ST. LOUIS - An interesting fact emerged in June when Don King
planned to present IBF 154-pound champion Cory Spinks against
mandatory challenger Cornelius "K9" Bundrage in St. Louis: Bundrage's
Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward revealed he has never set foot
inside the city of St. Louis.
As fate would have it, the
fight was postponed, but King this week added the match to his
already-loaded "Gateway to Greatness" card at Scottrade Center on Aug.
7 featuring two undefeated world champions. WBC and IBF 140-pound
champion Devon Alexander "The Great" (20-0, 13 KOs) will defend
against former WBA junior welterweight champion Andriy Kotelnik
(31-3-1, 13 KOs) and IBF light heavyweight champion Tavoris "Thunder"
Cloud (20-0, 18 KOs) will face the former holder of that belt, Glen
Johnson (50-13-2, 34 KOs).
But the questions remain: Will
Manny Steward, the proprietor of Detroit's famed Kronk Gym, ever set
foot in St. Louis? Will the legendary trainer ever
gaze upon the inspiring Gateway Arch? Will he ever
sip his favorite beer, Bud Light, in its home city?
Could it be that a man who has accepted all challenges, inside
the ring and out, has run into a new type of Spinks Jinx?
"I really can't explain how I
have gone all over America and the world and never been able to visit
St. Louis," Steward said. "But maybe it's for the
best that I have to wait until Aug. 7 because Don King has put
together a great card. The people of St. Louis
should know this is going to be a big-time star-studded boxing event
from top to bottom. This is the type of card Don loves to do, exactly
the kind that has made him so famous, and it is what has been missing
in so many of the recent fights I have attended."
Another noteworthy fact is Steward for all he has achieved as a boxer,
manager and trainer may be best known now for his longtime role as the
premier boxing analyst for HBO Sports.
"I love every aspect of the fight game," Steward said.
"I've been blessed."
Luminaries of the sport will abound at this fistic explosion.
While Steward is training Bundrage, Spinks' will have a new
trainer in his corner, former two-time world champion James "Buddy"
McGirt. Since hanging up his gloves, McGirt has
followed in Steward's training footsteps. He has
guided notable world champions Arturo Gatti, Antonio Tarver, Vernon
Forrest, Tomasz Adamek, Lamon Brewster and Paulie Malignaggi.
Steward says Bundrage (29-4, 17 KOs), from Detroit, is younger than his
37 years would indicate due to his brief amateur boxing background.
"The bottom line is Cornelius learned how to fight as a professional,"
Steward said, "He learned on the job. I don't
think he ever participated in an amateur tournament.
Like Larry Holmes and Bernard Hopkins before him, Cornelius has
learned his craft while working professionally.
This helps to explain some of his earlier losses against top-flight
opposition, but what I've seen in the last two years tells me he's
putting it all together now."
Steward points out that when K2 Promotions (who promotes
Steward-trained heavyweight champion Wladimir Klitschko) was looking
for an opponent in 2008 to face then-undefeated 154-pounder Zaurbek
Baysangurov (19-0, 16 KOs), they selected Bundrage.
After traveling to Germany on short notice, Bundrage shocked
the Russian by stopping him in the fifth round.
"Cornelius has long arms, fights tall and can control a fight with his
left hand," Steward noted. "Not only does he have
skills, but he will come into the gym and box 15-to-20 rounds, so he's
in great shape too.
"If he can put pressure on Cory by focusing his energy and placing his
punches, but not reckless pressure like just running in, he can win this
fight. Speed slows with age and Cory was never a
big puncher, so the opportunity is there for Cornelius, who I view as
fresher in the ring at 37 than Cory is at 32."
Bundrage has always fought for the Kronk Gym but was trained by
Steward's nephew, Javan Hill. Steward has been
Bundrage's manager but will join Hill in the corner for this vitally
important match.
Steward knows and admires Spinks and thinks he made a good move by
hiring McGirt as trainer.
"Buddy is a beautiful guy," Steward noted with enthusiasm.
"You know who he reminds me of? He's just
like Muhammad Ali's trainer, Angelo Dundee. Angelo
and Buddy are two of the nicest people I have ever met.
"I told Angelo the other day that I was facing Buddy, and I told him
Buddy's got his personality. Both guys are very
talented and they never have a bad word to say about anyone."
When informed of Steward's kind words, McGirt was appreciative but said
it didn't surprise him.
"There is a reason why Emanuel has been so successful, which goes
beyond his undeniable talent as a trainer and manager," McGirt said. "Manny looks for the good in people, not the bad.
"Having said that, don't think for a moment this means he's not trying
to out-train me or that he doesn't want Cornelius Bundrage to upset
Cory Spinks in his hometown on Aug. 7. You
don't
get where Manny is in the sport of boxing by forgetting what your job
is. The difference with Manny is he can do that
and still have class. This is going to be an
interesting chess match between Manny and me."
Both Steward and McGirt enjoyed success as boxers.
In 1963, Steward won the National Golden Gloves Tournament of
Champions in Chicago. McGirt became IBF junior
welterweight champion in 1998 and was the WBC welterweight champion
from 1991 to 1993.
"Manny's from the Old School," McGirt said. "I've
learned a lot from him and all the Old School trainers.
They should be a guide for all the young guys that are into
boxing."
With Spinks, McGirt believes he's got an edge in this intriguing match
up.
"I keep saying that all I have to do with Cory is remind him of how
great he is," McGirt said. "This guy has all the
ability in the world, much of which comes from his family tree that
includes his father, Leon (whom Steward managed at one time), and
uncle, Michael, both former heavyweight world champions.
At the end of the day, it doesn't matter who is training who.
It's who has the better fighter and who wants it the most
inside the ring. So far, I've won the first
two."
Tickets priced at $17.50, $35,
$70, $150 and $300 are on sale at Scottrade Center Box Office, all
Ticketmaster Ticket Centers, by phone at 1-800-745-3000,
or online at
ticketmaster.com.
A per
ticket facility
fee will be added to all
tickets purchased at all locations, including at the Scottrade Center
Box Office. Additional Ticketmaster service
charges and handling fees apply.
For disabled seating, call 314-622-5420. The event is promoted by Don
King Productions. Doors to the event open at 5:30
p.m.
About Scottrade Center
Scottrade Center is a contemporary, 12-story glass and concrete
structure located in the heart of downtown St. Louis. Opened in 1994,
the arena is home to the St. Louis Blues Hockey Club and also features
a full range of arena programming, including concerts, ice shows,
family shows and other sporting events. The building is operated by
SCP Worldwide, owner of the St. Louis Blues, under the leadership of
its chairman, Dave Checketts. For more information, please visit
www.scottradecenter.com.
About Don
King Productions
Don King Productions has promoted over 600 world championship fights
with nearly 100 individual boxers having been paid $1 million or more.
DKP also holds the distinction of having promoted or
co-promoted seven of the 10 largest pay-per-view events in history, as
gauged by total buys, including three of the top five:
Holyfield vs. Tyson II, 1.99 million buys, June 1997; Tyson vs.
Holyfield I, 1.6 million buys, November 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley,
1.58 million buys, August 1995.
DKP has promoted or co-promoted 12 of the top 20 highest-grossing live
gates in the history of the state of Nevada including four of the top
five: Holyfield vs. Lewis II, paid attendance: 17,078, gross:
$16,860,300 (NOTE: Also second-highest live-gate gross for any event
in the history of the world.), date: Nov. 13, 1999; Holyfield vs.
Tyson II, paid attendance: 16,279, gross: $14,277,200, date: June 28,
1997; Holyfield vs. Tyson I, paid attendance: 16,103, gross:
$14,150,700, date: Nov. 9, 1996; and Tyson vs. McNeeley, paid
attendance: 16,113, gross: $13,965,600, date: Aug. 19, 1995.
