Cus D’Amato
As Jacques walked into the cigar lounge, he was enveloped by the smell of leather, smoke, and fine cigars. The lounge was dimly lit, with plush leather chairs arranged in a circle around a low coffee table, which was littered with ashtrays and half-empty glasses. The walls were adorned with black and white photographs of famous boxers, and the air was filled with the sound of soft jazz music playing in the background.
As he made his way towards the Invisible Man, he noticed that the older man was sitting in his favorite leather armchair, with a half-smoked cigar in his hand.
Jacques was excited to share his news with the Invisible Man, "You won't believe it," he exclaimed.
"I've found the perfect coach for my boxing training. His name is Benjamin, and he has cutting-edge programs for boxing. He only charges 100 CHF per hour for private lessons, and for a little extra, he even advises me on nutrition, supplements, and the latest techniques.
He's going to take me to the top!" hour. I can't wait to start boxing and see where this journey takes me." Said an ecstatic Jacques.
The Invisible Man took a long drag on his cigar, listening to Jacques' excited monologue with half an ear. He was amused by Jacques' naivety, thinking how profitable it was to be a coach like Benjamin when there was an abundance of Jacques to go around.
At that point, The Invisible Man found himself drifting to the memories of the legendary Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, who developed three world champions across five decades, while remaining penniless almost all his life. An invisible man doing invisible deeds.
Constantine “Cus” D’Amato
Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, was born in the Bronx in 1908 at 149th Street and Southern Boulevard, a tough neighborhood area of The Bronx that was home to the working class, blue collar man. His father was Damiano D'Amato, was in the business of ice and his mother was Elizabeth Rosato.
He grew amidst boxing, and he could, should and would have boxed. But a street fight changed his fate forever. When he just 12, there was a man in those days, habitually pushing around kids. But Constantine Cus D’Amato was not be pushed around. He retaliated and fought the man, only to get his eye badly bruised. The eye was so badly bruised that he was blind in it for years.
Constantine Cus D’Amato proudly recalled this incident, and revelled in the memory that he made the man run.
Despite the bad eye, he boxed, but could never go on to become a real fighter
Constantine D’Amato’s Character
Constantine Cus D’Amato had a strict upbringing, with his father inflicting brutal punishment on to his children. And, he took the punishment effortlessly. His father owned a bull whip, and Cus recalled his father frequently using it on him when he came in home late at night. It was a way to break him and because coming in late was a habit, Cus would face the bull whip night after night.
Constantine Cus D’Amato’s character was unwavering since his childhood, as he refused to give in. According to him, the only instance he came close to conceding that he might not do it again, but nothing more than that.
He made some effort at redeeming himself, having had peace with his father on that night of the concession. He supported the disciplinarian stance of his father, and always spoke of him with respect and fondness.
Constantine Cus D’Amato attributes his resilience to the tough trials and tribulations of life that he faced subsequently to his father’s discipline.
Invisible Man, Invisible Deeds
Constantine Cus D’Amato was a lifelong advisor and counsellor, starting as early as when he was in school. Boys, older, younger, of all ages naturally gravitated towards him in time of trouble.
A perpetual rebellion, Constantine Cus D’Amato refused to take any money for providing advice, nor ever taking up any employment either. He was a perpetually poor, his fiscal position always on the brink of ruin. But he had a long reach due to his constant pursuit in helping people. Everyone who he touched voluntarily discharged their gratitude towards him, without him ever calling for favours to be returned.
There was an incident where he had to help a friend who was in trouble in another city. He saved up money by starving himself over a course of few days to be able to organize the ticket. He was still a young boy at that time, traversing over the country to help friends and their parents resolve adult issues.
This was nevertheless just the beginning of Constantine Cus D’Amato’s selflessness. Later on when he had established his gym, it was his willingness to sacrifice for his boxers that set D'Amato apart from other trainers.
Constantine Cus D’Amato was known to pay for his boxers' expenses out of his own pocket, including food, clothing, and housing. He even went as far as to personally drive them to their fights, making sure that they had everything they needed to succeed.
Ironically, Cus D’Amato’s net worth still hadn’t changed much from his youth, and he was still broke, but still somehow managing to support all his fighters.
Behind Champions Is An Invisible Man
Constantine Cus D’Amato had opened his first gym at 22, and without any resources to himself, spent years living in the gym. He worked through obscurity, working with amateur and professional fighters who wouldn’t go on to produce any mark. Regardless of where his fighters came from, he remained steadfast in his generosity towards them. While he was demanding, he was benevolent, taking care of their needs unconditionally.
Constantine Cus D’Amato did find world class fighters, but frustratingly lost them to competition as they poached them away with money, promises and grandiose. He still wouldn’t give up, even though he did become increasingly paranoid.
Meanwhile, the notorious boxing politics also gnawed at him viciously. Cus D’Amato’s net worth wasn’t improving, yet this stubborn manager of fighters picked fights with the highest associations in boxing, namely the IBC and wouldn’t back down.
He remarked during the height of his political war with the IBC and amidst reports that the mafia was involved in their threats to him.
“Believe me, I would not want to die. But I would not be afraid to die for a principle.”
Without money, nor ready resources at his disposal, Constantine Cus D’Amato still was able to produce two world champions by 1965, Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres, going as far as the extremes of supporting them throughout their formative careers.
As their careers concluded, Constantine Cus D’Amato again weaved into obscurity, as he had been since the beginning of his career in boxing.
Cus D’Amato Boxing Gym
Constantine Cus D’Amato then moved to Catskill, New York, already known for its rich boxing history, and opened Cus D’Amato Boxing Gym, which would be known as the Catskill Boxing Club.
Nothing changed for him. He was still broke, and yet continued to discharge his generosity and benevolence on the youth that came to train. He was extremely demanding, tough and merciless.
It was during that time when a juvenile detention counselor named Bobby Stewart bought to him a young 13 year old, who had a strength of a 30 year old man, and a natural viciousness. It was none other than Mike Tyson, who by the age of 13, had already been arrested 38 times.
Constantine Cus D’Amato adopted him as a his son, and became his legal guardian. A kid from the streets, who had 38 known offenses against him. Cus took care of him unconditionally as his own son, as he did with all his other fighters.
Never once did Cus ask anything in return, obsessively wanting Mike Tyson to simply conquer the world as the greatest champion that boxing would ever see.
Unfortunately for Constantine Cus D’Amato, he would never end up seeing Mike Tyson win the heavyweight championship of the world belt, as he passed away, aged 77, just before his protégé’s ascent to the summit.
Constantine Cus D’Amato’s Philosophy
Constantine Cus D’Amato read in between all the happenings of the fight business and training his fighters. While most of his peers would swear that he was an avid reader, ironically Cus himself dismissed it. It is nevertheless unbelievable, since all his fighters carried a distinct philosophy, testament to his perpetual pursuit of mixing ideas that he picked up reading, which were not commonly read by other managers. Mike Tyson himself was a living embodiment of it.
D'Amato's philosophy on boxing was rooted in the belief that the mind was more important than the body. He believed that the right mindset, coupled with rigorous physical training, was the key to becoming a champion. He instilled this belief in all of his boxers, teaching them to think strategically and to use their brains as well as their fists.
He is especially known for his emphasis on fear and its importance to fighting, being at par with other tools a fighter has, his legs, his arms.
He recounted how he was managing one of his fighters who continued to absorb a beating, all through to the end of the fight. Despite trying to call off the fight, the fighter wouldn’t accept and continued. That fighter went into the locker room to check in the mirror his bruises.
“I knew then that he would never be a fighter because he did not know fear. A fighter has to know fear. ”
He often told his fighters to ignore what is unknown, but recognition of actual danger is an essential utility for all fighters.
“I tell my boys that fear is as important and natural a part of their equipment as their arms or their legs. I explain that fear is like a fire. If you control it, as we do when we heat our houses, then it is our friend. But if you don’t control it, fire, and fear, will destroy you. In boxing, boys learn to control fear. ”
Constantine Cus D’Amato’s Legacy
He was not just a boxing trainer; he was a mentor, a father figure, a philosopher, and a legend. He was a man who devoted his life to the sport of boxing, and in doing so, he changed the lives of countless young men who came under his tutelage. But what made Cus D'Amato truly special was the sacrifices he made for his boxers.
But D'Amato's impact on his boxers went far beyond the ring. He was a father figure to many of them, taking them under his wing and providing them with guidance, love, and support. He believed that every young man deserved a second chance, and he went out of his way to help those who were struggling.
For D'Amato, boxing was not just a sport; it was a way of life. He believed that the discipline, focus, and determination required to be a successful boxer could be applied to every aspect of a person's life. His philosophy on boxing and life inspired generations of boxers and coaches, and his impact on the sport is still felt today.
“It is the best sport in which a man can learn personal control. He learns to control himself, to make himself do what needs to be done.”
Epilogue
An eternity had passed as Constantine Cus D’Amato’s life and legacy swept through the Invisible Man. What makes a man like Constantine Cus D’Amato? Thought The Invisible Man.
The Invisible Man’s deep thoughtful state was disturbed by one of the patrons of the cigar lounge, as he stopped by to greet him. He politely smiled. It had been a long time since he had last seen him. Jacques meanwhile was busy talking about his new found passion for boxing to a person sitting next to him. He chirped without stopping, his irritating voice piercing through the Invisible Man’s ears.
The Invisible Man leaned back on the sofa once more, going back in time to the Cus D’Amato Boxing Gym at Catskills. The gym enveloped by the unmistakable aroma of sweat and leather. The walls are adorned with pictures of legendary fighters, and the sound of fists hitting punching bags echoes throughout the space.
The gym dimly lit, with just enough light to see the fighters as they move around the ring. The air is thick with the tension of the upcoming fights, and the staccato of instructions from legendary trainers Kevin Rooney and Teddy Atlas, both icons in their own right, also creations of Constantine “Cus” D’Amato.
In one of the corners, standing, was Constantine “Cus” D’Amato, a man of medium height, carefully dressed according to his lights, with white hair close-cropped, a pugnacious chin, a strong nose and brown eyes that looked hard and mean.
Breaking out from his deep thoughts one final time, The Invisible Man looked at his own knuckles, put out his muted cigar in the ashtray and got up, ready to leave.
Invisible Men, Invincible Deeds.
Attributions & Inspirations
