David Tua with Cus D'Amato.

[BKM-]

Cus gets overrated as a trainer because of Tyson, when many of Tyson's best performances (Berbick, Spinks, Thomas, Holmes) were AFTER Cus died.

And besides Patterson and Tyson, Cus didn't train anyone worth a **** except for MAYBE Jose Torres. There's a reason Cus didn't train another world champion for almost 30 years after Patterson, and it's not just because he stood up to the IBC.

Indeed, and the reason is because his system was a one dimensional gimmick that would only work on the perfectly sized and athletically abled specimen. Tyson was the only one who fit that mark after Torres and Patterson.

Everyone else he ever trained with the peak a boo, and there were many, many youngsters he trained over those years, all amounted to nothing. Injury prone, one-trick pony's. It's a flashy style designed to get an early KO, and destroys your body by the time you hit 30.

[QueensburyRules]

Indeed, and the reason is because his system was a one dimensional gimmick that would only work on the perfectly sized and athletically abled specimen. Tyson was the only one who fit that mark after Torres and Patterson.

Everyone else he ever trained with the peak a boo, and there were many, many youngsters he trained over those years, all amounted to nothing. Injury prone, one-trick pony's. It's a flashy style designed to get an early KO, and destroys your body by the time you hit 30.

- - Tyson's body was never destroyed except by the usual machinations of time.

Nice one dimensional understanding of a multi dimensional Cus, sorta like a monkey understanding his zoo keeper.

Fighters Trained (Partial List)
Floyd Patterson
Kevin Rooney
Joe Shaw
Jose Torres
Mike Tyson
Buster Mathis - Beginning of Career
Patrick Ford
Eugene Hart
Actor Burt Young, who went 32-2 as an amateur in the U.S. Marines. After discharge, young went 18-1 fighting using three different alias under D'Amato, losing his first pro fight, then winning the next 18

This doesn't include looneytunes Teddy who was pulled out of the notorious Riker Island Pen for rehabilitation and was never able to shake his murderous streak, and Wilt who was one of the higher order intellects in all of athletics who publicly exposed Ali on Cosell the segment of Wide World of Sports when Ali refused to put pen to paper to make that fight happen when it was the hottest.

After Cus had rehabilitated and educated Mike, he became a record setting heavy and still relevant today as his exhibition vs Roy Jones showed.

And U?

Ugh!

[VG_Addict]

- - Tyson's body was never destroyed except by the usual machinations of time.

Nice one dimensional understanding of a multi dimensional Cus, sorta like a monkey understanding his zoo keeper.

Fighters Trained (Partial List)
Floyd Patterson
Kevin Rooney
Joe Shaw
Jose Torres
Mike Tyson
Buster Mathis - Beginning of Career
Patrick Ford
Eugene Hart
Actor Burt Young, who went 32-2 as an amateur in the U.S. Marines. After discharge, young went 18-1 fighting using three different alias under D'Amato, losing his first pro fight, then winning the next 18

This doesn't include looneytunes Teddy who was pulled out of the notorious Riker Island Pen for rehabilitation and was never able to shake his murderous streak, and Wilt who was one of the higher order intellects in all of athletics who publicly exposed Ali on Cosell the segment of Wide World of Sports when Ali refused to put pen to paper to make that fight happen when it was the hottest.

After Cus had rehabilitated and educated Mike, he became a record setting heavy and still relevant today as his exhibition vs Roy Jones showed.

And U?

Ugh!

Of those fighters listed, only Patterson, Torres and Tyson won world titles. 3 out of 9 isn't exactly great.

And Tyson would have won a world title no matter who trained him. He was that talented.

[QueensburyRules]

Of those fighters listed, only Patterson, Torres and Tyson won world titles. 3 out of 9 isn't exactly great.

And Tyson would have won a world title no matter who trained him. He was that talented.

- -Without Cus, Tyson just another lifer prison rat.

As it turned out, Mike still couldn't duck a couple of prison terms.

Most fighters never become champs no matter who trains them, like the vast 99.99% of all fighters on record.

[Willie Pep 229]

- - Tyson's body was never destroyed except by the usual machinations of time.

Nice one dimensional understanding of a multi dimensional Cus, sorta like a monkey understanding his zoo keeper.

Fighters Trained (Partial List)
Floyd Patterson
Kevin Rooney
Joe Shaw
Jose Torres
Mike Tyson
Buster Mathis - Beginning of Career
Patrick Ford
Eugene Hart
Actor Burt Young, who went 32-2 as an amateur in the U.S. Marines. After discharge, young went 18-1 fighting using three different alias under D'Amato, losing his first pro fight, then winning the next 18

This doesn't include looneytunes Teddy who was pulled out of the notorious Riker Island Pen for rehabilitation and was never able to shake his murderous streak, and Wilt who was one of the higher order intellects in all of athletics who publicly exposed Ali on Cosell the segment of Wide World of Sports when Ali refused to put pen to paper to make that fight happen when it was the hottest.

After Cus had rehabilitated and educated Mike, he became a record setting heavy and still relevant today as his exhibition vs Roy Jones showed.

And U?

Ugh!

He trained Chamberlain?

[Willie Pep 229]

- -Without Cus, Tyson just another lifer prison rat.

As it turned out, Mike still couldn't duck a couple of prison terms.

Most fighters never become champs no matter who trains them, like the vast 99.99% of all fighters on record.

I think Gus is overrated as well but in regards to Tyson, he needed the Catskills experience. He never makes it at Kronk, or such like places.

He needed the separation from the world the mountains created and the sense of family the compound provided.

Regardless of how good a trainer Steward is, he never makes Tyson a champ. Tyson needed more.

[mrbig1]

I think Gus is overrated as well but in regards to Tyson, he needed the Catskills experience. He never makes it at Kronk, or such like places.

He needed the separation from the world the mountains created and the sense of family the compound provided.

Regardless of how good a trainer Steward is, he never makes Tyson a champ. Tyson needed more.

good point sir. Never thought about it that way, but I agree.

[billeau2]

What if Cus had lived and trained Tua in the 90s-early 2000s? Would the peek-a-boo style be a good fit for the short, hard-hitting Tua?

Ah the Tua train... A short flat footed, one handed fighter that has captured the imagination of all the fantasists... Tua had power to spare but little else.

[billeau2]

- -Without Cus, Tyson just another lifer prison rat.

As it turned out, Mike still couldn't duck a couple of prison terms.

Most fighters never become champs no matter who trains them, like the vast 99.99% of all fighters on record.

Can you imagine if Cus had Wilt and Tua together? The disparity in reach!!! Wilt could send the Samoan a telegraph stating when and where the punch would be landing!

[QueensburyRules]

He trained Chamberlain?

- - Yup, at least for the 67 fight. Even went public with an overview of the game plan, that being Wilt can train specifically for a known commodity in Ali, but Ali can't train for Wilt because he has no style blueprint and no sparmates to match Wilt's one off athletic talents.

Cus was attracted to the intellect of Wilt who set records never to be broken that forced the NBA into major alterations of their rules. Wilt didn't even like basketball save for his early Globetrotter days where he played, gulp, point guard! It paid his tuition in part and gave him the most lucrative pro career in sports, the first million dollar player of major sports. He likely could've made the Olympic team as a gold medal decathlete like Jim Thorpe, and like Jim, come out broke and jobless since the Olympics didn't pay squat back them.