Legendary boxing trainer Emanuel Steward at his Kronk Gym in Detroit in 2012, the same year he passed away. Photo: AP Photo/Detroit News
Before Kronk Gym became a world-renowned name in boxing, before championship belts and Olympic titles, it was a training ground built beneath the surface—both literally and symbolically. The original Kronk Gym was located in the basement of the Kronk Recreation Center, which is found at 5555 McGraw Avenue near Junction Street. That west side facility became a haven for Detroit’s youth, led by Emanuel Steward, a trainer who understood that discipline could be a lifeline and that mentorship could mean the difference between being cast aside and rising to global stages.
That legacy, born in a Detroit basement and carried into boxing history, is returning home.
This summer, Kronk Gym will reopen inside the Brewster-Wheeler Recreation Center, a historic site located near I-75 and Mack Avenue just east of downtown. After years of vacancy and abandonment, the building will once again host a space designed to develop champions—not just in the ring, but in life.
The new gym will occupy 3,500 square feet within Brewster-Wheeler, marking a full-circle return to the roots of Detroit boxing. Emanuel Steward himself began his boxing journey at Brewster before founding Kronk. This isn’t a symbolic gesture. It’s an intentional revival—led by those closest to the late trainer’s vision.
Steward’s wife, Marie Steward, and his daughter, Sylvia Steward-Williams, are guiding this effort. They’re joined by a team that knows what Kronk represents to Detroit: Paul Bhatti, the gym’s CEO; Managing Partner John Lepak; Amer Abdallah, Vice President of International Business; Mikey Shumaker, Director of VIP Relations; and James “Hilmer” Kenty, the first world champion to emerge from Kronk’s program.
As part of the 1998 National Night Out, Kronk Gym put on a boxing exhibition.
Their vision reaches beyond boxing matches and medals. The plan is to train athletes at both amateur and professional levels while offering advisory services, youth mentorship, licensing initiatives, and business partnerships. There is also an intentional effort to collaborate with local Detroit-based businesses and explore global opportunities. This will not be an isolated training facility—it will be a resource for the surrounding community.
The Brewster-Wheeler building holds a critical place in Detroit’s cultural and athletic history. Long before high-rises surrounded it, the center served the Black Bottom neighborhood, welcoming generations of Black Detroiters seeking space to grow. It trained fighters who became icons, including Joe Louis, Sugar Ray Robinson, and Eddie Futch. It was a central hub for youth before opportunities were redirected, repackaged, or denied altogether.
When Kronk reopens in this space, it will be stepping forward with the weight of its history intact and a new responsibility to Detroit’s present.
The decision to house Kronk inside Brewster-Wheeler came through collaboration with MHT Housing Inc., the nonprofit that owns the property. MHT, based in Bingham Farms, has plans to build around 200 apartments on the surrounding land. While the Kronk Gym is not part of that development project, MHT will handle the construction and interior build-out of the gym space itself.
MHT President Van Fox confirmed that the organization worked out a low-cost lease to help ensure Kronk could reestablish its presence in the city.
“We offered the lease to Kronk as a way to help them get up and running and bring the brand back to Detroit,” Fox said. “We’re working to find other tenants for the space, and there are a lot of companies interested, like fitness centers, commercial brands, and big box stores, but we want to find tenants that complement the community.”
That consideration—placing community compatibility above commercial gain—is rare. And in a city where redevelopment often excludes long-standing residents, it sets a necessary precedent.
Kronk’s leadership is approaching this return with a long view. They understand that building champions doesn’t happen overnight and that Detroit’s young people need more than a training schedule. They need a space that affirms them, pushes them, and offers consistency.
“This isn’t just about reopening a gym. It’s about reigniting a culture of excellence, mentorship, and opportunity for a new generation of Detroiters,” Bhatti said. “Situating Kronk Gym squarely in the heart of Detroit reinforces our commitment to be active members of the community all the while training future Olympic and World Champions and restoring Detroit to a center of the boxing world.”
The path to this point has been shaped by both dedication and disruption. After Kronk’s original site closed in 2006, the gym continued its programming in temporary locations. In 2015, a new facility opened at 9520 Mettetal Street, led by Steward-Williams. That location operated until 2020, when flooding forced its closure. Even after the original Kronk building was destroyed in a fire in 2017 and later demolished, the spirit of Kronk continued—waiting for the right space to carry it forward.
Mayor Mike Duggan spoke to that alignment, stating, “Can you imagine a more perfect use for this building than the Kronk Gym? And to have Emanuel Steward’s family, Maria and Sylvia Steward, being a part of it? They have been working to keep the legacy alive. We are so lucky to have Paul Bhatti and the team step up and say, ‘we are not going to let the legend die.’”
That legend includes over 40 world champions trained through Kronk, including Tommy Hearns, Lennox Lewis, and Evander Holyfield. But what often gets overlooked is the foundation built by Kronk for local youth—those who didn’t go pro but found purpose. Kronk was a constant in a city where many systems failed. Its trainers didn’t just develop fighters—they nurtured leadership, accountability, and pride.
The return of Kronk to Brewster-Wheeler reclaims that role. It’s an investment in physical strength and emotional resilience. For many Detroit youth who are navigating violence, school disinvestment, and structural inequity, this gym will represent more than training. It will provide access to mentorship and structure when both are too often out of reach.
That work must be sustained through partnership, community presence, and a clear understanding of what Kronk has always represented. It sole purpose was never just about competition. It was about affirmation. It gave boys and young men—and increasingly young women—a space to imagine something more for themselves and the discipline to reach it.
The return of Kronk comes at a moment when Detroit’s youth need outlets more than ever. Gun violence, limited recreation access, and public disinvestment have left too many young people without direction. Kronk has always been an answer to that. Not just with gloves, but with guidance.
There is no announced opening date, but officials say the gym will open this summer. The financial details may not be public. The full list of partnerships may still be forming. But what matters most is already clear: Kronk is returning with its values intact. Discipline. Dignity. Detroit.
Legacy is not inherited—it’s maintained. Steward’s family, Kronk’s alumni, and Detroit’s own are aligning to restore what was never meant to be lost and when those gym doors open this summer, they’ll do more than welcome fighters. They’ll welcome a city’s memory back into motion.
Detroit never forgot Kronk. And now, Kronk is making sure Detroit’s youth are never forgotten either.
The legacy never left. It just needed room to rise again.
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