Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus d'Amato
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- Author：Mike Tyson
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Summary
From the former heavyweight champion and New York Times-bestselling author comes a powerful look at the life and leadership lessons of Cus D'Amato， the legendary boxing trainer and Mike Tyson's surrogate father。
"[Iron Ambition] spells out D'Amato's techniques for building a champion from scratch。" - Wall Street Journal
When 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 world champions Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres， would go on to train the young Tyson and raise him as a son。 D'Amato died a year before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history。
In Tyson's bestselling memoir Undisputed Truth， he recounted the role D'Amato played in his formative years， adopting him at age sixteen after his mother died and shaping him both physically and mentally after Tyson had spent years living in fear and poverty。 In Iron Ambition， Tyson elaborates on the life lessons that D'Amato passed down to him， and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring。 The book also chronicles Cus's courageous fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing， revealing more than we've ever known about this singular cultural figure。
"[Iron Ambition] spells out D'Amato's techniques for building a champion from scratch。" - Wall Street Journal
When 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 world champions Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres， would go on to train the young Tyson and raise him as a son。 D'Amato died a year before Tyson became the youngest heavyweight champion in history。
In Tyson's bestselling memoir Undisputed Truth， he recounted the role D'Amato played in his formative years， adopting him at age sixteen after his mother died and shaping him both physically and mentally after Tyson had spent years living in fear and poverty。 In Iron Ambition， Tyson elaborates on the life lessons that D'Amato passed down to him， and reflects on how the trainer's words of wisdom continue to resonate with him outside the ring。 The book also chronicles Cus's courageous fight against the mobsters who controlled boxing， revealing more than we've ever known about this singular cultural figure。
Reviews
Mars Cheung
，
It was。。。ok。 A lot of it was an account of Tyson's time with Cus and what the dynamic was like between them but a LOT of the book focused on Cus's fight against the IBC and their mob ties as well as his relationship with Floyd Patterson。 I got lost at those points and couldn't quite follow。 Don't go into this read expecting it to be entirely about Mike and Cus。 It was。。。ok。 A lot of it was an account of Tyson's time with Cus and what the dynamic was like between them but a LOT of the book focused on Cus's fight against the IBC and their mob ties as well as his relationship with Floyd Patterson。 I got lost at those points and couldn't quite follow。 Don't go into this read expecting it to be entirely about Mike and Cus。 。。。more
Nathan A’Hearn
，
"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 "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。 。。。more
Watan Ab
，
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 probab 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。 。。。more
Jay
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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 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。” 。。。more
Yves
，
I really enjoyed this book。 I was a fan of Mike Tyson's and I guess you could say that I still am。I enjoyed the history behind Tyson， which is D'amato's history， with Patterson and the battles with the IBC。If Cus had been around for 10 more years， I believe Tyson would have held on to that heavyweight championship for years。 I really enjoyed this book。 I was a fan of Mike Tyson's and I guess you could say that I still am。I enjoyed the history behind Tyson， which is D'amato's history， with Patterson and the battles with the IBC。If Cus had been around for 10 more years， I believe Tyson would have held on to that heavyweight championship for years。 。。。more
Lori Byrd
，
A very detailed memoir that was incredibly touching about the relationship between Mike and Cus。 If you were not a fan of Mike before this， you will be after you read this。 I just had no idea of any of this story behind the man until I read it。 Excellent book。
Emīls Ozoliņš
，
It strays away from the subject of the book a lot。
Aditya Roy Choudhary
，
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 alon 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。 。。。more
Salem
，
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 knowl 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。 。。。more
Jhumby
，
I liked the first 200 pages or so。 It’s was fascinating or get a look into mid century boxers and the life Cus lead as an immigrant。 But after 245 ish pages it became a trial book and I lost interest。
Jack Enright
，
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 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。 。。。more
Alexander Fitzgerald
，
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" 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。 。。。more
Joseph Hirsch
，
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 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。 。。。more
Edwin Wong
，
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 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。 。。。more
Sau Cheung
，
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。 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。 。。。more
Nada
，
The concept of the book is quite interesting but the execution on the other hand is what made it sink a bit。 There is no consistency and it's all over the place that I felt lost so many times especially in the middle in which the dragging was unbearable – except if you're a boxing historian。 The beginning and the ending parts of the book are the shining points that shed light on the D'Amato/Tyson bond。 All in all， it's worth reading because there are many lessons one can get out of it regardless The concept of the book is quite interesting but the execution on the other hand is what made it sink a bit。 There is no consistency and it's all over the place that I felt lost so many times especially in the middle in which the dragging was unbearable – except if you're a boxing historian。 The beginning and the ending parts of the book are the shining points that shed light on the D'Amato/Tyson bond。 All in all， it's worth reading because there are many lessons one can get out of it regardless of the mess。 Better yet read the superb Undisputed Truth。 。。。more
Dave
，
Really interesting read
Richard Cabe
，
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。
Cole Di Carlo
，
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 o 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 。。。more
Carl
，
The book itself is astoundingly disorganized。 I skipped massive portions of the older boxing history。It's a fascinating and often disturbing insight into psychological manipulation。 Hard to avoid the conclusion that D'amato took damaged， disadvantaged teenagers like Mike Tyson and used them for his own purposes。 There's a lot of talk of character and discipline， but the bigger lessons he taught， or that Tyson heard， seem to be about savagery and arrogance。 The book itself is astoundingly disorganized。 I skipped massive portions of the older boxing history。It's a fascinating and often disturbing insight into psychological manipulation。 Hard to avoid the conclusion that D'amato took damaged， disadvantaged teenagers like Mike Tyson and used them for his own purposes。 There's a lot of talk of character and discipline， but the bigger lessons he taught， or that Tyson heard， seem to be about savagery and arrogance。 。。。more
Shawn
，
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） 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） 。。。more
James Evans
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All the Tyson parts are genius。 Some of the ghostwritten parts get super confusing and lengthy。 Not bad， but arduous。
Sha Ranney
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Mike Tyson has an interesting background as did his trainer Cus D’Amato。 Today we often forget about the desire and cultivated self-image behind achieving something big。 Despite his background and short stature， Cus imbued this belief in Tyson。 Iron Ambition tells the story of Cus’s fight against the International Boxing Commission’s monopoly and association with the mob， Tyson and Cus’s lives， and the tough/inspiring mentality that Cus constantly practiced to help Tyson beat all odds， an attitu Mike Tyson has an interesting background as did his trainer Cus D’Amato。 Today we often forget about the desire and cultivated self-image behind achieving something big。 Despite his background and short stature， Cus imbued this belief in Tyson。 Iron Ambition tells the story of Cus’s fight against the International Boxing Commission’s monopoly and association with the mob， Tyson and Cus’s lives， and the tough/inspiring mentality that Cus constantly practiced to help Tyson beat all odds， an attitude that’s almost a lost art now。 。。。more
Dave Leahy
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great read，well written
Houlahan houlahan
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Not superb but still a very illuminating look at the D'Amato/Tyson bond。 The long passages about Cus' s 60s boxing issues left me cold， but the key part of the book is the moulding of Tyson into 'the baddest man on the planet'。 Some bits quite rivetting。 Worth it for any fight fans。 Not superb but still a very illuminating look at the D'Amato/Tyson bond。 The long passages about Cus' s 60s boxing issues left me cold， but the key part of the book is the moulding of Tyson into 'the baddest man on the planet'。 Some bits quite rivetting。 Worth it for any fight fans。 。。。more
Collin Bustanoby
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Tyson’s voice in the beginning is compelling。 The middle， documenting Cus’s life， drags on too long。
Kartik Srinivas
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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 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。 。。。more
James Allen
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Cus D'Amato was a savage brainwasher。 Cus D'Amato was a savage brainwasher。 。。。more
Aidan Reid
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Sagged in the middle。 An awful lot about Cus in the 50's， 60's that got very 'samey' and wasn't particularly interesting except if you're a boxing historian。 Start and ends were good - mainly cos it was time spent with Tyson and D'Amato Sagged in the middle。 An awful lot about Cus in the 50's， 60's that got very 'samey' and wasn't particularly interesting except if you're a boxing historian。 Start and ends were good - mainly cos it was time spent with Tyson and D'Amato 。。。more
Mehdi Hassan
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