Furious Steward hits back at Maloney

Emanuel Steward in action with Lennox Lewis

A bitter feud has broken out in the Lennox Lewis camp, after trainer Emanuel Steward reacted angrily to "disgusting" criticism levelled at him from manager Frank Maloney.

The legendary trainer defended his preparation of Lewis ahead of the heavyweight world title defeat by Hasim Rahman.

And he instead branded Maloney a "mascot" for taking a low-profile stance in the build-up to last week's fight in South Africa.

Steward told BBC Sport Online he was furious after Maloney criticised him in the People newspaper.

Maloney: Accused by Steward of a hands-off approach

Maloney had accused the trainer of contributing to the defeat - by telling Lewis not to worry about the high altitude of the fight venue and by "spreading himself too thinly" between three different boxers.

"I think he made Lennox feel too complacent with his opponent," Maloney said.

But Steward turned the tables on Tuesday, launching his own attack on Maloney.

"He is the least qualified person that I have ever dealt with to be making any criticism," BBC Sport Online's columnist said.

"He is supposed to be Lennox Lewis' manager, but he has not been - in the last three fights - in any training camps to know what's going on.

"This is a time when your team pulls together and you find out who your strong people are.

"Well I guess he was asked to point some fingers and, rather than accept blame or whatever, he suggested that I'm the cause of Lewis' loss."

'Lumberjack-clad mascot'

Steward said that he usually shakes off any unfounded criticism, but could not in this case.

"Normally I always try to be a gentleman and I just leave things alone, but I'm not going to do it.

"He shows up at the fights, wearing his lumberjack jackets around, more like a mascot, and doesn't even know half the time who Lennox Lewis is fighting.

"To me, for him to be out criticising is the most disgusting thing I've ever experienced in boxing."

I have been told by some sources in my organisation that Maloney is unravelling

  Emanuel Steward

Steward argued that Lewis had been amply prepared for Rahman by the time he arrived in Johannesburg.

"He was in excellent condition, as he has always been, and I don't think he could have done anything any better."

And he stands by the decision, taken by Lewis, to arrive in South Africa only two weeks before the bout.

"You must understand something," he added. "With people who travel internationally as much as we do, the altitude and climate does not hurt our bodies as much.

"Our bodies adjust extremely well."

He called on Maloney - who he said is "unravelling" under the pressure of an on-going feud with Lewis' former promoter Panos Eliades - to "concentrate on being a manager".

"Since Lennox's fight with Hasim Rahman, I have spent almost 24 hours a day trying to secure this rematch, which he deserves and which he will win by knockout."

Steward reserved his final snipe for Maloney's hands-off approach.

"We're spending all of these weeks and months getting up at three in the morning," he said of his training team and Lennox.

"And Maloney is somewhere sleeping and waking up just in time to go to the bar with the British writers."