Iron Ambition: My Life with Cus D'Amato

Mike Tyson is an extraordinary man who never ceases to amaze me. He's one of the most awesome individuals to ever lace on gloves. Like many great boxers he hit the skids, went to jail and lost it all. But then, incredibly and almost unbelievably, he rose from the ashes like the Phoenix and became the upstanding man he is today. Tyson is a good writer who tells how Cus D'Amato rescued him from the mean streets of New York and a dismal future and helped him become a fighter and a man. The story gets a little bogged down in the telling of D'Amato's trials and run-ins with Frankie Carbo and Blinky Palermo and the mob who controlled boxing in the 1950's. But it's a good read with lots of good anecdotes about D'Amato's relationships with Floyd Patterson and Jose Torres.

I listened to the book in the audio Amazon club. I never imagined that Mike Tyson was a thinker as well as a fighting machine. In this book, through both Cus and Mike's lives a champion boxer comes alive. It shows how events in someone's life, positive opportunities that are acted upon and the importance of positive role models can change a thug to a champion/role model. Is Mike perfect? No. Is Cus an image of perfection in the overall society? No. But, together they are a role model for youngsters that could become lost because of their environment. "Cross and a Switchblade" and sports changed my life. This book may change lives today in a positive way.

This is the first REAL book on cus damato, both his work with mike as well as an extremely detailed account of his life fighting the mob while taking patterson to the title. This is a must read. As a fan of tyson and of cus, ive been waiting 20 years for this book to be written... ever since reading about how cus wanted jose torres to write his story about how cus turned mike into a champion. Well, that book was never written. Instead, torres wrote Fire and Fear, which was NOT what cus had intended. This is the book cus wanted written about himself. This is his legacy. Mike has proven himself to be cus' most dedicated and most valuable student. First he won the title, fulfilling cus' final prediction, and now, 30 years after his death, mike has written a biography WORTHY of cus to ensure his legacy lasts forever. Thanks for writing this book, mike. Its not just that it teaches us about cus, but about his beliefs and methods regarding how to transform a weak person into a strong one. This is a book the world needs.

An amazing recount of a legendary boxing trainer and complex person. He was in the forefront of fighting against corruption and manipulation of the boxing game. He also showed how as an immigrant American he accepted all races and creeds as one in this great country of ours. He was definitely ahead of his time and he was my uncle. Amazing life Uncle Cus! I never knew how great you were. Thanks for this amazing book letting me know about my family's history. It saved me a lot of work researching our family history as I only had bits and pieces. This is a fabulous job of research into our family that I would have never known. I greatly appreciate the work that was put into this book. Love you Uncle Cus, Love you Mike. Love all the fans that are keeping my uncle's historic and legendary career alive. God bless America and God bless everyone.

How a man's love and devotion to a young person totally changed the trajectory of both their lives.

This seller is excellent. No problems at all. I definitely recommend it.

A moving relationship of Mike and his trainer. An insightful look into training not only of the body but also the mind of a boxer.

Learning about Cus D’Amato was a fascinating journey. It appeared, that Cus’s influence on Mike Tyson came from the “old professional fight school” back in the 1940’s. I look forward to reading this book again. Being exposed to the career of Floyd Patterson, while being trained by Cus, was a honor which will not be soon forgotten… 🥊📿 💰🥊📿💰

Muy interesante

Product arrived as promised. Good Quality, and a great book on Mike and Cus. Delivery and packaging good. Happy

The book has dull look. Seems like used book, wasn't expecting this sort of book. The inclination to read has drastically decreased by the appearance of the book.

Book was packed well but was damaged when we opened it. The ink on the front cover was worn also

Incredible read, Iron Mike Tyson talking about his upbringing and his life with Cus D'Amato. What more could you want?