The Warrior Monk Philosophy of Trainer Cus D’Amato: The 5 Strategies That Turned Mike Tyson Into a World Champion

Lesser known is how Tyson became one of the fiercest fighters of all time.

The absolutely improbable tale began when a troubled young kid met a cantankerous old trainer at a small boxing gym in the sleepy town of Catskill, New York.

Cus D’Amato would change the whole trajectory of Tyson’s life, teaching him everything he knew about success in and out of the ring, before dying just a year before his protege became the youngest heavyweight champion of the world at the age of 20.

How did this hard-boiled trainer turn a kid who’d been abandoned by his parents, mercilessly bullied, and imprisoned for dozens of crimes, into a pedigree pugilist? How did he take an unfocused, insecure, lost young man and turn him into a champion who lived to train, fought with an unconquerable spirit, and positively lusted after victory?

Cus did it by teaching Tyson the way of the warrior monk — the art of focus and ferocity. In this short and punchy book, we uncover the five universally-applicable strategic principles of Cus’ philosophy. Included are details on:

The contents of Cus’s library, and the books he gave Tyson to read
Tyson’s training routine
The mental affirmations and tactics Cus shared with Tyson to strengthen his mind
Cus’s approach to making fear your friend instead of your foe

No matter what kind of fight you’re in, the savage wisdom of one of boxing’s greatest minds will help you come out the victor.