By Richard Giaquinto

Cus D’Amato, arguably the greatest boxing trainer of all time, produced three world heavyweight champions: Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, and Mike Tyson. No one else achieved such success. A pugilistic genius, Cus used the values from his Italian heritage to change the lives of many troubled kids.

The Beginning

Constantine “Cus” D’Amato was born in the Bronx on January 17, 1908, to Damiano (1868–1938) and Elisabetta (1875–1913) — both immigrants from Toritto, Italy. Cus had three brothers, Rocco, Gerald, and Anthony; and during his youth, he considered entering the priesthood.

As they grew older, their Uncle Willy visited the family and set up round-robin boxing matches among Cus and his brothers. The boys would fight one another on a dirt floor and Cus reveled in the competitions. Gerry, who excelled in these matches, later became a professional featherweight boxer, and won several fights. Cus idolized his brother, even going so far as to quit school to follow in his footsteps.

However, in 1920, his dream of developing into a pro boxer took a severe blow when his right eye was damaged in a street fight with a drunkard from the neighborhood. Cus would later struggle on the amateur circuit, before turning his full attention to training and mentorship.

Gramercy Park Gym

The more he taught young aspiring fighters, the more he wanted to run his own gym. The Great Depression would postpone this dream but in 1936, at 28, he opened the Gramercy Gymnasium on 14th Street in Manhattan. Local mothers, who wanted their kids off the street, persuaded their sons to join the up-and-coming gym.

In 1941, boxing took a back seat when Cus was drafted into the U.S. Army. He was a military policeman who was proficient in special weapons training. The Thompson sub-machine gun was one of his firearms of choice. After his service he met Camille Ewald, an astute and independent woman; and although they would never marry, they spent the rest of their lives together.

The Catskills Gym

The summer of 1960 brought more changes. Cus bought a dusty, 14-room Victorian House in the Catskills. Cus and Camille lived there until his death 25 years later. He took advantage of a small space above a police station in town and converted it into a gym. Word got out and the gym became the center for guiding troubled kids and grooming prospective boxers.

The Cus Approach

Cus was a self-taught trainer, and his style of pugilism came down to developing a free mind and overcoming fear in the ring.

Cus would conduct lengthy conversations with up-and-coming boxers. In these discussions, he helped fighters resolve emotional conflicts from their personal lives. He found that any emotional distress would hinder their development as boxers. He stressed the need for fighters to listen, watch, question, and mimic the skills taught in the ring.

Cus considered fear as the real enemy, and he believed in a strategic approach to preparing for a boxing match. Cus and his respective fighters viewed opponents’ films and tenaciously analyzed various styles and techniques that could be countered through training. And if this wasn’t enough, Cus created his own ” mindfulness technique.” He was ahead of his time, to say the least. He had his fighters meditate, visualize, engage in positive thinking, and even go through hypnosis.

Peek-a-boo

The peek-a-boo style of fighting was his most iconic technique. In his book Iron Ambition, Mike Tyson explained that Cus got the idea after observing how his cat would hold its claws while in defensive positions. The new technique consisted of keeping the gloved hands up by the cheeks (to protect one’s face). The right arm would shield the liver, and the left arm would cover the solar plexus (stomach). Head movements (ducking and slipping) were used for defense.

The second training technique helped Tyson perfect his lethal knockout punch or killer blow. Cus would hang weighted sandbags for his novice fighters to punch, and the trainees seldom knew the weight of any one bag. This provided the resistance the pupil needed to unleash powerful knockout strikes.

The third training technique, called the Willie Bag, was named after fighter Willie Pastrano. Cus took five mattresses, placed stuffing in the middle, tied them together, and strapped them to a frame. He then drew an outline sketch of a boxer and numbered parts of the body as targets. Number 1 was a left hook to the jaw, while number 7 was a jab to the head. He then recorded his voice, calling out numbers and increasing the pace as time passed. He wanted his trainees, through sheer repetition, to develop the ability to “act on instinct in the ring.”

The fourth was the slip bag. Cus invented it with his brother Nick, a chiropractor. It was a bag filled with sand that swung from a rope and showed righters how to bob and weave. The device forced the pupil to learn how to move sideways quickly so they could “slip” or duck to avoid punches.

Finally, Cus, a loyal Capricorn, believed in astrology when working in his gyms. He preferred working with boxers whose astrological signs were Capricorn, Cancer, Taurus, and Virgo. He thought the personalities associated with these signs gave fighters an edge in the ring.

Floyd Patterson: the “Gentleman of Boxing”

Cus treated Floyd like his stepson, and the young fighter learned at a quick pace. He won his first amateur bout when he was 16. He won several more fights and developed a strong reputation as a leading amateur. As a result, Cus had him try out for the Olympic Boxing team. He made the team and won the middleweight gold medal at the Olympics in Helsinki, Finland.

Floyd fought his way up the ranks and qualified to fight for the heavyweight championship. He easily won preliminary matches. And finally, in 1959, he beat Archie Moore. He became the youngest fighter to win the heavyweight title — he was only 21.

His first title defense was against the Swedish champion, Ingemar Johansson. He lost the bout when the referee stopped the fight in the sixth round. After the battle, Floyd remained in his home for weeks with draperies drawn and refused to take calls. At the request of his trainer, he watched the film of the match. He identified his mistakes and began training for a rematch. Unfortunately, Floyd cut ties with Cus. He no longer trusted him and turned to others for guidance.

He did beat Ingemar Johansson in the rematch. He had many memorable fights; he beat Sonny Liston twice and retired after losing to Muhammed Ali in 1972.

Cus and Floyd seldom saw each other during those years. However, after Cus died, Floyd said, “I would never have gotten rid of Cus. My biggest regret…I never should have left Cus D’Amato.” He realized too late that Cus took a shy kid from the streets and made him the world heavyweight champion.

“Iron Mike” Tyson

Tyson’s background was like Floyd’s, but worse. He was born on June 30, 1966. As a kid, Tyson lived in Brooklyn and was already involved in petty crime — breaking into houses and committing theft. Tyson learned to fight to survive on the streets. The police sent him to Spofford Holding Facility for burglary. During an argument, the guards caught him with a knife and sent him to the Tyron School.

There, he learned that a guard, Bobby Stewart, ran a boxing program. Stewart met with him and agreed he could join the club. Stewart realized he had a fighter with great potential. He called Cus and arranged a meeting. A week later, Tyson boxed Stewart. Cus was impressed and agreed to train him. He trained Tyson in the Catskills gym, and taught him how to visualize success, train hard, sacrifice, and develop self-discipline. He embraced the opportunity and enjoyed the quiet life in the Catskills.

Cus damato & mike tyson made history pic.twitter.com/nACVs0bAwQ

— Rahil Ouahid (@OuahidRahil) December 7, 2021

Soon enough, Cus became more than his trainer. When Tyson’s mother died, he adopted him. Camille (Cus’s lifetime partner) loved him; Tyson even called her “Mom.”

At the Junior Olympic Games, he lost the championship match. Despite the minor setback, he turned professional when he was 18. Tyson won several fights and developed into a respected and feared contender. The media wanted him to take a shot at the title, but tragedy struck on Nov. 4, 1985. Cus died at agd 77 from lung disease before the match was arranged. Tyson took it hard and needed time to grieve.

The End

A year later, Tyson punished Trevor Berbick and became the world’s youngest heavyweight champion at 20. After the victory, he exclaimed, “I’d like to dedicate my fight to my great guardian, Cus D’Amato, and I’m sure he’s up there, and he’s looking down, and he’s talkin’ to all the great fighters, and he’s sayin’, ‘My boy did it!”‘