1. Constantine "Cus" D'Amato was an American boxing manager, boxing promoter and boxing trainer who handled the careers of Mike Tyson, Floyd Patterson, and Jose Torres, all of whom went on to be inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
22 Facts About Cus D'Amato
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Cus D'Amato was a proponent of the peek-a-boo style of boxing, in which the fighter holds his gloves close to his cheeks and pulls his arms tight against his torso, which was criticized by some because it was believed that an efficient attack could not be launched from using the technique.
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Constantine D'Amato was born into an Italian-American family in the New York City borough of the Bronx on January 17,1908, to Damiano and Elisabetta.
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Cus D'Amato's father delivered ice and coal in the Bronx using a horse and cart.
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At a young age, Cus D'Amato became very involved and interested in Catholicism, and even considered becoming a priest during his youth.
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Cus D'Amato had a brief career as an amateur boxer, fighting as a featherweight and lightweight, but was unable to get a professional license because of an eye injury he had suffered in a street fight.
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However, Cus D'Amato stated in an interview that he did not hold any grudges towards his father for the childhood abuse, as he believed the beatings made him a better and a more disciplined man.
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At age 22, Cus D'Amato opened the Empire Sporting Club with Jack Barrow at the Gramercy Gym.
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One fighter discovered by Cus D'Amato was Italian-American Rocky Graziano, who signed with other trainers and managers and went on to become middleweight champion of the world.
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Cus D'Amato confronted boxing politics and decided, along with his friend Howard Cosell, to thwart the International Boxing Club of New York.
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Cus D'Amato then guided Patterson through the professional ranks, maneuvering Patterson into fighting for the title vacated by Rocky Marciano.
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Cus D'Amato beat Moore by a knockout in five rounds and became the youngest World Heavyweight Champion in history at the time, at the age of 21 years, 10 months, three weeks and five days.
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Cus D'Amato was the first Olympic gold medalist to win a professional Heavyweight title.
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Cus D'Amato managed Jose Torres who, in May 1965 at Madison Square Garden, defeated International Boxing Hall Of Fame member Willie Pastrano to become world Light Heavyweight champion.
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Cus D'Amato eventually moved to Catskill, New York, where he opened a gym, the Catskill Boxing Club.
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Cus D'Amato trained him over the next few years, encouraging the use of peek-a-boo style boxing, with the hands in front of the face for more protection.
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Cus D'Amato was briefly assisted by Teddy Atlas, and later Kevin Rooney, a protege of Cus D'Amato, who emphasized elusive movement.
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Cus D'Amato died a little over a year before Tyson became the youngest world heavyweight titleholder in history at the age of 20 years four months, thus supplanting Patterson's record.
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Tyson credits Cus D'Amato with building his confidence and guiding him as a father figure.
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Cus D'Amato oversaw all the training and managing of his fighters, while she was responsible for cooking and household chores.
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Cus D'Amato died of pneumonia at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan on November 4,1985.
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KNOCKOUT: The Cus D'Amato Story is a stage and screenplay based on the life of Cus D'Amato, from a concept by boxing trainer Kevin Rooney and written by Dianna Lefas.