To the boxing fans on here. Found this interesting info on former Kronk Gym Fighters.
In the wake of the last summer's deaths of two former Kronk boxing champions, The Detroit News attempted to find out what happened to each of the 96 fighters and promoter/managers who built Kronk into an international powerhouse in the 1970s '80s and '90s.
The outcomes were dramatically different, The News found, between those who were born in Detroit or moved here permanently, and those who came in from out of town to train at Kronk, then left Detroit. Of the original 61 Kronk stable of boxers, the record shows:
10 have died
Wilson Bell – murdered, 1989
Collier Bishop – killed in car-jacking incident, 1994
Johnny Compo – died in a car crash at 42 last October
Leslie "Lemonade" Gardner – Drug overdose in 1983, age 26
J.L. Ivey – Murdered by drug dealer, 1990, age 26
DuJuan Johnson – murdered, age 28, over $200 debt, 1984
Bernard "Superbad" Mays – died of alcoholism at 33, 1994
Steve McCrory – dead, age 36, undisclosed illness, 2000
Duane Thomas – shot and killed at 39 in drug dispute, 2000
Darius "Dollbaby" Wilson – shot to death, age unknown, early 1980s
Four are wealthy
Thomas Hearns – wealthy, promoter
Hilmer Kenty – executive of Metro Detroit construction firm
Jimmy Paul – Owns Detroit HUD properties
Emanuel Steward – wealthy trainer/promoter/TV announcer
Four suffered setbacks
Dwaine Bonds – While bodyguard for a Motown star, turned to drugs. Career ended. Now recovered.
David Braxton – Lost title after positive drug test, but stopped using, now working in construction.
Gerald McClellan – Blind and paralyzed from brain damage in fight, living with sister in Illinois.
Tony Tucker – became drug abuser, but made recovery.
Eight went to prison
Nathanial "Gator" Akbar – sentenced 10 to 20 years for arson in 1984; denied parole 5 times so far; next parole hearing June 2002.
Darrell Chambers – sentenced to life for drug conspiracy in 1994; has appeals pending; in prison at Terre Haute, Ind.
Alvin Hayes – sentenced to 5-to-20 in 1987 for armed robbery, released, committed three more armed robberies, sentenced in 1994 to three terms of 612 to 40 years. At Detroit's Ryan Correctional Facility, possibly until December 2040.
John Johnson – retail fraud, served less than two years, released in 1999.
William "Caveman" Lee – went to prison three times for bank robberies, the last time July 2000, when he began a 7-to-15-year federal sentence; first parole date December 2006.
William "Stanley" Longstreet – sentenced for drug conspiracy with Chambers in 1994, released August 1997.
Rickey Womack – armed robberies, assault, did 15 years in prison, paroled last fall.
John Yopp, promoter – sentenced to 30 years in 1994 for drug conspiracy, later reduced to 15 years; in Milan federal penitentiary.
35 are working
Leeonzer Barber – Detroit, still boxing
Bernie Boldon – works in Detroit
Oba Carr – still boxing
Rob Clemens – hospital worker
Lanny Edmonds – working in Detroit
Jim Ferrari – insurance agent
Ali Haakim – Detroit schools public safety officer
Billy Hearns – Kronk trainer
John Hearns – Las Vegas casino host
Rick Jester – Detroit, master plumber
James Johnson Jr. – after boxing was employed by Detroit Police Department
Joe Johnson – Detroit businessman
Lionel Johnson – Detroit truck driver
Darnell Knox – working in Detroit
Arthel Lawhorn – Detroit postal employee
Joe Manley (a.k.a. Bilal Ajani Sekou) – Consumer's Power employee.
Milton McCrory – employed at Chrysler Corp. tech center
Roderick Moore – truck driver
Michael Moorer – making comeback as boxer
Danny Paul – works in Detroit hospital
Aaron "The Hawk" Pryor – minister, Cincinnati, beat drug problem
Farris "Killer" Purify – boxing trainer
Jerry Reese – Detroiter, job unknown
Kenny Ringo – working in Washington, D.C.
Darnell Seals – plant foreman
Hurley Snead – Detroit, training to fight
James Steward – the original Kronk; Emanuel's brother, auto plant worker
Bret Summers – fireman
Frank Tate – in Texas, recently retired from ring
Benny Ray Trusel – Detroit construction worker
Rodney Trusel – Northwest Airlines supervisor in Houston
Robert Tyus – Detroit transit policeman
Keith Vining – Steelworker in Monroe, trains young boxers
Eric Williams – in Atlanta, training boxers
Andrey Wynn – Los Angeles policeman
Other fighters who trained at Kronk
Another 35 fighters came to Kronk from the suburbs, other states and other countries to be trained by Steward, and left. None is dead or in jail.
13 are well-off:
Dennis Andries – runs physical fitness progam in England.
Jesse Benavides – runs home for elderly in Tex.
Mark Breland – actor, dog trainer, wealthy
Julio Cesar Chavez – retired in Mex., wealthy
Oscar DeLaHoya – still fighting
Jeff Fenech – TV commentator, Australia
Naseem "Prince" Hamed – current featherweight champ
Jemal Hinton – retired undefeated for religious reasons, in Washington, D.C.
Evander Holyfield – Atlanta, restaurateur, still fighting
Ole Klemetson – still fighting
Lennox Lewis – current world heavyweight champion
Welcome N'Cita – manager, Capetown, South Africa
Graciano Rocchigiani – still fighting
22 are working
Doug "Big Bird" Ahonen – engineer in Calumet, Mich.
Davey Lee Armstrong – civil engineer
Jackie Beard – boxing trainer
Donald Bowers – youth boxing trainer
Orlando "Gaby" Canizales – youth counselor, Tex.
Johnny de la Rosa – youth counselor
Fadi Faraj – still fighting, Dearborn
Floyd Favors – Wash., D.C., policeman
Frank Goodwin – engineer
Mickey Goodwin – trains fighters at Dearborn Sports
Lindell Holmes – opened barbershop
Biff Humphries – cement contractor
Danny Humphries – now Steward's insurance agent
John David Jackson – still boxing, Calif.
Lee Lamphere – foreman of tree company
Mike McCallum – trainer, Las Vegas
John Mooney – school teacher
Eddie Mustafa Muhammad – trainer, Las Vegas
John O'Neil – teacher, Garden City
Todd Riggs – union official
Tarick Salmaci – still fighting, Dearborn
Leon Spinks – former world heavyweight champion, went broke, but working again. Source: Detroit News research