Cus D'Amato facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cus D'Amato
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D'Amato in 1959
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Constantine D'Amato
January 17, 1908 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | November 4, 1985 (aged 77) New York City, U.S.
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| Occupation | Boxing manager and trainer |
| Years active | 1933–1985 |
Constantine "Cus" D'Amato (born January 17, 1908 – died November 4, 1985) was a famous American boxing manager and trainer. He helped guide the careers of many top boxers. These included Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and José Torres. All three of these boxers later joined the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Cus D'Amato also taught many successful boxing trainers, like Teddy Atlas and Kevin Rooney. He was known for teaching a special boxing method called the peek-a-boo style. In this style, a boxer holds their gloves close to their face and keeps their arms tight to their body. This helps protect them from punches.
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Early Life of Cus D'Amato
Constantine D'Amato was born in New York City on January 17, 1908. His family was Italian-American. His parents came from a town called Toritto in Italy. His father worked delivering ice and coal.
When he was young, Cus D'Amato was very interested in Catholicism. He even thought about becoming a priest. He also tried boxing as a teenager. He fought as a featherweight and lightweight. However, he could not become a professional boxer. This was because of an eye injury he got in a street fight.
Cus D'Amato's Boxing Career
When Cus D'Amato was 22, he opened his own boxing gym. It was called the Empire Sporting Club. He even lived in the gym for many years. He was always looking for a future boxing champion.
Sometimes, other managers would try to take his best fighters. One boxer he found was Rocky Graziano. Rocky later became a world middleweight champion, but he signed with other trainers.
Cus D'Amato also fought against unfair practices in boxing. He worked with his friend Howard Cosell to challenge a powerful boxing group called the International Boxing Club of New York (IBC). D'Amato believed the IBC was not fair. He refused to let his fighters compete in any events promoted by them. Eventually, the IBC was found to be breaking laws and had to close down.
Cus D'Amato's Personal Life
Cus D'Amato met Camille Ewald in the 1940s. They became very close partners. Camille was born in Austria-Hungary and later moved to Canada. In the 1960s, her home became their home. It was also a place where young boxers could live and train.
Camille supported Cus in his goal to train young people. She often acted like a mother figure to the boxers. Most famously, Cus and Camille became the legal guardians of young Mike Tyson. They wanted to protect him as he grew up in the tough world of boxing. Cus and Camille were never married, but they were very close friends until Cus passed away. Cus handled all the training, and Camille took care of the home and cooking.
Famous Boxers Trained by Cus D'Amato
Cus D'Amato helped many boxers become champions. He was known for his unique training methods.
Floyd Patterson's Rise to Champion
Under Cus D'Amato's guidance, Floyd Patterson won an Olympic gold medal. He won it in the middleweight division at the 1952 Helsinki games. After the Olympics, D'Amato helped Patterson become a professional boxer.
Patterson then fought for the World Heavyweight Championship. He faced Archie Moore on November 30, 1956. Patterson won by knockout in five rounds. He became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion ever at that time. He was just 21 years old. Floyd Patterson was also the first Olympic gold medalist to win a professional Heavyweight title.
José Torres Becomes a World Champion
Cus D'Amato also managed José Torres. In May 1965, Torres defeated Willie Pastrano at Madison Square Garden. This made him the world Light Heavyweight champion. José Torres was the third boxer from Puerto Rico to win a world title. He was also the first Latin American to win the Light Heavyweight title.
Mike Tyson's Journey to Greatness
After Patterson and Torres finished their careers, Cus D'Amato worked quietly for a while. He moved to Catskill, New York. There, he opened a gym called the Catskill Boxing Club.
It was there that he met a young boy named "Iron" Mike Tyson. Mike was living in a nearby school for troubled youth. Cus D'Amato adopted Tyson after Mike's mother died. He trained Mike for several years. He taught Mike the peek-a-boo boxing style. This style keeps the hands in front of the face for better defense.
Cus D'Amato was helped by Teddy Atlas and later by Kevin Rooney. Kevin Rooney was also trained by D'Amato. Rooney helped Tyson with his quick, elusive movements.
Mike Tyson became very interested in boxing when he was around 12 or 13 years old. "Irish" Bobby Stewart, a former boxing champion, introduced Mike to Cus D'Amato. Stewart felt he had taught Mike all he could.
Cus D'Amato passed away just over a year before Mike Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight champion in history. Mike was 20 years old at the time. Kevin Rooney then guided Tyson to the heavyweight championship. You can see footage of Cus D'Amato in the 2008 documentary film Tyson. Mike Tyson often says that Cus D'Amato helped him build his confidence and was like a father to him.
Cus D'Amato's Death
Cus D'Amato died from pneumonia on November 4, 1985. He was 77 years old. He passed away at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.
Cus D'Amato's Legacy
Cus D'Amato left a lasting impact on the world of boxing.
Cus D'Amato Memorial Award
The Boxing Writers Association of America created the Cus D'Amato Memorial Award. The first award was given to Mike Tyson on May 16, 1986.
Portrayals in Movies and Books
Cus D'Amato's life has been shown in movies and books.
- George C. Scott played D'Amato in the 1995 HBO movie Tyson.
- A play and screenplay called KNOCKOUT: The Cus D'Amato Story is based on his life.
- The biography Confusing The Enemy tells D'Amato's story.
- Harvey Keitel played him in the 2022 Hulu TV series Mike.
Commemoration of Cus D'Amato
In 1993, a part of 14th Street in New York City was named Cus D'Amato Way. This was where his Gramercy Gym used to be located.
See also
In Spanish: Cus D'Amato para niños
