Manny Steward on Wladimir Klitschko, Miguel Cotto, American Heavyweights

Apr 12, 2010
http://www.aolnews.com/2010/04/12/manny-steward-on-wladimir-klitschko-miguel-cotto-american-heav/


Manny Steward's initial fight with Ukrainian-born heavyweight Wladimir Klitschko was not an auspicious one. In fact, Steward's debut with the Kiev native was a little more than six years ago to the day, when Klitschko was knocked out in the fifth-round of a bout for the vacant WBO crown by American Lamon Brewster of Los Angeles on April 10, 2004.

Since then, however, the duo has been on a tear.

Click here to view video of Wladimir Klitschko calling out David Haye.

Last month, Klitschko earned his 12th straight victory, his ninth knockout during that time, and his fourth consecutive stoppage with a 12th-round left hook that permanently floored previously, once-beaten, Philadelphia challenger, "Fast" Eddie Chambers, in front of a screaming, sold out crowd of about 51,000 at Esprit Arena in Duesseldorf, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany.

The 33-year-old Klitschko (54-3) scored the 48th knockout of his career, defending for the eighth time his IBF and IBO crowns that he won against American Chris Byrd in April of 2006, and for the fourth time, the WBO belt that he earned from Sultan Ibragimov in February of 2008.

The nearly 6-foot-7 Klitschko, who won virtually every round, weighed 244 pounds compared to 209 for the 6-foot-1, 27-year-old Chambers (35-2, 18 KOs), who was the eighth American Klitschko has beaten during his winning streak.

Others U.S. fighters Klitschko has vanquished during his run include Brewster, Byrd, former world champion, Hasim Rahman, Davarryl Williamson, Calvin Brock, Ray Austin and Tony Thompson.

Speaking from Tampa, Fla., where he is training former three-time champion, Miguel Cotto (34-2, 27 KOs) for a June 5 clash with New York's WBA junior middleweight king, Yuri Foreman (28-0, eight KOs), Steward discussed Klitschko's dominance, the plight of the American heavyweight, and his new assignment preparing Cotto.


FanHouse: Can you take me through that last round against Eddie Chambers?

Manny Steward: Well, you see this guy in control of Eddie Chambers in so much in the same way that I saw Mike being controlled by Lennox before Lennox knocked Mike out. I thought that Mike was ready to fall down, but Lennox needed to hit him with about three punches before he would fall down.

And if Lennox would have gotten hit with one perfect punch out of nowhere, you know, who knows? I had that damn Hasim Rahman sh** still in my mind, when Lennox got stopped by him, you know? But Wladimir is such a good fighter, and he just doesn't know it.

So he goes out there, and when he finally gets off against Eddie Chambers, the fight was over. Wladimir is the most powerful, one-punch fighter that I have ever trained in my life. He's the only guy who can turn the light switch out completely ith only one punch. And his left hook is his most dangerous punch.

But he doesn't throw it much. He used it one time with Ray Austin out of nowwhere and the fight was over with. And then, he did it with a guy named Charles Schufford once I remember. He shot a left uppercut and Shufford went straight down. In the gym, he knocks out guys with gloves on and they've blocked the punch and they go out."


FH: How did you prepare Wladimir Klitschko for an undersized, tricky heavyweight like Eddie Chambers?

Steward: Wladmir sparred with fast guys who have good amateur backgrounds. Domonique Dalton and Mike Hunter Jr. Both had amateur backgrounds. He said, 'I want to be boxing with fast guys,' and that's the key to Wladimir's success. Usually when a guy is smaller, he has the advantage of having the speed, right?

But Wladmir was even faster on his feet than Chambers. Wladimir is strongly into speed. He's like, 'I must be fast.' That's something that he's adamant about, and that's his biggest key is speed right now.


FH: Can you please recount some of the other heavyweights have you worked with other than Wladimir, and, briefly with Vitali Klitschko?

Steward: Tony Tucker was my first heavyweight champion, and, then, of course, I trained Oliver McCall to beat Lennox if you remember. I had Evander Holyfield, trained him to beat Riddick Bowe in the second fight. And then, I had a good, seven, eight-year run with Lennox.

And now, I'm running about five or six years with Wladimir. I think those are the big five heavyweights that I've been with.

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Steward:

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FH: As opposed to today's heavyweights?

Steward:

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FH: And how is that different from today?

Steward:

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FH: So as you're in Tampa, now, training Miguel Cotto, what's your assessment of him right now after his past few fights?

Steward: I've always been a big fan of Miguel Cotto, but I've noticed and realized that in his past four or five fights, even the ones that he's won with Zab Judah and Joshua Clottey, and, naturally, against Antonio Margarito and Manny Pacquiao, that he has taken a lot of punishment.

He's a very good fighter, but like Tommy Hearns and Shane Mosley, he hasn't dodged anybody. He's fought everybody at 140, and, 147 and he's left a lot of blood on the floor. But he's fought everybody, and that's earned a lot of respect for me. Now, with this fight with Yuri Foreman, it's going to take some serious work.

It's going to be a challenge for me to see if we can resurrect this guy at this stage in my life, because he's fighting a guy who is the naturally bigger guy. He's fighting a guy whose style is very, very difficult for anyone to fight. It's a challenge like it was for me with Evander Holyfield for the second fight with Bowe, and for Oliver McCall to beat Lennox Lewis.

I just find it very challenging situation.


FH: Are there any whole sale changes that you are making?

Steward: Major, major changes. All of his basics were all screwed up. I've watched him go from being a pretty good little boxer-puncher earlier in his career to just being a squatting down guy with his hands way apart. All of his basics are all screwed up now. It's a very difficult assignment, but I find it challenging.

I have to see what I can do in the few weeks that I have. But the one thing is I'm not teaching him things that he's never done. At one time in his career, he was very good. It's about taking this guy back to being what he was and he's forgot. It's like getting Evander to beat Riddick Bowe the second fight.

I was reminding him about what he was like as an amateur when he used to have foot movement, and then, he turned into a strictly aggressive fighter. And that's why Riddick Bowe just distroyed him that first fight. The second fight, I made him go back to his amateur days -- changing direction, punching. That's how he won the title back.

The third fight, when I wasn't with him, he went back to his old way just trying to walk in and just exchange with Bowe. But Miguel used to be a beautiful little boxer who was beating all of our American guys. He would get on his toes, and he could box and he could box.

And then, some kind of way, he became this squatting down, peek-a-boo defense, coming forward little guy. And he couldn't be effective that way anymore. What we're working on is his basic stuff.

 

I did post the date though


his thoughts on how important the "Amateur" program is (and it's quality level) are key to this article.

It's the foundation. It's learning the "Basics." It's gaining vast experience no matter if you win or lose.

And it's wanting to continually learn, remember and improve.

You want to know why certain fighters are Champ...well there you have it.