"Tyson has to go up to a mountain by himself and see if he can remember anything that Cus told him or he could come back to the gym and apologize for the way he treated me, which he'll never do," Rooney said.Rooney sued Tyson for $49 million in past and projected earnings after Tyson fired him in 1988 for making statements about Tyson's personal life. He knew DâAmato through boxing circles and, more importantly, had first-hand knowledge of DâAmatoâs ability to help young men.âI learned more about life from Cus in one week than I learned during the first 21 years of my life,â Stewart says. Cus D'Amato's KO Boxing Gym Inc - 422 Main Street, 3rd Floor, Catskill, NY 12414 - Rated 5 based on 1 Review "Kevin is a good man. It should be an historic landmark. In March 1985, Mike Tyson won his first professional fight en route to becoming the youngest heavyweight champion in boxing history. Mike Tyson - No Headgear Spars Training - Catskill - YouTube / Photo by Paul PostEquipment they used is still in place â a regulation-size ring, protective gear, heavy bags, speed bags, jump ropes and an incline board for doing the countless sit-ups needed to absorb an opponentâs best body blows.âWhen you open that door and flip that light on, you know youâre in a gym,â says Vincent Seeley, Catskill Village Board president. "Mike Tyson could have stepped in the ring with Ali, Marciano, Louis, Dempsey, Frazier, Foreman and held his own. It should be put on the map. Our Mike Tyson Academy system platform combines the elements of fitness training, in general all in one location. âI still think about things every day that he taught me.â He didn't want to be knocked out. âBarring outside distractions, he will be the youngest heavyweight champion ever.âCus DâAmato with Mike Tyson (second from right), and other boxers at Cus DâAmato Gym, in Catskill. "He's surrounded by nonboxing people and that crook Don King is counting the money for him," he said. âHe cared about people, not just as fighters. "He annihilated everybody," Rooney said Tuesday. "That was before last Saturday night's disqualification for biting off a chunk of Evander Holyfield's ear. Holyfield was the better man. He's cannibalistic," she said. But thereâs nothing set up, no hours to do that.âPeople from around the world contact Seeley regularly about visiting the gym. âItâs not like Snap Fitness. Some are boxing enthusiasts just passing through the area. Elles constituent le prolongement vers l'est, ainsi que les plus hauts sommets, du plateau d'Allegheny. "Phone calls to Tyson and King representatives were not returned. Itâs a veritable boxing museum with hundreds of yellowed newspaper clippings and old black-and-white photos adorning its walls, chronicling not only Tysonâs career, but that of many other fighters DâAmato mentored.Kyle Lyles, a classmate and friend of Tysonâs, outside the gym, where he acts as the unofficial manager. "Burke said Tyson never had much regard for Catskill. âTomorrow, if you brought 10 boxers in here, we could have this up and running like a regular gym again,â he said.If nothing else, he believes the site has tremendous tourism potential.âItâs frustrating because people come through town all the time wanting to do a tour here,â he says.
In 1985, Tyson said, "My life begins here.
"He lost his mind. The smell of it, the feel of it, itâs so great up there.âAspiring boxers occasionally use the facility, but thereâs no ongoing program for youth or adults. Thirty-five years later, unbeknownst to many, the Catskill gym that launched his career is still functioning; but itâs not what it was during Tysonâs days there with legendary Hall of Fame trainer Cus DâAmato.Cus D’Amato and Mike Tyson / Photo courtesy of Blue Rider PressDâAmato wanted to see what Tyson could do, so he had Stewart spar three rounds with him, one of many history-making moments at the gym, located on the third floor of Catskill Village Hall.Tyson, at 13, was already bigger, stronger and more powerful than most men.âWhat do I think?â DâAmato exclaimed. "Mike Tyson today is a footnote," Rooney said. Photo courtesy of Blue Rider PressThat prophesy was fulfilled on Nov. 22, 1986 when the 20-year-old Tyson beat Trevor Berbick in a one-sided bout that didnât last two rounds. Tyson took a walk off the deep end for five minutes. Kevin Rooney trained the fighter in those days. Elles sont parfois considérées comme une partie de la chaîne des Appalaches même si les deux chaînes ne sont pas géologiquement liées. âAs he was taking my gloves off I said, âWhat do you think?ââ CATSKILL, N.Y. - Mike Tyson once called this sleepy Hudson Valley village home, learning his trade at the Cus D'Amato Boxing Club. Tysonâs meteoric rise through the heavyweight ranks began 35 years ago this month when he made his pro debut on March 6, 1985 at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany.The outcome, predictably, was a first-round TKO of Hector Mercedes, the first of 44 knockouts that made Tyson one of the most electrifying athletes on the planet.Cus DâAmato Gym looks almost the same as the day Tyson first laced up his gloves there. A federal judge threw out a jury's $4.4 million judgment.But Rooney said he would take Tyson back. Thatâs why I took Tyson down there.ââI looked over at Cus; I never saw him so excited,â recalls Stewart, who now lives in Fonda, NY, about 30 miles west of Schenectady.
"At that time, he trained under the watchful eyes of Rooney and Bill Cayton, as well as his late mentor D'Amato, and his late co-manager Jim Jacobs.On Monday, Tyson apologized to Holyfield and boxing fans, and said he would accept whatever punishment the Nevada State Athletics Commission doled out.
"There's a soft spot inside me.