ropes, SugarHill Steward leaped onto his champion’s back as they cheered.
Steward and Fury have had an interesting ride in the spotlight recently. After his fight against Dillian Whyte, just the third fight Steward worked with Fury on, the heavyweight champ announced his retirement. However, that didn’t last long as Fury announced his return to the ring just months later and added trainer and active fighter Issaac Lowe to his team. Fury and Lowe seem to have been friends for a long time as Fury said he chose Lowe because Lowe had been by his side throughout his career. With Lowe added to his already extremely talented team and coming off a victory over fellow Brit Derek Chisora, Fury and Steward are now looking forward to even bigger fights. Many fans believe that Fury should take on either Anthony Joshua or heavyweight newcomer and champion Oleksandr Usyk. Though Steward has said he doesn’t worry about “potential fights”, Steward did state that Usyk is “not a problem for Tyson Fury at all.”
