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Eiserner Wille: Mein Leben und die Lektionen von Cus D'Amato
From the former heavyweight champion and New York Times bestselling memoirist, an intimate and revealing look at the life and leadership lessons of Cus D'Amato, the legendary boxing trainer and Mike Tyson's surrogate father.
When legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato first saw thirteen year old Mike Tyson spar in the ring, he proclaimed, "That's the heavyweight champion of the world." D'Amato, who had previously managed the careers of Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres, would go on to train the young boxer for several years, and died a few months before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
In Tyson's best-selling memoir Undisputed Truth, he recounted the role D'Amato played in his formative years, legally adopting him at age sixteen after his mother died and shaping him both physically and mentally after years of living in fear and poverty. Here, Tyson elaborates on the life lessons that D'Amato passed down, and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring.
From the Hardcover edition."
When legendary boxing trainer Cus D'Amato first saw thirteen year old Mike Tyson spar in the ring, he proclaimed, "That's the heavyweight champion of the world." D'Amato, who had previously managed the careers of Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres, would go on to train the young boxer for several years, and died a few months before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history.
In Tyson's best-selling memoir Undisputed Truth, he recounted the role D'Amato played in his formative years, legally adopting him at age sixteen after his mother died and shaping him both physically and mentally after years of living in fear and poverty. Here, Tyson elaborates on the life lessons that D'Amato passed down, and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring.
From the Hardcover edition."
Hardcover
First published May 30, 2017
243 people are currently reading
957 people want to read
About the author
Mike Tyson
28 books89 followersMichael Tyson is an American former professional boxer who competed from 1985 to 2005. Nicknamed "Iron Mike" and "Kid Dynamite" in his early career, and later known as "The Baddest Man on the Planet", Tyson is considered to be the greatest heavyweight boxer of all time. He reigned as the undisputed world heavyweight champion from 1987 to 1990. Tyson won his first 19 professional fights by knockout, 12 of them in the first round. Claiming his first belt at 20 years, four months, and 22 days old, Tyson holds the record as the youngest boxer ever to win a heavyweight title. He was the first heavyweight boxer to simultaneously hold the WBA, WBC and IBF titles, as well as the only heavyweight to unify them in succession. The following year, Tyson became the lineal champion when he knocked out Michael Spinks in 91 seconds of the first round. In 1990,
Tyson was known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring. With a knockout-to-win percentage of 88%, he was ranked 16th on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, and first on ESPN's list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History". Sky Sports described him as "perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring". He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
Tyson was known for his ferocious and intimidating boxing style as well as his controversial behavior inside and outside the ring. With a knockout-to-win percentage of 88%, he was ranked 16th on The Ring magazine's list of 100 greatest punchers of all time, and first on ESPN's list of "The Hardest Hitters in Heavyweight History". Sky Sports described him as "perhaps the most ferocious fighter to step into a professional ring". He has been inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame and the World Boxing Hall of Fame.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 67 reviews
June 1, 2017
"I would let you fight Larry Holmes right now. You could beat him. But you don't believe it. Confidence applied properly will surpass genius. Nothing surpasses confidence."
Everyone needs a Cus in their life. Someone that sees something special, that speaks life into you, and doesn't give up on you when everyone has including yourself. What an excellent book!!!
Everyone needs a Cus in their life. Someone that sees something special, that speaks life into you, and doesn't give up on you when everyone has including yourself. What an excellent book!!!
December 17, 2019
I try to judge a book based on what the author states they are going to do. Then, I see if they deliver it.
I don't go into McDonald's expecting fine dining. I don't watch Fast And The Furious expecting Citizen Kane. It's one of the most frustrating things in the world to read a negative review of a book or movie based on what the writer thought the work should be like.
That said, Iron Ambition misses its stated mark in several ways. The subtitles for this book include "My Life With Cus D'Amato" and "Lessons I've Learned from the Man Who Made Me A Champion."
Then, you read the book, and half of it is devoted to Floyd Patterson's life with Cus D'Amato, and how D'Amato faced the mob.
If the book had been advertised as a biography of Cus D'Amato, this would be fine. However, aspiring coaches or current coaches are reading in hopes of learning Cus D'Amato's methods. They're literally looking for the stated subtitle, the lessons learned that made Mike Tyson a champion. The best sections of The Undisputed Truth discuss how Cus D'Amato created a heavyweight champion. However, maybe 10-20% of this book details Cus D'Amato's coaching methods.
If Mike Tyson had simply discussed his life with Cus, he would have probably let slip a bunch of gems. Instead, you hear about Patterson for half the work.
I ended up enjoying the biography of Cus D'Amato with some details provided by Mike Tyson, but it was not at all what I expected when I read the ad copy. I was hoping to add to my coaching repertoire of anecdotes, and I got very few from this book.
Recommended for boxing history fans.
I don't go into McDonald's expecting fine dining. I don't watch Fast And The Furious expecting Citizen Kane. It's one of the most frustrating things in the world to read a negative review of a book or movie based on what the writer thought the work should be like.
That said, Iron Ambition misses its stated mark in several ways. The subtitles for this book include "My Life With Cus D'Amato" and "Lessons I've Learned from the Man Who Made Me A Champion."
Then, you read the book, and half of it is devoted to Floyd Patterson's life with Cus D'Amato, and how D'Amato faced the mob.
If the book had been advertised as a biography of Cus D'Amato, this would be fine. However, aspiring coaches or current coaches are reading in hopes of learning Cus D'Amato's methods. They're literally looking for the stated subtitle, the lessons learned that made Mike Tyson a champion. The best sections of The Undisputed Truth discuss how Cus D'Amato created a heavyweight champion. However, maybe 10-20% of this book details Cus D'Amato's coaching methods.
If Mike Tyson had simply discussed his life with Cus, he would have probably let slip a bunch of gems. Instead, you hear about Patterson for half the work.
I ended up enjoying the biography of Cus D'Amato with some details provided by Mike Tyson, but it was not at all what I expected when I read the ad copy. I was hoping to add to my coaching repertoire of anecdotes, and I got very few from this book.
Recommended for boxing history fans.
May 5, 2017
Behind every great boxer there’s a great trainer: for Joe Louis it was Jack Blackburn, for Muhammad Ali it was Angelo Dundee, and for Mike Tyson it was Constantine (‘Cus’) D’Amato.
D’Amato obviously featured heavily in Tyson’s candid autobiography ‘Undisputed Truth’, written with Larry Sloman, and the same team now examine the Iron Man’s relationship with D’Amato in detail in the equally well written ‘Iron Ambition. My Life with Cus D’Amato’.
Tyson asks how this boxing manager and trainer watched him spar for less than ten minutes when he was thirteen years old and correctly predicted that he would become the youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world and then proceeds to answer his own question by showing that D’Amato was much more than a great boxing coach, who developed the ‘peek-a-boo’ style of fighting (where both hands are kept in front of the body rather than adopting a stance in which one arm and one foot are placed forward).
Tyson shows that D’Amato was a true mentor who built character as much as muscle, and mental discipline as much as physical stamina, believing that fights are won or lost in the mind before the competitors even enter the ring.
Tyson has acknowledged that had D’Amato not rescued him from the mean streets of Brownsville in New York City, he might well have suffered an early violent death. D’Amarto, the son of Italian immigrants in the Bronx, knew precisely what was at stake, having been nearly blinded and had his own hopes of a career in boxing ended when, aged twelve, he suffered a head injury in a fight with an adult. D’Amato’s personal courage was most obviously evident in his professional career, before he took on Tyson, by his taking on the Mob – effectively breaking the monopoly of championship bouts and boxing contracts exercised by the corrupt International Boxing Club.
D’Amato diverted Tyson from a life of crime when he took the thirteen-year-old into his home when Tyson left the Tryon School for Boys, a New York State correctional facility, and in 1982, upon the death of the boy’s mother, he became the sixteen-tear old Tyson's legal guardian. In just under four years from that time Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round to become WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World. Sadly D’Amato did not live to see this triumph, having died in the previous year.
Considering how badly Tyson subsequently went off the rails, both outside and inside the ring, it’s interesting but pointless to speculate whether, had D’Amato lived longer, he might have been able to suppress, or at least channel, Tyson’s inner demons..
What we have in ‘Iron Ambition’ is effectively an extended love letter from Tyson to his surrogate father. Love is sometimes blind and never more so than with respect to self-love and Tyson exhibits something of a blind-spot in presenting himself as the youngest ever heavyweight boxing champion. When he defeated Berbick, to win the WBC title, the world of boxing had divided into rival organizations legitimising world championship boxing titles. Ironically the youngest ever undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion was another D’Amato protégé, Floyd Patterson, who won that title aged twenty-one in 1956.
Few would now subscribe to the description of boxing as the noble art and Tyson, as much as any man, is responsible for it losing that badge of honour yet in ‘Iron Ambition’ Tyson has painted an indelible and convincing portrait of Cus D’Amato as a noble soul.
D’Amato obviously featured heavily in Tyson’s candid autobiography ‘Undisputed Truth’, written with Larry Sloman, and the same team now examine the Iron Man’s relationship with D’Amato in detail in the equally well written ‘Iron Ambition. My Life with Cus D’Amato’.
Tyson asks how this boxing manager and trainer watched him spar for less than ten minutes when he was thirteen years old and correctly predicted that he would become the youngest ever heavyweight champion of the world and then proceeds to answer his own question by showing that D’Amato was much more than a great boxing coach, who developed the ‘peek-a-boo’ style of fighting (where both hands are kept in front of the body rather than adopting a stance in which one arm and one foot are placed forward).
Tyson shows that D’Amato was a true mentor who built character as much as muscle, and mental discipline as much as physical stamina, believing that fights are won or lost in the mind before the competitors even enter the ring.
Tyson has acknowledged that had D’Amato not rescued him from the mean streets of Brownsville in New York City, he might well have suffered an early violent death. D’Amarto, the son of Italian immigrants in the Bronx, knew precisely what was at stake, having been nearly blinded and had his own hopes of a career in boxing ended when, aged twelve, he suffered a head injury in a fight with an adult. D’Amato’s personal courage was most obviously evident in his professional career, before he took on Tyson, by his taking on the Mob – effectively breaking the monopoly of championship bouts and boxing contracts exercised by the corrupt International Boxing Club.
D’Amato diverted Tyson from a life of crime when he took the thirteen-year-old into his home when Tyson left the Tryon School for Boys, a New York State correctional facility, and in 1982, upon the death of the boy’s mother, he became the sixteen-tear old Tyson's legal guardian. In just under four years from that time Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in the second round to become WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World. Sadly D’Amato did not live to see this triumph, having died in the previous year.
Considering how badly Tyson subsequently went off the rails, both outside and inside the ring, it’s interesting but pointless to speculate whether, had D’Amato lived longer, he might have been able to suppress, or at least channel, Tyson’s inner demons..
What we have in ‘Iron Ambition’ is effectively an extended love letter from Tyson to his surrogate father. Love is sometimes blind and never more so than with respect to self-love and Tyson exhibits something of a blind-spot in presenting himself as the youngest ever heavyweight boxing champion. When he defeated Berbick, to win the WBC title, the world of boxing had divided into rival organizations legitimising world championship boxing titles. Ironically the youngest ever undisputed world heavyweight boxing champion was another D’Amato protégé, Floyd Patterson, who won that title aged twenty-one in 1956.
Few would now subscribe to the description of boxing as the noble art and Tyson, as much as any man, is responsible for it losing that badge of honour yet in ‘Iron Ambition’ Tyson has painted an indelible and convincing portrait of Cus D’Amato as a noble soul.
July 2, 2019
2.5 stars. The book lost momentum each time it went back to the 50-60s and talked about Cus's time with Patterson. Might have been bearable if it was a few pages here but it was about half the book.
January 4, 2024
What a phenomenal book. One of the best I’ve ever read for sure. Ive never seen a biography written simultaneously cinematically and scientifically. The references to other literature and accounts of history is unmatched. It was a privilege reading this book. I’ve learned so much and grown so much from cover to cover.
This book could help anyone, not just boxing fans. It touches on so much, I can’t believe how much was in here and most of the time at a good pace. The emotion is dripping off the page and the lessons are plentiful. This is going to stick with me for a while and I will definitely revisit one day when I’ve captured my own personal version of the heavyweight belt of boxing. Rest in Peace Cus, you are an immortal.
This book could help anyone, not just boxing fans. It touches on so much, I can’t believe how much was in here and most of the time at a good pace. The emotion is dripping off the page and the lessons are plentiful. This is going to stick with me for a while and I will definitely revisit one day when I’ve captured my own personal version of the heavyweight belt of boxing. Rest in Peace Cus, you are an immortal.
May 31, 2017
No doubt, he is the one and only boxing legend. And, not many of us know about his relation with his trainer Cus D'Amato - a father figure for him - who not trained him for the boxing ring but for also the fight called life!
Yes, that's what Iron Ambition by Mike Tyson is all about. He shares how D'Amato gave his life and leadership lessons and shaped him into the man he is today. Gonna be BRUTALLY INSPIRING and ...see review
October 31, 2019
This book inspires. The book talks about boxing. Talks a lot about boxing. Talks a lot about D'Amato's all-in fight against the corrupt mobsters who ran the IBC. But it's not a boxing book. It's a self-help book. And it's the kind of self-help book people who don't like self-help books will like. It's about an old guy whose developed a specialized martial art: the peekaboo style. He's got one goal: train world champions. The fundamentals of his peekaboo style aren't physical, they're mental. He believes in character. Character makes the difference in the ring. His training techniques are unorthodox. He would put his fighters under hypnosis, and whisper to them, "When you hit, hit with bad intentions." He would have his fighters recite, twenty times, at morning and at night, a simple mantra daily: "Every day, in every way, I'm getting better and better." He would tell his fighters that they were God's most ferocious creations. He would tell his fighters that the memory of the boxing idols of that day would all be forgotten in the future, unless one of his fighters would say, in the future, "I learned this punch from Jack Dempsey or so and so." He would take in street kids with absolutely no confidence, and instil in them the self-confidence of the gods. He was Cus D'Amato, and his protege was Iron Mike Tyson.
My mind is divided on self-help. Obviously it works. That I don't doubt. The problem is the people who invest themselves into self-help seem to become themselves self-help coaches. They're like tinker toys, each winding one another up. They don't seem to do things other than train one another. But this book is awesome in that D'Amato is into self-help and he does things. He produced three champs: Floyd Patterson, José Torres, and Mike Tyson. He took fighters with low self-confidence--especially Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson, who had no self-confidence--and convinced them they could be world champions. In the book, Tyson spends pages marvelling how D'Amato's techniques raised his confidence so high that he thought he was a god. To this day, Tyson struggles because D'Amato raised his self-esteem too high. If that's not testimonial to D'Amato's system of character building, then I don't know what is.
The book is filled with examples of D'Amato and his "mind over matter" philosophy. I'm not much into hocus-pocus, but if it helps you succeed, then it is good. Here's a short passage that gave me the chills. I wonder if everyone gets these moments or these moments only come to the happy few?
Cus was a believer in destiny. Even as a young boy, he felt that he'd be famous someday; he always had a feeling that "there was something different" about him. I had the same exact feeling. So it felt right that I would move in with Cus and Camille. Cus was so happy. I couldn't understand why this white man was so happy about me. He would look at me and laugh hysterically. Then he'd get on the phone and tell people, "Lightning has struck me twice. I have another heavyweight champion. He's only thirteen."
One of the first nights that I stayed over at the house on one of the home visits, Cus took me into the living room, where we could talk alone. "You know I've been waiting for you," he told me. "I've been thinking about you since 1969. If you meditate long enough on something, you get a picture. And the picture told me that I would make another champion. I conjured you up with my mind and now you're finally here."
D'Amato reminds me of a character in an Ibsen play, Solness in The Master Builder. He too, practised this visualization technique to become the master builder. So, there are others out there who feel the pull of destiny. A curious, driving call full of power and powerlessness at the same time. The fire burns into you, but at the same time you are thrall and a pawn to this destiny that looms over you.
Why do we do this, the endless hours of training? Cus too, has an answer. We do it for immortality, to be remembered in a song for the future generations. I feel sometimes D'Amato should have been an ancient Greek, living in the times of Homer. The ancients also recognized this justification. They built pyramids so that they would be remembered. They fought the Trojan War for ten years so that it could be a song for the future generations to epic singers to sing. Today, if you want to be remembered, there's something wrong with you. You need to be humble. You need to blend in. Don't go for a home run when you can get away with a hit. D'Amato sets today's values on their head. Aim for one thing with all your being, he says:
I used to ask Cus, "What does it mean being the greatest fighter of all time? Most of those guys are all dead." "Listen, they're dead, but we're talking about them now, this is all about immortality." That fucked me up. It changed the whole game. I just thought it would be about riches, the big cars, the big mansions he used to point out to me. But now he was taking it to a whole other level. He got me hooked with the riches, but now he suddenly said, "You're going to be a god." This was the real deal, and the real deal fucked me up real good. Then he said, "Forget the money." Once he told me that shit, it blew my mind. He was talking immortality and I'm figuring out what that is.
And here's D'Amato on having a purpose in life. People today, I think, value living for the sake of living. But D'Amato offers another view: it's not about life, but about life's purpose. Purpose is so concentrated a force that when it's not met, the dead will come back:
Then Cus told me that he was dying from pneumonia. I started getting angry. We had so much together. I'm a little street kid with this old guy who's in exile and we'd talk about these grandiose dreams and making money and buying mansions and how there was nobody in the world who could touch us. They couldn't do anything but gawk at us. We were the most magnificent gift boxing had ever witnessed. And now it was over before we had reached our ultimate mission. I couldn't go on with it without Cus.
"If you die, I'm not going to fight anymore," I said, sobbing. Cus looked angry. "Now listen, if you quit fighting, then you're going to find out if people can come back from the dead, because I will come back and I will haunt you for the rest of your life. You have to fight."
On the way to the goal, fighters encounter obstacles. Life gets in the way. Injuries get in the way. Doubt gets in the way. Fatigue gets in the way. D'Amato had a solution. If you don't go all the way, you'll never know how close you were. To keep his fighters focused, he had this John Greanleaf Whittier poem posted in the very spot where he would work the fighters the hardest:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're the hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Iron Ambition is a fantastic and rich read for a variety of reasons. If you're a fan of Tyson, you'll want to learn about his trainer and manager. If you're a fan of boxing history, you'll want to read about D'Amato's dangerous fight against the corrupt IBC. If you're driven and laser-focused on goals, you'll want the secrets of D'Amato's techniques which gave his fighters the psychological edge. From Cus D'Amato you will learn that it is okay to want it all. It is okay to spend your life in dogged pursuit of one purpose. It is okay to sacrifice everything that stands in your way. It is not a crime to want glory and immortality.
Cus D'Amato was born in the 20th century, but he was really born out of his time. His values and beliefs resonate more closely with the ancient Greek and Romans who believed that it is not our peers who will judge us. It is eternity who will judge us. Why is it that way? It is that way because we have the spark to be great, to be the greatest. And when you have the spark to be the greatest, you comport yourself and live life as though eternity were watching every step you take. This book teaches you that greatness is not a crime and dares you to be more.
My mind is divided on self-help. Obviously it works. That I don't doubt. The problem is the people who invest themselves into self-help seem to become themselves self-help coaches. They're like tinker toys, each winding one another up. They don't seem to do things other than train one another. But this book is awesome in that D'Amato is into self-help and he does things. He produced three champs: Floyd Patterson, José Torres, and Mike Tyson. He took fighters with low self-confidence--especially Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson, who had no self-confidence--and convinced them they could be world champions. In the book, Tyson spends pages marvelling how D'Amato's techniques raised his confidence so high that he thought he was a god. To this day, Tyson struggles because D'Amato raised his self-esteem too high. If that's not testimonial to D'Amato's system of character building, then I don't know what is.
The book is filled with examples of D'Amato and his "mind over matter" philosophy. I'm not much into hocus-pocus, but if it helps you succeed, then it is good. Here's a short passage that gave me the chills. I wonder if everyone gets these moments or these moments only come to the happy few?
Cus was a believer in destiny. Even as a young boy, he felt that he'd be famous someday; he always had a feeling that "there was something different" about him. I had the same exact feeling. So it felt right that I would move in with Cus and Camille. Cus was so happy. I couldn't understand why this white man was so happy about me. He would look at me and laugh hysterically. Then he'd get on the phone and tell people, "Lightning has struck me twice. I have another heavyweight champion. He's only thirteen."
One of the first nights that I stayed over at the house on one of the home visits, Cus took me into the living room, where we could talk alone. "You know I've been waiting for you," he told me. "I've been thinking about you since 1969. If you meditate long enough on something, you get a picture. And the picture told me that I would make another champion. I conjured you up with my mind and now you're finally here."
D'Amato reminds me of a character in an Ibsen play, Solness in The Master Builder. He too, practised this visualization technique to become the master builder. So, there are others out there who feel the pull of destiny. A curious, driving call full of power and powerlessness at the same time. The fire burns into you, but at the same time you are thrall and a pawn to this destiny that looms over you.
Why do we do this, the endless hours of training? Cus too, has an answer. We do it for immortality, to be remembered in a song for the future generations. I feel sometimes D'Amato should have been an ancient Greek, living in the times of Homer. The ancients also recognized this justification. They built pyramids so that they would be remembered. They fought the Trojan War for ten years so that it could be a song for the future generations to epic singers to sing. Today, if you want to be remembered, there's something wrong with you. You need to be humble. You need to blend in. Don't go for a home run when you can get away with a hit. D'Amato sets today's values on their head. Aim for one thing with all your being, he says:
I used to ask Cus, "What does it mean being the greatest fighter of all time? Most of those guys are all dead." "Listen, they're dead, but we're talking about them now, this is all about immortality." That fucked me up. It changed the whole game. I just thought it would be about riches, the big cars, the big mansions he used to point out to me. But now he was taking it to a whole other level. He got me hooked with the riches, but now he suddenly said, "You're going to be a god." This was the real deal, and the real deal fucked me up real good. Then he said, "Forget the money." Once he told me that shit, it blew my mind. He was talking immortality and I'm figuring out what that is.
And here's D'Amato on having a purpose in life. People today, I think, value living for the sake of living. But D'Amato offers another view: it's not about life, but about life's purpose. Purpose is so concentrated a force that when it's not met, the dead will come back:
Then Cus told me that he was dying from pneumonia. I started getting angry. We had so much together. I'm a little street kid with this old guy who's in exile and we'd talk about these grandiose dreams and making money and buying mansions and how there was nobody in the world who could touch us. They couldn't do anything but gawk at us. We were the most magnificent gift boxing had ever witnessed. And now it was over before we had reached our ultimate mission. I couldn't go on with it without Cus.
"If you die, I'm not going to fight anymore," I said, sobbing. Cus looked angry. "Now listen, if you quit fighting, then you're going to find out if people can come back from the dead, because I will come back and I will haunt you for the rest of your life. You have to fight."
On the way to the goal, fighters encounter obstacles. Life gets in the way. Injuries get in the way. Doubt gets in the way. Fatigue gets in the way. D'Amato had a solution. If you don't go all the way, you'll never know how close you were. To keep his fighters focused, he had this John Greanleaf Whittier poem posted in the very spot where he would work the fighters the hardest:
When things go wrong, as they sometimes will,
When the road you're trudging seems all uphill,
When the funds are low and the debts are high,
And you want to smile, but you have to sigh,
When care is pressing you down a bit,
Rest, if you must, but don't you quit.
Life is queer with its twists and turns,
As every one of us sometimes learns,
And many a failure turns about,
When he might have won had he stuck it out;
Don't give up though the pace seems slow--
You may succeed with another blow.
Often the goal is nearer than,
It seems to a faint and faltering man,
Often the struggler has given up,
When he might have captured the victor's cup,
And he learned too late when the night slipped down,
How close he was to the golden crown.
Success is failure turned inside out--
The silver tint of the clouds of doubt,
And you never can tell how close you are,
It may be near when it seems so far,
So stick to the fight when you're the hardest hit--
It's when things seem worst that you must not quit.
Iron Ambition is a fantastic and rich read for a variety of reasons. If you're a fan of Tyson, you'll want to learn about his trainer and manager. If you're a fan of boxing history, you'll want to read about D'Amato's dangerous fight against the corrupt IBC. If you're driven and laser-focused on goals, you'll want the secrets of D'Amato's techniques which gave his fighters the psychological edge. From Cus D'Amato you will learn that it is okay to want it all. It is okay to spend your life in dogged pursuit of one purpose. It is okay to sacrifice everything that stands in your way. It is not a crime to want glory and immortality.
Cus D'Amato was born in the 20th century, but he was really born out of his time. His values and beliefs resonate more closely with the ancient Greek and Romans who believed that it is not our peers who will judge us. It is eternity who will judge us. Why is it that way? It is that way because we have the spark to be great, to be the greatest. And when you have the spark to be the greatest, you comport yourself and live life as though eternity were watching every step you take. This book teaches you that greatness is not a crime and dares you to be more.
February 15, 2021
"My Life with Cus" does a great job of humanizing the almost mythical boxing creator Cus D'Amato. The book begins and ends with stories from Mike, one of his most famous pupils. With the ending coming from a perspective from an older Mike, no longer biting ears, showcasing Tigers and having outlandish press conferences. The middle of the book goes into more of Cus' story before Mike. At times I thought the interlude was the "longest" part of the book but near the end the connections are made the piece if all together wonderfully.
Boxing fans and histories label Cus and a crazed, paranoid man, and after reading this book, perhaps he was. Constantly afraid of the mob being after him with the ties to boxing, worried of being betrayed by those he loved and hesitant to show love at the same time. Part of the reason Mike was so outlandish was because of the affirmations Cus would tell him about being the best in the world making comparisons to gods and roman gladiators which really gives some insight as to why Mike became such a erratic face of media.
I'm happy that Mike is in a place in his life where he is reflective and is able to document these stories to give us a glimpse of the chaos he had lived through. You can tell that his wife and being a father had helped him grow and his recent endeavor in his exhibition boxing is to give back and come full circle with the sport that both gave him life and destroyed him.
I give this book 4* as I could've done with 25% less of Cus' backstory and more of the direct time with Mike, but a fantastic read nonetheless.
Boxing fans and histories label Cus and a crazed, paranoid man, and after reading this book, perhaps he was. Constantly afraid of the mob being after him with the ties to boxing, worried of being betrayed by those he loved and hesitant to show love at the same time. Part of the reason Mike was so outlandish was because of the affirmations Cus would tell him about being the best in the world making comparisons to gods and roman gladiators which really gives some insight as to why Mike became such a erratic face of media.
I'm happy that Mike is in a place in his life where he is reflective and is able to document these stories to give us a glimpse of the chaos he had lived through. You can tell that his wife and being a father had helped him grow and his recent endeavor in his exhibition boxing is to give back and come full circle with the sport that both gave him life and destroyed him.
I give this book 4* as I could've done with 25% less of Cus' backstory and more of the direct time with Mike, but a fantastic read nonetheless.
November 24, 2019
A palimpsest is something that is in use that bears the traces of its earlier form. An easy example would be the chalkboard. You write on it, erase, and when you write again, traces of what was previously written and erased are still somewhat visible, albeit in altered form. In his way, Mike Tyson is a sort of palimpsest for the underclass/immigrant ghetto experience in America, especially in Brooklyn, more specifically Brownsville. Yes, he is a black man, but he is also inhabited in a sense by the ghosts of a lot of older Italian and Jewish guys who hailed from the same borough he came from. Mike is both a historian of Fistiana and a living bit of history himself (whose history, hopefully, hasn't seen anywhere near its last chapter written).
The man who had the greatest effect on Tyson, leaving the deepest traces (more like scars) was Constantine "Cus" D'Amato, an Italian-American boxing trainer whose store of fistic knowledge was equal to that of a PhD in any field, and then some. The relationship between him and Tyson can probably best be described as that between sorcerer and apprentice. As to the alchemy they created together, well ... you probably know some of the results, even if you don't follow boxing.
"Iron Ambition" deals with Mike Tyson's relationship with Cus D'Amato, as well as Cus's struggles against the Mafia, fellow promoters, and those who betrayed him. He saw his father die and his brother was murdered by a local corrupt cop in the neighborhood where he grew up. Eventually D'Amato became a bit of a recluse and a paranoid, retreating to upstate New York to tutor young men in the sweet science. He trained and educated a young Mike Tyson, on furlough from a nearby juvenile reformatory school, but he also warped Mike in the process and perhaps made him as insane as his sometimes-less-than-Zen Master.
The book is co-written with Larry "Ratso" Sloman. The voices of Mr. Tyson and Mr. Sloman are not quite integrated well-enough for me to call this a masterpiece or the definitive Book of Tyson, but when Mike is speaking about his relationship with Cus (and "Ratso" is not bogging things down by getting into the weeds of various intrigues treated better and at greater length in other works), "Iron Ambition" is a true wonder to behold.
Regardless of how one feels about Mike Tyson, it must be conceded that he is one of the most compelling figures of the 20th and now 21st century. A malapropism-prone autodidact eccentric, a dandy in the body of a bruiser, both fragile and vicious, for a time there in the late 80s he achieved the status of a sort of demigod who transcended all barriers of race, class, and literal geography to become perhaps the best-known man on Planet Earth, aside from maybe Michael Jackson. When he speaks, on the page or on the stage, one can't help but listen. Naturally, then I'm recommending the book.
The man who had the greatest effect on Tyson, leaving the deepest traces (more like scars) was Constantine "Cus" D'Amato, an Italian-American boxing trainer whose store of fistic knowledge was equal to that of a PhD in any field, and then some. The relationship between him and Tyson can probably best be described as that between sorcerer and apprentice. As to the alchemy they created together, well ... you probably know some of the results, even if you don't follow boxing.
"Iron Ambition" deals with Mike Tyson's relationship with Cus D'Amato, as well as Cus's struggles against the Mafia, fellow promoters, and those who betrayed him. He saw his father die and his brother was murdered by a local corrupt cop in the neighborhood where he grew up. Eventually D'Amato became a bit of a recluse and a paranoid, retreating to upstate New York to tutor young men in the sweet science. He trained and educated a young Mike Tyson, on furlough from a nearby juvenile reformatory school, but he also warped Mike in the process and perhaps made him as insane as his sometimes-less-than-Zen Master.
The book is co-written with Larry "Ratso" Sloman. The voices of Mr. Tyson and Mr. Sloman are not quite integrated well-enough for me to call this a masterpiece or the definitive Book of Tyson, but when Mike is speaking about his relationship with Cus (and "Ratso" is not bogging things down by getting into the weeds of various intrigues treated better and at greater length in other works), "Iron Ambition" is a true wonder to behold.
Regardless of how one feels about Mike Tyson, it must be conceded that he is one of the most compelling figures of the 20th and now 21st century. A malapropism-prone autodidact eccentric, a dandy in the body of a bruiser, both fragile and vicious, for a time there in the late 80s he achieved the status of a sort of demigod who transcended all barriers of race, class, and literal geography to become perhaps the best-known man on Planet Earth, aside from maybe Michael Jackson. When he speaks, on the page or on the stage, one can't help but listen. Naturally, then I'm recommending the book.
July 3, 2017
Mike Tyson will always be a fascinating character in the annals of sports history. Those who know his story know that trainer/mentor Cus D'Amato played a big part in his rise to heavyweight champion of the world. As such, one would think that a book about Cus from Tyson's point of view would be a pretty solid investment. Unfortunately that does not happen, as Tyson's rapid-fire, unorganized approach make for a scattershot read.
There are two main narratives running through "Iron Ambition", neither one working out all that well:
1. You have the history/bio of Cus himself. The problem here is that it is Cus' early years (such as working with Floyd Patterson) told by Tyson, which is a bit odd to say the least. In all honesty, if I wanted to read a bio of Cus D'Amato, I want it done by a professional biographer or researcher, not Iron Mike.
2. Tyson's experiences/interactions with Cus. This should be the backbone of the entire book, and ostensibly is (only hard-core boxing fans won't skim through the "past Cus" material, as it is so dense). Sadly, the written word format doesn't suit Mike's storytelling ability, as books are based on organization (something Tyson sorely lacks). It's one thing to appear in a documentary or a stage show (where he can talk freeform about whatever he wants), but that style makes for a messy book, which is exactly what "Iron Ambition" turns out to be.
Thus, despite a fascinating premise, I only skimmed through most of the sections of this book. The first 50-60 pages are coherent and seem to be building towards something, but after that it really is a free-for-all, back and forth between Cus' past and Tyson's scattershot experiences with him. Deep-dive boxing enthusiasts can still glean some interesting stories/info from this one, but the casual boxing/sports fan will likely be a bit overwhelmed.
There are two main narratives running through "Iron Ambition", neither one working out all that well:
1. You have the history/bio of Cus himself. The problem here is that it is Cus' early years (such as working with Floyd Patterson) told by Tyson, which is a bit odd to say the least. In all honesty, if I wanted to read a bio of Cus D'Amato, I want it done by a professional biographer or researcher, not Iron Mike.
2. Tyson's experiences/interactions with Cus. This should be the backbone of the entire book, and ostensibly is (only hard-core boxing fans won't skim through the "past Cus" material, as it is so dense). Sadly, the written word format doesn't suit Mike's storytelling ability, as books are based on organization (something Tyson sorely lacks). It's one thing to appear in a documentary or a stage show (where he can talk freeform about whatever he wants), but that style makes for a messy book, which is exactly what "Iron Ambition" turns out to be.
Thus, despite a fascinating premise, I only skimmed through most of the sections of this book. The first 50-60 pages are coherent and seem to be building towards something, but after that it really is a free-for-all, back and forth between Cus' past and Tyson's scattershot experiences with him. Deep-dive boxing enthusiasts can still glean some interesting stories/info from this one, but the casual boxing/sports fan will likely be a bit overwhelmed.
March 21, 2019
Great read. Learned many new things about Mike, Cus, and Floyd Patterson. Story gets a little trying during the chapters about Cus and the mob but other than that a great read for the fight fan.
July 28, 2017
This book is about the man behind "The Baddest Man on The Planet".
Groucho Marx said that “behind every successful man is a woman, and behind her is his wife.” For Mike Tyson it wasn’t a woman, but rather his trainer: Cus D’Amato. Remarkable trainers are common in boxing: Angelo Dundee with Muhammad Ali and Eddie Futch with Joe Frazier, to name just two. However, Tyson was unlike those who had preceded him. By the time he was 13, he had been arrested 38 times and crime had become a way of life. After various stints in juvenile detention, as well as the tough neighbourhood and single parent household that he grew up in, it was imperative that young Mike learned to defend himself. Fortunately for him, and subsequently for us, his fans, he chose boxing.
When Mike was 13 years old, Cus D’Amato watched him spar for 10 minutes and proclaimed that he would be the youngest Heavyweight Champion of the World. After training with Cus for 3 years, Tyson’s mother died and Cus adopted Mike and became his legal guardian. D’Amato became a lot more than his trainer; he developed ‘the thinker’ within Mike. He believed that boxing is as much as or even more of a mental pursuit than it is physical. We see this influence when we revisit many of Tyson’s interviews in the middle of his career, where he talks about breaking his opponent before the fight even starts, and even when he adopts “The Baddest Man on The Planet” moniker. Cus is also credited with developing the ‘peek-a-boo’ guard, a variation very rarely used on the heavyweight scene to that point.
Perhaps the greatest shame in the Cus-Tyson relationship was that Cus’ proclamation came true, yet he passed away the preceding year and never got to witness it. On November 22nd, 1986, aged 20 years and 4 months, Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in the 2nd round and became the youngest WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World. His Win/Loss record to that point was 28-0. In fact, Tyson was 37-0 until he lost to Buster Douglas in February 1990, in a fight widely considered as one of the biggest upsets in sport history. Tyson mentions that when Cus died and he became involved with Don King, his fight frequency reduced and he went from fighting 4 times a year down to once or twice a year. This led him to get distracted with women, amongst other things, and he acknowledges that wouldn’t have been the case had Cus still been around.
Iron Ambition is full of praise and admiration for Cus D’Amato. Tyson fully acknowledges all that Cus did for him regarding matters both inside and outside of the ring. One need only look at the deterioration of Mike's behaviour and conduct outside of the ring in the years following Cus’ death, particularly with regard to the influence that others had on him, where we really start to notice the subtleties of Cus’ fatherly influence on him. Cus D’Amato was a lot more than a trainer, and this book is a beautiful letter from a son to his father.
Groucho Marx said that “behind every successful man is a woman, and behind her is his wife.” For Mike Tyson it wasn’t a woman, but rather his trainer: Cus D’Amato. Remarkable trainers are common in boxing: Angelo Dundee with Muhammad Ali and Eddie Futch with Joe Frazier, to name just two. However, Tyson was unlike those who had preceded him. By the time he was 13, he had been arrested 38 times and crime had become a way of life. After various stints in juvenile detention, as well as the tough neighbourhood and single parent household that he grew up in, it was imperative that young Mike learned to defend himself. Fortunately for him, and subsequently for us, his fans, he chose boxing.
When Mike was 13 years old, Cus D’Amato watched him spar for 10 minutes and proclaimed that he would be the youngest Heavyweight Champion of the World. After training with Cus for 3 years, Tyson’s mother died and Cus adopted Mike and became his legal guardian. D’Amato became a lot more than his trainer; he developed ‘the thinker’ within Mike. He believed that boxing is as much as or even more of a mental pursuit than it is physical. We see this influence when we revisit many of Tyson’s interviews in the middle of his career, where he talks about breaking his opponent before the fight even starts, and even when he adopts “The Baddest Man on The Planet” moniker. Cus is also credited with developing the ‘peek-a-boo’ guard, a variation very rarely used on the heavyweight scene to that point.
Perhaps the greatest shame in the Cus-Tyson relationship was that Cus’ proclamation came true, yet he passed away the preceding year and never got to witness it. On November 22nd, 1986, aged 20 years and 4 months, Mike Tyson knocked out Trevor Berbick in the 2nd round and became the youngest WBC Heavyweight Champion of the World. His Win/Loss record to that point was 28-0. In fact, Tyson was 37-0 until he lost to Buster Douglas in February 1990, in a fight widely considered as one of the biggest upsets in sport history. Tyson mentions that when Cus died and he became involved with Don King, his fight frequency reduced and he went from fighting 4 times a year down to once or twice a year. This led him to get distracted with women, amongst other things, and he acknowledges that wouldn’t have been the case had Cus still been around.
Iron Ambition is full of praise and admiration for Cus D’Amato. Tyson fully acknowledges all that Cus did for him regarding matters both inside and outside of the ring. One need only look at the deterioration of Mike's behaviour and conduct outside of the ring in the years following Cus’ death, particularly with regard to the influence that others had on him, where we really start to notice the subtleties of Cus’ fatherly influence on him. Cus D’Amato was a lot more than a trainer, and this book is a beautiful letter from a son to his father.
July 16, 2023
The man in the corner of the one time baddest man on the planet was Dus D'Amato. Influencing him from a young age teaching him the sweet science of boxing. Cus was a hard headed, philosophical muse with unflinching morals who shaped the mindsets of former world boxing champions in the 20th century. The most infamous of these was Mike Tyson.
It is a memoir and ode to Cus, written byTyson; in defence of a man who was much maligned and misunderstood in the industry and by the public. Choosing to challenge the status quo and entrenched power structures of professional boxing in the 1960 going up against the mob, devote in his independence and figher rights. Tyson himself seems conflicted about Cus, he credits the man for pushing him to the glittering heights but questions his often outlandish methods. Cus was a man who lived outside the box delving into psychology, astronomy and superstition.
I found the book at times hard to follow as it bounced around between the different timelines and perspectives on the man. Cus was like us all a person of contradictions, but one who found True North and sought to stay true to the values that would hold him to his course.
Slide across and hit me back with your pick of the 🖐...
Recommended for pugilists.
Rating: 2.8 / 5
@fivequotebookchallenge
It is a memoir and ode to Cus, written byTyson; in defence of a man who was much maligned and misunderstood in the industry and by the public. Choosing to challenge the status quo and entrenched power structures of professional boxing in the 1960 going up against the mob, devote in his independence and figher rights. Tyson himself seems conflicted about Cus, he credits the man for pushing him to the glittering heights but questions his often outlandish methods. Cus was a man who lived outside the box delving into psychology, astronomy and superstition.
I found the book at times hard to follow as it bounced around between the different timelines and perspectives on the man. Cus was like us all a person of contradictions, but one who found True North and sought to stay true to the values that would hold him to his course.
Slide across and hit me back with your pick of the 🖐...
Recommended for pugilists.
Rating: 2.8 / 5
@fivequotebookchallenge
September 22, 2023
If you want to know what a real man is, what it takes to be a man, this is the book. It’s not about machoism. It’s about standing up for what you believe in, being helplessly passionate about something, to be a lifelong student of your discipline, to do what’s right beyond the expectation of others, to help others regardless of your personal gain, to instill lifelong values in the disgruntled youth, to have dreams beyond material wealth, to push the boundaries of human capabilities/psychology, to pursue excellence.
Funny Cus D’Amato stories:
- told the mafia to shoot him because he didn’t know what they wanted
- shined the shoes of an old forgotten legend
- practiced waking up at random times, saluting for hours, slept on the floor, starved himself for days, to prepare himself for the military
- trained everyone for free
- was more than a trainer
- took in a 37 time arrested 13 yo Mike Tyson into his home
- hypnotized his boxers in the middle of the night, whispering sweet words
- had a vicious dog outside his gym to test the character of new boys
- was always broke
- kept his lover a secret to focus on boxing
- gave a young Muhammad Ali $200
- made his own training equipment
- created his own style of boxing
- was always paranoid, rigged his room, never flew, slept in a closet
- tried to use telepathy
- prayed for the Gods to give him a wunderkind
I wish I had better notes of this book.
Funny Cus D’Amato stories:
- told the mafia to shoot him because he didn’t know what they wanted
- shined the shoes of an old forgotten legend
- practiced waking up at random times, saluting for hours, slept on the floor, starved himself for days, to prepare himself for the military
- trained everyone for free
- was more than a trainer
- took in a 37 time arrested 13 yo Mike Tyson into his home
- hypnotized his boxers in the middle of the night, whispering sweet words
- had a vicious dog outside his gym to test the character of new boys
- was always broke
- kept his lover a secret to focus on boxing
- gave a young Muhammad Ali $200
- made his own training equipment
- created his own style of boxing
- was always paranoid, rigged his room, never flew, slept in a closet
- tried to use telepathy
- prayed for the Gods to give him a wunderkind
I wish I had better notes of this book.
April 10, 2021
Mike Tyson is an admittedly flawed human being. However, as Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn wrote, “the line dividing good and evil cuts through the heart of every human being.” This book is a very intimate look at the line dividing the heart of Mike Tyson and just exactly how Cus D’Amato put it there. However, that story takes a back seat to the riveting details of the sordid nature controlling the sport of boxing in the 1950’s and 60’s. This book is a must read for anyone even remotely interested in the history of boxing and its wildly colorful characters, specifically one Constantine "Cus" D'Amato. The primary story arc is that of D’Amato’s relationship as trainer, manager and father figure to fighter Floyd Patterson who twice reigned as the world heavyweight champion between 1956 and 1962. It also delves deeply into D’Amato’s fight against the mob-controlled IBC (International Boxing Club) who almost had a complete monopoly on boxing at the time. This book is highly researched and well written. If you like boxing, colorful mob characters of the 50’s, or just crazy Mike Tyson, this book will not let you down!
July 7, 2017
Great book for the historical processes that made Boxing what it is. Filled with legalistic presentations and power play style conniving behind it all. Most of this book is my Mike's life w Cus. It's mostly Cus battle with the mob and powers that be that tried to control boxing. It does however have great spiritual and ambitions motivations. Cus was a stern man, but filled with brilliance in how to create a fighter.
Mike really showed me that he is more intelligent than I ever expected. I feel he had a ghost writer, but either way, he is much more intelligent than some of his previous statements "I'll eat your children" etc. I now understand that most of this was just the intimidating rage that Cus instilled in him to be the greatest and youngest HW champ of all time. Mike is a very complex man and my understanding and admiration for him continues to grow with this read.
I recommend it for anyone interested in boxing or Mike Tyson.
Mike really showed me that he is more intelligent than I ever expected. I feel he had a ghost writer, but either way, he is much more intelligent than some of his previous statements "I'll eat your children" etc. I now understand that most of this was just the intimidating rage that Cus instilled in him to be the greatest and youngest HW champ of all time. Mike is a very complex man and my understanding and admiration for him continues to grow with this read.
I recommend it for anyone interested in boxing or Mike Tyson.
December 29, 2019
I liked the bits where Mike Tyson explained his mindset during different parts of his career and life, and the guy is refreshingly honest and unashamed of who he is, but at times, the story really went too in-depth about his coach's history, which took the focus away from Tyson and made it a tedious read (in these sections). I know that sounds a little silly, because isn't his coach a major part of his life, etc, etc... Yeah that's true, but at times, it felt like he was simply recapping events that happened, and there was minimal or no, relevance pulled back to him, which honestly, made it feel boring and tedious. I wanted to read about Mike Tyson and to understand him, and these sections, really took me out of the story, and I was just waiting for when he would relate how that impacted him, or talking about himself again. Overall, some interesting insights into Mike Tyson and his life, but some segments of the book dragged on too long and took away from the positives somewhat.
December 5, 2020
Cus D'Damato Quotes:
“Boxing is a sport of self-control. You must understand fear so you can manipulate it. Fear is like fire. You can make it work for you; it can warm you in the winter, cook your food when you’re hungry, give you light when you’re in the dark and produce energy. Let it go out of control and it can hurt you, even kill you…fear is a friend of exceptional people.”
“The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same thing, fear, but it’s what you do with it that matters.”
“No matter what anyone says, no matter the excuse or explanation, whatever a person does in the end is what he intended to do all along.”
“There is no such thing as a natural puncher. There is a natural aptitude for punching and that is different. Nobody is born the best. You have to practice and train to become the best.”
“Boxing is a sport of self-control. You must understand fear so you can manipulate it. Fear is like fire. You can make it work for you; it can warm you in the winter, cook your food when you’re hungry, give you light when you’re in the dark and produce energy. Let it go out of control and it can hurt you, even kill you…fear is a friend of exceptional people.”
“The hero and the coward both feel the same thing, but the hero uses his fear, projects it onto his opponent, while the coward runs. It’s the same thing, fear, but it’s what you do with it that matters.”
“No matter what anyone says, no matter the excuse or explanation, whatever a person does in the end is what he intended to do all along.”
“There is no such thing as a natural puncher. There is a natural aptitude for punching and that is different. Nobody is born the best. You have to practice and train to become the best.”
January 17, 2022
Starts out strong and in Mike Tyson's unflinching voice. We learn about his hardscrabble formative years, juvenile detention and how he came to box under the tutelage of the legendary coach Cus D'amato who was himself a flawed human being.
Halfway through the book, Mike seems to slip out the back and we're left with copious boxing history and lots of hard-to-substantiate stories of Cus' life from the '50s and '60s written in the voice of professional writer and co-author Larry Sloman.
I read the two Tyson books as part of a research project and couldn't help feeling that I was reading research more than a book, but with a few grudges and scores to settle. The promise of the book the making of a champion) got me into the tent, but once inside, seemed like a bit of misdirection.
Halfway through the book, Mike seems to slip out the back and we're left with copious boxing history and lots of hard-to-substantiate stories of Cus' life from the '50s and '60s written in the voice of professional writer and co-author Larry Sloman.
I read the two Tyson books as part of a research project and couldn't help feeling that I was reading research more than a book, but with a few grudges and scores to settle. The promise of the book the making of a champion) got me into the tent, but once inside, seemed like a bit of misdirection.
January 23, 2025
If you are a huge fan of boxing history, say between the period of 1946-1962, you will likely enjoy this significantly. As a casual boxing fan, I cannot say that I enjoyed the majority of this book because it is too dense for the average reader. The history itself is interesting, certainly there is compelling information about notable figures, but there is a bit too much detail to hold one's attention. When Tyson speaks about himself, and his interactions with Cus, and how he responded to Cus' death, the book flourishes, but that consisted of too little of the book for my enjoyment. Having said that, I don't imagine this book was targeted to the casual reader, thus, I am likely not the intended audience. Boxing enthusiasts will likely find this far more enjoyable.
April 5, 2020
It was one of the best books I have read. I didn't know that Mike Tyson was a reader.
He was trained under one of the best trainers in the world Cus D'Amato; as his trainer built the small scattered Mike Tyson psychologically and physically with letting him absorb the concepts of the most famous characters in the world like Napoleon Bonaparte, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Sigmund Freud.
In this book, you would go deep inside the head of Mike and his trainer and have a deep look at the way on how knowledge and hard work build Champions and Elites.
You would read about Floyd Petterson a lot; in a way that Mike illustrating how he was superior to Floyd on the psychological side.
He was trained under one of the best trainers in the world Cus D'Amato; as his trainer built the small scattered Mike Tyson psychologically and physically with letting him absorb the concepts of the most famous characters in the world like Napoleon Bonaparte, Leonardo Da Vinci, and Sigmund Freud.
In this book, you would go deep inside the head of Mike and his trainer and have a deep look at the way on how knowledge and hard work build Champions and Elites.
You would read about Floyd Petterson a lot; in a way that Mike illustrating how he was superior to Floyd on the psychological side.
November 6, 2023
This book was amazing, Mike Tyson and Cus D’amato changed the world. This book went into such depth about Mike Tyson’s childhood and let me tell you, he is the man. I didn’t expect there to be so much about how corrupt the boxing industry was at the time and I certainly didn’t know Cus D’amato was the way he was, I mean, he was a psychological master. Cus D’amato says that he summoned Mike Tyson. At first I thought that was ridiculous, but as I later on read the book, I realized that if anyone could summon another person, it’s him.
Only complaint I have is that he didn’t go too in depth about his life after becoming heavyweight, such as the rape allegations or Evander Holyfield.
Only complaint I have is that he didn’t go too in depth about his life after becoming heavyweight, such as the rape allegations or Evander Holyfield.
August 28, 2017
I loved this book. I had only heard about Cus from the old trainers at the gym when I boxed as a teenager, and later watching his interviews online. This is a bit of a biography of 2 men, Cus and Mike Tyson. It details what's possible with the perfect combination of teacher and student. It's a story of how Cus kept the sport of boxing from the mob and was exiled for it. Then later cultivated an approach to training that involves positive affirmations, astrology, and hypnotherapy.
I would recommend this to people with interests outside of boxing.
I would recommend this to people with interests outside of boxing.
March 21, 2019
Favorite quotes:
- Discipline is doing what you hate to do but doing it like you love it.
- Cus: I believe a person is a professional when they can make themselves do what needs to be done in order to accomplish the objective he sets out to deliver, in boxing or anything else.
- On Cus’ fear of flying: “Look Cus, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.” “Yeah, but when it’s the pilot’s time to go then we all go.”
- Blockbusting: Scaring white people into selling their houses for pennies on the dollar by bringing in one black family block by block
- Discipline is doing what you hate to do but doing it like you love it.
- Cus: I believe a person is a professional when they can make themselves do what needs to be done in order to accomplish the objective he sets out to deliver, in boxing or anything else.
- On Cus’ fear of flying: “Look Cus, when it’s your time to go, it’s your time to go.” “Yeah, but when it’s the pilot’s time to go then we all go.”
- Blockbusting: Scaring white people into selling their houses for pennies on the dollar by bringing in one black family block by block
July 22, 2020
A wonderful book where Mike Tyson talks about his initial years and his relationship with his mention/father figure Cus D'Amato. The book is also a part biographical of his father figure's past, about his roots and belief. To know where Mike Tyson comes from, it's essential you learn about his mentor.
It is a really amazing book which had me moved in a quite a few places, it also challenged my thoughts and beliefs about my own values. The book is articulate and structured well, to carry you along from start to finish and keep you engaged.
It is a really amazing book which had me moved in a quite a few places, it also challenged my thoughts and beliefs about my own values. The book is articulate and structured well, to carry you along from start to finish and keep you engaged.
December 15, 2020
Cus took Mike as a 13 years old troubled kid with no self esteem or confidence and made him a god in the ring in 6 years, you may not agree with lots of the methods he used but there are lots of thing that everyone can learn. Most importantly the importance of the psychology and the mindset, I'm fascinated with Mike's life and I follow him until now, although I was born 13 years after he won his title but he's still a huge inspiration for me. I will take so many things from this books and probably will read it again in the next few years. What a great book, Cus' legacy will live forever.
August 14, 2018
3 1/2 stars.
Nice tribute by Tyson to the trainer and father figure that brought him into the pro ranks.
Although the title is a little misleading. Probably only half of the book actually revolved around his life with D'Amato.
This is written more like a complete biography of the trainer. A couple hundred pages were devoted to D'Amato's time many years before Tyson was even born. (Most of this centered around the times of Floyd Patterson who was Cus's first heavyweight champion)
Nice tribute by Tyson to the trainer and father figure that brought him into the pro ranks.
Although the title is a little misleading. Probably only half of the book actually revolved around his life with D'Amato.
This is written more like a complete biography of the trainer. A couple hundred pages were devoted to D'Amato's time many years before Tyson was even born. (Most of this centered around the times of Floyd Patterson who was Cus's first heavyweight champion)
November 8, 2022
I really found this to be a sad book in a few ways. One yes D’Amato saved Tyson and then got him into boxing and a champ, but he didn’t learn anything from his father figure and went off the rails. Yes, I believe he probably would not have done most of the stupid stuff he did but he really needed him in his life in order to function, at least that is the way it appears to me. I received this book from Netgalley.com
July 20, 2024
Got into this because I just liked Mike Tyson and thought it would be a book detailing his training. I was pleasantly surprised with how much more this book ended up encompassing. Specifically, the truly inspiring story of the life of Mikes trainer - Cus D'amato - who is now one of my all-time favorite people. Such an incredible person in so many ways. Learning about his character and actions has noticeably changed my own perspective on life.
March 3, 2018
I began boxing in 2017. It was only then did I realize how beautiful this sport is.
I'd only read about how great Tyson was. So, I wanted to get into his head, see what made him who he became.
It is a fascinating read, but not particularly well written. It is written by Tyson himself, so, I'm not surprised.
This book will give you great insight on the psychology of great athletes.
I'd only read about how great Tyson was. So, I wanted to get into his head, see what made him who he became.
It is a fascinating read, but not particularly well written. It is written by Tyson himself, so, I'm not surprised.
This book will give you great insight on the psychology of great athletes.
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