Cus D’Amato was a boxing trainer and manager who is considered one of the most influential figures in the sport. He trained a number of world champions, including Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson. D’Amato was known for his pithy, often philosophical, quotes on boxing and life. D’Amato was born in Brooklyn, New York, to a poor family. His father was an alcoholic and his mother had a criminal record, resulting in his grandmother raising him. As a young boy, he spent time on the streets of Brooklyn, developing a thick skin and learning to fight. He attended Erasmus Hall High School where he played football, but he was kicked off the team after he received a broken nose during practice. Looking for some words of wisdom from the legendary boxing trainer Cus D’Amato? Check out our collection of his best quotes, and learn what it takes to be a champion!
Cus D’Amato Quotes
Cus D’Amato was a boxing trainer and manager who is considered one of the most influential figures in the sport. He trained a number of world champions, including Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson. D’Amato was known for his pithy, often philosophical, quotes on boxing and life. A few of these quotes have made their way onto image macros. Here is a big collection of Cus D’Amato Quotes.
“To see a man beaten not by a better opponent but by himself is a tragedy.”
“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.”
“So now they get into the ring…The other guy probably looks bigger, and stronger and better conditioned and real muscular and when he start to loosen up he looks more experienced.”
“I believe a man is a professional when he can do what needs to be done no matter how he feels within.”
“An amateur is an amateur in his attitude emotionally.”
“A professional is a professional in the way he thinks and feels and in his ability to execute under the most trying conditions.”
“A person doesn’t realize what’s making him nervous unless he understands why he’s getting scared, which is the natural, normal thing.”
“When he understands it he accepts it as such. Then it doesn’t become as intimidating, which is the reason why I take the boy step by step until actually the bell rings to fight.”
“That’s what professional boxing is about. You’ve got to be clever, you’ve got to be smart, and not get hit, and when you’re able to do this, you’re a fighter.”
“When two men are fighting, what you’re watching is more a contest of wills than of skills, with the stronger will usually overcoming skill.”
Cus D’Amato Quotes Discipline
“The skill will prevail only when it is so superior to the other man’s skill that the will is not tested.”
“I take them that way so that hopefully by the time they get to fight they’ve experienced these different feelings which are often intimidating by themselves.”
“Cus said it was going to be like this,” so that they don’t feel they are inferior or less prepared than their opponent.”
“Now, when they go in and face the opponent and the bell rings, for the first time…they’re facing reality, and suddenly a relative calmness comes over them.”
“Break your opponent’s will. Constant attack, no let up. Destroy his spirit.”
“When you get hit that’s when you’ve got to be calm.”
“A professional fighter has to learn how to hit and not get hit, and at the same time be exciting.”
“Relative. They’re still scared but it isn’t that terrible intimidating unknown thing….But the moment the blows start to be thrown, the effort to throw punches has begun, he gets calm, because now this is something he’s been prepared to cope with….”
“However, I should add that at no time does fear disappear. It’s just as bad in the hundredth fight as it was in the first, except by the time he reaches a hundred fights or long before that he’s developed enough discipline where he can learn to live with it, which is the object, to learn to live with it…”
“nevertheless it is your friend, because anytime anyone saves your life perhaps a dozen times a day, no matter what how obnoxious he is, you’ve got to look upon him as a friend, and this is what fear is…”
Cus D’Amato Quotes Fire
“Since nature gave us fear in order to help us survive, we cannot look upon it as an enemy.”
“Just think how many times a day a person would die if he had no fear.”
“Every fighter that ever lived had fear. A boy comes to me and tells me that he’s not afraid, if I believed him I’d say he’s a liar or there’s something wrong with him.”
“I’d send him to a doctor to find out what the hell’s the matter with him, because this is not a normal reaction. The fighter that’s gone into the ring and hasn’t experienced fear is either a liar or a psychopath…”
“A fighter has to know fear.”
“Only what you do. They both feel the same. They both fear dying and getting hurt.”
“The man who is yellow refuses to face up to what he’s got to face. The hero is more disciplined and he fights those feelings off and he does what he has to do.”
“The thing a kid in the street fears the most is to be called yellow or chicken, and sometimes a kid will do the most stupid, wild, crazy things just to hide how scared he is.”
“I often tell them that while fear is such an obnoxious thing, an embarrassing thing…”
“But they both feel the same, the hero and the coward. People who watch you judge you on what you do, not how you feet.”
Cus D’Amato Quotes Professional
“Boxing is a sport of self-control. You must understand fear so you can manipulate it. Fear is like fire.”
“I would always use…the same example of the deer crossing an open field and upon approaching the clearing suddenly instinct tells him danger is there, and nature begins the survival process, which involves the body releasing adrenalin into the bloodstream, causing the heart to beat faster and enabling the deer to perform extraordinarily feats of agility and strength…”
“It enables the deer to get out of range of the danger, helps him escape to the safety of the forest across the clearing…an example in which fear is your friend.”
“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 are 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.”
“When two men are fighting, what you’re watching is more a contest of wills than of skills, with the stronger will usually overcoming skill.”
Cus D’Amato Quotes a Boy Comes to Me
“The skill will prevail only when it is so superior to the other man’s skill that the will is not tested.”
“Fear is the greatest obstacle to learning in any area, but particularly in boxing.”
“When they come up to the gym and say I want to be a fighter, the first thing I’d do was talk to them about fear…”
“That’s what professional boxing is about. You’ve got to be clever, you’ve got to be smart, and not get hit, and when you’re able to do this, you’re a fighter.”
1. Who was Cus D‘Amato?
Cus D‘Amato was a legendary boxing trainer who helped develop the careers of several world champion boxers, including Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson.
2. What are some of Cus D‘Amato‘s most famous quotes?
“Everyone has a plan until they get punched in the mouth.”
“You don‘t have to be great to start, but you have to start to be great.”
“The fight is won or lost far away from witnesses – behind the lines, in the gym, and out there on the road, long before I dance under those lights.”
“There‘s no substitute for hard work.” “Champions aren‘t made in the gyms. Champions are made from something they have deep inside them – a desire, a dream, a vision.”
3. What do Cus D‘Amato‘s quotes mean?
Cus D‘Amato‘s quotes are often about the importance of hard work and perseverance. He believed that champions are made from something they have deep inside them, and that hard work is the key to success.
4. How can Cus D‘Amato‘s quotes help me in my life?
Cus D‘Amato‘s quotes can help motivate you to work hard and never give up on your dreams. They can also remind you that success comes from within, and that anything is possible if you have the desire and determination to achieve it.
5. What did Cus D’Amato say about fear?
Cus D’Amato was a legendary boxing trainer who is best known for his work with Mike Tyson. He was a master of the mental game and is quoted as saying, ” Fear is the enemy of logic.” He taught Tyson to be ruthless and to never back down from a fight. He was also a great strategist and was able to see Tyson’s potential from a young age.
6. What did Cus D’Amato teach Mike Tyson?
D’Amato passed away in 1985, but his legacy lives on through the fighters he trained. He is considered one of the greatest trainers of all time, and his book, “The Art of Boxing,” is considered a must-read for any aspiring fighter.
7. What is Cus D Amato?
Cus D’Amato was a legendary boxing trainer who is best known for discovering and nurturing the talents of Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. D’Amato’s unique training methods and philosophy helped his fighters become some of the most feared and successful boxers in the world.
8. Did Cus D’Amato write a book?
Although D’Amato is no longer with us, his legacy continues to live on through the success of his fighters. Tyson and Mayweather are two of the greatest boxers of all time, and they continue to inspire new generations of fighters.
D’Amato was also an accomplished author, and he wrote a book called “The Art of Boxing.” In this book, D’Amato shares his insights and wisdom on the sweet science of boxing. If you’re interested in learning more about the man and his methods, “The Art of Boxing” is a must-read.
Cus D’Amato was a boxing trainer and manager who is considered one of the most influential figures in the sport. He trained a number of world champions, including Floyd Patterson and Mike Tyson. D’Amato was known for his pithy, often philosophical, quotes on boxing and life. D’Amato was born in Brooklyn, New York to Italian immigrants. He attended elementary school at P.S. 75 and graduated from Boys High School. After graduating from Boys High School he went on to earn a B.A. in English literature from Manhattan College, where he became the captain of the boxing team. He was the first person in his family to attend college.