Kronk suffers knockout blow

DETROIT – The steamy little west side basement of a city recreation center that became a world-famous incubator of boxing champs has closed for good, Detroit officials said Tuesday.

The final blow was a theft: In September, thieves stole the copper pipes in the Kronk, cutting off the gym’s water supply and forcing famous trainer Emanuel Steward to close it, at least temporarily. The fighters took up residence at a Gold’s Gym in Dearborn.

But the cost of fixing the plumbing and making other major repairs led city Recreation Department officials to decide to shut it permanently, said Lawrence Hemingway, the department’s deputy director.

“It’s the oldest rec center in the city. It has lived a useful life,” he said.

At its peak, the Kronk was one of the best breeding grounds for amateur and professional boxing talent in the nation.

It attracted boxers, media and fans from around the world, and it was a pure Detroit mix, too, with world-class boxers like Thomas Hearns and Hilmer Kenty sparring and skipping rope in the basement while senior citizens and children were using the rec center’s other areas.

“Throughout the years, the Kronk became an icon. It represents Detroit’s grit and determination,” said Bill Kozerski, a local fight promoter. “If it passes, an era in Detroit boxing will go with it.”

The gym is located in a city recreation center at Junction and McGraw that was closed earlier this year because of Detroit’s budget problems. Officials had allowed the gym to remain open as Steward, the Kronk’s founder, continued to run the boxing program and attempted to raise money.

So far, fundraising has been unsuccessful, but Steward is throwing a benefit today at the Star Southfield theater at which, organizers say, actor Sylvester Stallone will introduce the new “Rocky” movie.

Any money raised today will go to a new Kronk Gym, said Steward’s assistant, Kim Hagood.

“We really need to look for a new facility for the Kronk,” she said Tuesday.

Steward’s first experience at the Kronk came in October 1969, when he used it to train his younger brother, James Steward, for amateur bouts. James Steward went on to win Golden Glove titles in 1970, ‘71 and ‘72.

Emanuel Steward, meanwhile, went on to train such fighters as Hearns, Kenty, Jimmy Paul, Milton McCrory, Mark Breland, Frank Tate, Ricky Womack, Roderick Moore, Steve McCrory, Mickey Goodwin, Michael Moorer and William (Caveman) Lee. He also counted former heavyweight champ Lennox Lewis among his stable of fighters.

“The atmosphere in that little basement gym kept you focused and competitive,” recalled Kenty, a former lightweight champion. “The heat, the humidity, and the smells – they combined to create a unique atmosphere.”

The Kronk center is a brownish-red brick building that looks its age. It was opened not long after World War I.

For decades its steel gratings have bled rust onto its masonry, which is crumbling. Bricks lay on the pavement like KO’ed fighters. The parking lot is filled with garbage and broken glass. One piece of graffiti on the building proclaims: “Kronk R.I.P.”

Those who have been inside remember the black-painted iron stairway descending into the cramped basement boxing area built around a worn, full-size ring. The concrete walls were filled with pictures of Kronk champions and news clippings. Around the ring, young fighters would jab at their images in a full-length mirror or pound a speed bag in the corner.

Today, the gym is sealed like a tomb because there are no windows. But when you look through the security gate that protects the first-floor glass, you can see a homemade poster on an inside wall that carries a simple message:

“Kronk makes heroes.”