11/24/2022
'Emanuel Steward turned me pro and he was the best trainer any man ever had, he taught me everything I know about boxing and about life. He was like a father to me. I was always a tall, lanky fighter and he taught me how to keep a man at distance, to use my long reach, so I get the time to do what I wanted to do.
With my style of fighting, sometimes it's hard to predict what I am going to do. My left jab was so strong that I didn't have to be an inside fighter. Emmanuel was a tactical man, he checked out everything and made sure I was in perfect condition every time I was there. He was just straight up boxing.
For a big fight, there would be seven weeks hard training and we would spar eight to 10 rounds a day. I learned so much, like the things you have to watch out for. I was winning by knockout almost every time, but it didn't really surprise me. I had the punch, but I was underestimated because I was skinny. They figured they could take advantage of me and that played into my hands in the early part of my career.'
- Thomas Hearns
