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The Cus D'Amato Mind: Learn The Simple Secrets That Took Boxers Like Mike Tyson To Greatness

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THE GREATEST BOXING COACH IN HISTORY
‘The Cus D’Amato Mind’ teaches the principles and philosophies of the great trainer D’Amato, which took young boys such as Mike Tyson and Floyd Patterson to the heavyweight championship in a few short years.

THE MAN WHO MADE MIKE TYSON
In 1980, a young Mike Tyson was in the Tryon school for juvenile delinquents. By the age of 13, Mike had already been arrested dozens of times, had suffered bullying, and often engaged in criminal activities like armed robbery and house burglary. He was heading down a certain path to death or a life of prison. Fast forward six years later, and Mike Tyson had become the youngest heavyweight champion at 20 years old, after destructively crafting a route to the top. What had happened? How could such a change happen in such a short space of time? The answer is Cus D’Amato.

The great boxing coach Cus D’Amato was a revolutionist. He was a modern-day philosopher. He was a leader who changed the lives of those he helped. Cus would literally take juvenile kids of the street, and house them in his fourteen-room mansion. Impressively, he was able to instill them with the character of champions, so they would be able to go out and conquer the world, whether they were fighters or not. Cus D’Amato created champions.

LEARN HIS SECRETS
In this book, we break down the mental strategies that any fighter (or anyone) can use in order to excel towards greatness. Fighters all over the world are able to acquire trainers that can teach technique. But they are unable to find teachers, like the Cus D’Amato’s and the Angelo Dundee’s, who can instill them with charismatic confidence, and help them deal with anxiety and fear before matches.

The book consists of five sections. Each section is designed to empower you in a different area. The five sections

• Character
• Fear
• Anxiety
• Resistance
• Leadership

Without knowing what makes a champion, and how you can become one too, you will never be able to achieve it. After learning what makes ‘The Cus D’Amato Mind’, you will be more charismatic, confident, with a greater sense of control over your path to boxing greatness.

100 pages, Paperback

Published September 25, 2017

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Reemus Boxing

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5 stars
153 (55%)
4 stars
67 (24%)
3 stars
36 (13%)
2 stars
13 (4%)
1 star
6 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
Profile Image for Lance.
1,666 reviews164 followers
January 2, 2020
Very good guide for boxers with some good tips for everyone.

Cus D’Amato was a legendary boxing trainer, most notably as the person who took a troubled young man named Mike Tyson and made him one of the most feared heavyweight champions during the peak of his boxing career. This book takes some of the best tips and advice D’Amato gave his fighters and is presented as a guide that is quick and easy to read and digest.

While it is a very good guide for boxers and that is the targeted audience, much of the advice provided such as confidence and facing one’s fears can be used by any person for just about any facet of one’s life. For that reason, I recommend this book for anyone not just boxers.
Profile Image for Nico.
6 reviews2 followers
May 15, 2020
An informative and concise book with a lot of fight philosophies that could apply to life in general
Profile Image for Felix.
24 reviews1 follower
April 30, 2024
I recommend watching the complete interview with Cus and Tyson on YouTube. After that, delve into this book and then explore the newly released Iron Ambitions book on Cus and Tyson. Thank you for piquing my interest with this brief introduction. Well done.
Profile Image for Nadya Ally.
49 reviews
March 7, 2023
This book discusses the teachings of Cus D’Amato, most famous for caring for and training boxing greats like Mike Tyson. It’s an easy read- just short of 100 pgs and is written at probably an 8th grade reading level. No frills, just to the point.

Boxing is extremely physical. But it’s more of a mental game than anything else. Since it’s so physically exhausting, that tells you how tough you have to be mentally to be a true fighter.

Physically, you’re using almost every single muscle in your body. You have to shift your weight appropriately, maintain proper posture and balance, keep your hands up at all times and chin tucked, ensure your head is off center, brace your core, clench your toes into the ground, have your knees properly bent, keep your shoulders back, place your sternum slightly forward, and do all of this while being relaxed and not tense. And that’s just to have your stance right.

The mental game is even tougher. It’s a game of chess; your opponent can literally make an infinite number of moves and you have to predict and respond in real time to what they’re doing.

This book explains why mental training for boxing is crucial and uses quotes and strategies from Cus himself to illustrate their importance.

If you’re interested in being a fighter or just have a love for shadow boxing, boxing, sparring or fighting, either read this book or learn about Cus.

This read gets 4/5 gloves.

🥊 🥊 🥊 🥊
3 reviews2 followers
April 19, 2020
Insightful book into the philosophy and thought of Mike Tyson's coach prior to becoming heavyweight champion of the world. Cus is known to many as one of the greatest coaches to have ever lived, with interesting and very different thoughts on how to train a fighter. One notable action was talking to all of his fighters about the mental side of boxing, in terms of their thoughts emotions and feelings, before teaching them anything else.

The book itself breaks down Cus' teachings into a very easy to read format that can be consumed by anyone, regardless of their boxing knowledge. Although, I couldn't help but feel the book waffled on a tad and could have definitely been more concise, making it more punchy. Some of the sections of the book could have been rearranged as well to provide a more logical flow.

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and would recommend reading.
Profile Image for Chris B.
20 reviews
October 27, 2021
A short but useful book for anyone interested in or actively engaged in the sport of boxing. The book has five sections that Cus D'Amato focused on when training his fighters:

- The character of a fighter
- How to perceive and deal with fear
- How to limit anxieties
- Rising to the resistance of challenges
- Becoming a leader

I like how this book emphasises how important it is for fighters to understand how much of the sport relies on their mental state. The book states that fighting is 75% mental and only 25% physical. The advice that is contained within this book helps a fighter clarify his intentions with the sport which can help him/her achieve the calm and confident state of mind that is required for success in the sport of boxing.
7 reviews
June 11, 2023
Really great book. For in and out of ring.
Take these three points if you don’t end up reading it:

1. Fear steps in to protect us but it usually goes wild. By logic we should tone it down just enough to motivate us to a goal, more than that and it will hold us back. Some fears are good, they are our friend. Like the fear of not reaching our potential.

2. Cus believed in the battle of the hearts in the ring. The fighter who wants to win and needs to win more will win, even if he has worse technique: “Boxing is a contest of character”

3. Observe and repeatedly mimic while you’re observing what you want to learn.
Profile Image for Gilberto Torres Jr.
16 reviews
November 3, 2018
Full of Encouraging and Practical Tips

I enjoyed this book and would recommend it to anyone who wants to grow as a person. The advice and tips found here are practical and encouraging. They give you insight into the mind of a fighter and if you’re a boxing fan it helps you analyze fights. But in all in all the contents in this book are for everyone in general and beneficial to grow as a person.
7 reviews
September 27, 2020
More than just a boxing read!

This was a good quick #read filled with insight into the psychology and philosophies of legendary #boxing trainer Cus D'Amato. It went in depth into his philosophical training methods for his champions.
The great thing about this read is that the principles inside can be applied to day to day life and are not limited to the realm of the ring.
105 reviews
January 12, 2020
Mental side of boxing explored

This book looks at the mental side of being a successful boxer. Worth a read for anyone interested in the mental aspects of the sport
27 reviews
May 30, 2020
Good book!

Motivational - This book is well written and has some good ideas! I appreciate how well it was written as well.
10 reviews
December 23, 2020
Lesson in life

Great book. Simple path hard to achieve. But INE must strive. To succeed. Nothing is easy. Work hard and succeed.
3 reviews
November 27, 2021
A Really fascinating read it goes deep into psychology not just for boxing but you can apply all this to real life situations a good read for anyone.
1 review
February 12, 2023
Inspiring and Real

Cus D’Amato mindset and wisdom is brilliant! You can apply his philosophy to all areas of your life . Truly inspiring to get into that champion mentality!
2 reviews34 followers
May 4, 2024
Very good!

Good book of one of the most famous boxing trainers. Short chapters of the qualities of a fighter in and out of the ring
7 reviews
June 18, 2025
A good overview of cus’s philosophy’s, told in a well written, entertaining and educational way. It delivers exactly what it promises to do.
14 reviews
January 27, 2021
The book did the job that it was set out to do and more. Giving the perspective on cus’s life and his ideals. Really good if trying to find out more about the person.
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews

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