Cus was a gym hopper, boxed a bit as a young guy he even hopped in to spar Baby Arizmendi on one occasion… no amateur fights or pro ones (to my knowledge) he was a street guy but I’m curious did he ever properly belong to a gym? Any notable mentors he had? What peaked my interest is I was rewatching a clip of Ali and Cus playing around and when they got moving where he bopped Ali in the mouth I noticed he had a pretty typical stance of someone from the 30s in the New York scene… weight back, shaded to the right, left long, right by the chin much like Louis or Gans… he’s as well known as any trainer ever so the facts are probably out there.
Corbett taught him everything he knew. Cus credits Corbett for teaching him the left hook and rear uppercuts that Tyson would master. Second to Jim of course.
Uncle Jimmy Young told me Corbett and Cus met at Corbett’s brothers cafe, Cus kept mentioning how soft Jim’s hands were when they shook and Jim explained that the mayonnaise from the sandwiches they served always got on his hands and was cut with cheap moisturiser to increase the volume.