Did Cus D'Amato ever see Tyson as anything other than a fighter?

Well, I searched and apparently they were not married since she doesn't carry his last name. Her name was Camille Ewald and she lived with Cus and Mike considered her his mom, I always assumed that they were a couple since they lived together.

 

In a way he didn’t.

His attitude was “this guy is a future heavyweight champion, so who cares about his grades at school”.

That might ultimately have been a short sighted mind-set.

 

You mean to say he was a nonce? :think

 

Btw Mike's eldest son is called "D'Amato Tyson", that's cool.

 

He probably saw him as a semi-idiot and a big pay check.

 

I don't think Cus had the time left to worry about Tyson the human being, strange as that is to say.
He provided him with a sense of purpose and a stable family life that Tyson had never known before (and maybe since) and did spend goodness knows how many hours talking to Tyson and teaching him about life. I don't know what else he could have done, with the time that was given to him.

Did he ignore some of Tyson's indiscretions? Yep. But for the greater good and not because well, he did not care.

He was no saint. Much of it was selfish. But he did pluck Tyson from certain destruction and give him a real shot at life.
I think he did pretty well all things considered.

 

I think she was his common law wife.

 

An interesting comment was from Holyfield's book who believes it was actually Atlas and not Cus that bought the stability in Tysons life.

Make of that what you will.

 

It makes no sense to me when people say that all he saw in Tyson was money.

Yeah, as if a 80 years old wealthy guy that was about to die already would be desperate for money, money that a guy like Mike would make only when he was a champion.
You know that Mike didn't make money in his fights with Robert Colay or Mike Jameson.

To me is very clear that Cus knew his days were ending in that interview where he says those things about death and all. And was only wishing that Tyson was a champion one day despite of money.

If he had a family to support, something to worry about when he was gone... but even that he didn't.

 

I mean there are some unsubstantiated rumours.

 

Yes I knew that.

 

D'Amato was not necessarily one to teach anyone about life anyway.
He wasn't the most balanced individual. He wasn't financially successful and any boxing people who knew him and talk good about him come across as D'amato disciples rather than partners or friends. He had a lot of enemies, real ones and imaginary ones. He lived off a 'siege mentality'.

He's no role model. Tyson himself says they lived in a fantasy world. It worked for the boxing aims, because it was 100% focus and arrogant confidence. But it's no way to get and already mal-adjusted kid and adjust him to being a good balanced individual.
But Cus possibly had utter contempt for most balanced individuals.

And it's interesting that Cus's two most successful fighters seemed to suffer from identity crises.

 

Brother? Lover? Soul-mate?

 

Cus didn't care about money.
I doubt he was wealthy. I heard he had nothing. That's why he lived with Camille Ewald. She had money and a big house.

Cus was talking about dying since he was a kid, from some accounts. Apparently he used to watch funeral processions go through the neighbourhood and say, "the sooner death the better".
He believed in living in hardship and suffering. Or so he preached.
Cus was not a normal guy by any means, so it's hard to figure out all his motives.

 

Could be, because Cus didn't believe in stability.
He believed in conflict and hardship more than stability.
He thought security, including emotional security, was not good for a fighter.

I guess he believed in a kind of yin-yang thing, or a constant battle between Zen warrior calmness and a underlying raging fear and turmoil, 'the fire'. Like an eternal battle.
But that's just a guess, crackpot stuff to explain the thoughts of the crackpot.