Emanuel Steward’s funeral was attended by the masses, with many of the biggest names in boxing paying their respects at the Greater Grace Temple in Detroit. The Hall of Fame trainer and the man who made the Kronk Gym famous died of colon cancer last month. The memorial service saw Thomas Hearns, Sugar Ray Leonard, Lennox Lewis, Wladimir Klitschko, Roy Jones Jr. and many other recognizable personalities paying their respects.
HBO Sports commentator Jim Lampley told the few thousand people at that they would need to travel to Canastota, N.Y., home of the International Boxing Hall of Fame to see anything close to the selection of sport’s stars.
Aretha Franklin sang a stirring, goosebump-raising rendition of ”I’ll Fly Away,” as part of the 3-plus hour memorial in the Motor City.
