As boxing begins to stagger back to its feet following the Coronavirus knockdown, forward-thinking promoter and former Detroit-based fighter Dmitriy Salita revealed official plans to stage fights in the city’s legendary Kronk Gym. With the support and assistance of Tyson Fury’s trainer ‘Sugar Hill’ Steward, it seems fans of the sport could witness licensed, professional contests in the gym setting in as little as 8-12 weeks.
“You know, as a fighter I was signed to some of the best promoters in the game and I always learned to try and make lemonade when there’s lemons,” Salita told Boxing Social, when discussing his blueprint for boxing’s revival.
“We’re trying to make the best of the situation and make it exciting for boxing fans. There are very few fighters that are going to be able to say, ‘I fought in the Kronk Gym’. That’s very special and, I think that for the TV audience, it’s going to come across tremendously. So, I’m very excited about this.”
The former world title challenger continued, “From my experience, the best fights happen in gyms, in those tough sparring sessions. I actually used to say when I was fighting, ‘Man, it’s too bad these sessions didn’t make it on TV because they could make fight of the year’. I feel that specifically being at the Kronk, it’s going to make the fighters feel comfortable because they’re going to be in a gym setting, but at the same time it’s also going to make them feel excited and hyped up, without the pressure of a crowd. This atmosphere, specifically being at the Kronk Gym, is going to lead to incredible, incredible fights.”
The Kronk Gym, now situated on Mettetal Street, originally rose to fame in the late 1970s when housing former world champions Thomas Hearns, Hilmer Kenty and Milton McCrory. Star attractions Lennox Lewis, Prince Naseem Hamed, Gerald McClellan, Jermain Taylor, Andy Lee and Wladimir Klitschko have all spent time training at the facility under the guidance of legendary Hall of Fame trainer, Emmanuel Steward. And its popularity has been on the rise again recently after Tyson Fury based himself there for his stunning victory over fallen WBC heavyweight champion, Deontay Wilder.
While Salita Promotions do not have an official launch date and continue to iron out the finer details of their health and safety legislation with the relevant boxing commissions, they are keen to follow Top Rank’s lead, who have returned with shows held ‘behind closed doors’ this week (June 9 and June 11t). Fighters have been throwing themselves at the chance to compete, with many ticking over at home or completing isolated training sessions during lockdown.
“Everybody’s very anxious to get back into the ring, get back into training and just get back to work,” explained Dmitriy, currently promoting over 30 fighters, including homegrown US star, Claressa Shields. “These initial events are not going to have a lot of fights on their cards. They’re going to probably have five, maybe six fights, but all of them are going to be of good quality. That’s what we’re looking to do. I want to say it’s almost like fighting at Madison Square Garden 50 years ago, which was a big honour, but it’s even more than that because it’s a very finite opportunity. As time goes by, we’re going to get back to normal life and we won’t be able to hold fights at the Kronk. This is a very special time and something that the fighters and the boxing fans can take advantage of.”
Salita confirmed negotiations were ongoing for streaming platforms and even delved into his initial ideas for the gym’s decoration, presumably featuring their famed yellow colours often seen on merchandise across the boxing world. After the pandemic kicked in across sporting platforms, Dmitriy took the decision to purchase various fight libraries (America Presents, Cedric Kushner and Gary Shaw collections), allowing classics to be streamed via the company’s YouTube channel for fans.
His “when life hands you lemons, make lemonade” approach to boxing’s Coronavirus shutdown is to be admired, with the Kronk’s upcoming fight schedule just another feather in his cap.
It’s a phased return for boxing, as it has been for football and the Mixed Martial Arts community, but fans can expect action in the next couple of months from the safety of their sitting room. Salita, ‘Sugar Hill’ and the Kronk will be on the frontline, tackling safety and entertainment simultaneously. Dmitriy acknowledged that containment of the virus and the health of all involved remained his priority, with boxing coming a close second.
If the walls had eyes in the Kronk Gym, the battles that have taken place over the last five decades would be the stuff of legend. Now, they will, and they’ll provide fans with a rare window into one of boxing’s most historic training facilities.
“I remember first coming to the Kronk Gym, wanting to prove myself and I had some great sessions with Steve Forbes and Vernon Paris, when those guys were coming up. Kronk Boxing Gym was always filled with talent, always filled with intense fighters and there were fighters coming there from all over the world trying to get into that arena. The heat was on, even when you’d do four rounds, it felt like you did 15. And I know that when the fights happen, it’s going to be very hot in terms of the intensity, but hopefully not as hot when it comes to temperature.
“I’m just waiting to hear back from the commission in terms of when the State’s going to be open and obviously, while we have great ideas, all this is pending clearance of the commission and seeing what kind of guidelines they’re going to have for us to be able to stage safe events. So, we’re all for it and hopefully [it happens] in the later part of the summer. I believe these ‘out of the box’ initiatives will pay dividends, and fans and fighters will enjoy the experience. We’ll be able to support boxing together.”