Alex Stewart
Heavyweight boxer Born: June 28, 1964; Died: November 16, 2016 ALEX Stewart, who has died aged 52, was a boxer who achieved what most others could not by nearly beating the heavyweight kingpin George Foreman.
Speaking after their action-packed, Las Vegas fight in April 1992, Foreman explained how close it had been.
‘’For the first three rounds I pounded Stewart and knocked him to the canvas twice in round two and I was thrashing him so badly in round three that I asked referee Richard Steele to stop the bout,” said Foreman.
“Butthatwasabadmovebymeas Stewart was galvanised and angered by that mercy move and thereafter gave me a really tough battle ... Stewart hurt me and took me to a close points decision.’’
“Was that a fight or was that a fight?” Stewart asked reporters afterwards.
Foreman’s verdict was: “I thought I had him in the third round but the referee let it go on. I didn’t want to hurt the kid and now the kid hurt me.”
Stewart was born in London in 1964 into a family where boxing was not encouraged. Nevertheless, he took up amateur boxing when he was eight while also developing into an above average athlete in other sports.
After his parents emigrated to the US in 1979, settling in Brooklyn, his boxing career really took off and he quickly became known for his big heart and innate toughness.
He won a bronze medal in the elite Pan American games in 1983 and a series of thrilling victories in the prestigious American Golden Gloves tournament saw him dubbed The Destroyer. He also boxed for Jamaica in the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic games.
Little wonder, then, that professional boxing managers were keen to sign Stewart up as a professional, although his initial 24-bout unbeaten run was against modest, lower-tier opposition. In a huge step-up in class, he then lost inside a round to the fearsome Mike Tyson in 1990. Later, he gave Michael Moorer all the trouble he could handle despite losing the fight and he lost twice to Evander Holyfield, although Stewart gave him a stiff fight in their 1993 rematch, losing on points.
Then there that was wonderful performance in Las Vegas against George Foreman, who would become the oldest ever boxer to win and regain the world heavyweight title at 45.
Outside the ropes, Stewart epitomised former US President Teddy Roosevelt’s dictum that “one should speak softly but carry a big stick”. He was universally liked for his soft-spoken, personable nature in everyday life. He was also totally devoted to his wife of 31 years, Angela, and his only child, a daughter, who survive him.
He died in his adopted Mount Vernon home in New York State from a pulmonary embolism leaving, as his boxing legacy, a record of 43 wins – 10 losses in a 53-bout career, which ended in 1999.
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