DELRAY BEACH, Florida — Jared Anderson sits in a chair and laughs as SugarHill Steward wraps his hands at the Delray Beach Boxing gym, about 55 miles north of Miami.
Anderson just finished shadowboxing and is now ready for eight rounds of sparring with three different fighters. The 24-year-old turned pro almost five years ago and through 17 fights and his entire amateur career he was trained by childhood coach Darrie Riley.
Ahead of his first genuine litmus test, America's top heavyweight hopeful's corner is led by Steward, a disciple of the Kronk school of boxing, the famed Detroit gym where his uncle, Hall of Fame trainer Emanuel Steward, guided some of the best fighters ever.
Today, the younger Steward trains former heavyweight lineal champion Tyson Fury and now Anderson, who is looking to reach those same heights.