MIKE TYSON’S first thought upon entering the mansion of Cus D’Amato was to ROB the legendary trainer – the heavyweight has claimed.
D’Amato adopted the Brooklyn brawler after they met in his gym, bringing Tyson into a home he purchased for his stable of fighters.
But the youngster, who had experienced a rough childhood and frequent run-ins with the law, struggled to come to terms with the new life being afforded him.
Tyson, 54, told his Hotboxin podcast: “When it came to Cus, I saw this big house. You know, I’m from the gutter.
“I saw this big house, 14-room Victorian mansion, I said, ‘Wow, I’m gonna live here?’
“And I thought about the same thing, I thought about robbing him too.
“It’s hard not to think that if you’re a street person. You see this guy, all this stuff, and he says, ‘No, all this stuff is yours, you live here, you’re one of us’.
“But I don’t know, I still wanted to rob him.”
Tyson has spoken numerous times about D’Amato’s influence on his boxing career, helping him to discover the ‘spirit of fighting’.
The trainer, who first found fame by guiding Floyd Patterson’s career, died in 1985 – with Tyson on the cusp of an iconic career.
And the youngest-ever heavyweight champ added: “He taught me about the character, the spirit of fighting.
“You know, that’s bigger than fighting. The spirit of fighting. I said teach me more.”
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