Pop superstar Madonna has won high praise from boxing legend Tommy 'the Hitman' Hearns after unveiling plans to help rebuild a community gym in her native Detroit, Michigan.

The Material Girl hitmaker has pledged to fund three organisations in the bankrupt city and one of the projects is to renovate the Downtown Youth Boxing Gym, where free after-school ring lessons and educational mentoring programmes for kids will be held.

Hearns is convinced Madonna's generosity will have a big impact on young boxers and he has applauded the singer for giving back to the community.

He tells Tmz.com, "I think it's awesome for her to help, being as big as she is... The people who get the help she provides will probably shed tears."

And the Boxing Hall of Fame icon, who grew up in Detroit, hopes Madonna's charitable pledge will inspire other natives to follow suit.

He adds, "They should do as much as they can. It's where they came from, and it's not a great situation right now."

Detroit city officials declared bankruptcy in July, 2013 with debts of at least $18 billion, making it the largest municipal bankruptcy filing in U.S. history.