Cus D’Amato’s spirit lives on through Mike Tyson’s latest head coach Billy White

Before dying in 1985, Cus D’Amato was Mike Tyson’s surrogate father, manager, trainer, and the man largely responsible for shaping Tyson into the tour de force he eventually became. 

Tyson went on to work with many of the sport’s top trainers throughout his career, including Kevin Rooney, Teddy Atlas, Freddie Roach, Ronnie Shields, and Jeff Fenech, but for his comeback fight on Friday against Jake Paul, Tyson is reuniting with D’Amato disciple Billy White, who is now his head coach. 

White and Tyson’s relationship first formed while they grew up under D’Amato’s watch in Catskill, New York, and over 40 years later, they’re carrying on the legacy of their coach ahead of a clash against Paul at the AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas on Netflix.

“Cus D’Amato taught us that age is nothing but a number, and because of that, we’re here today,” White told BoxingScene in an interview. “In training, in spots, Mike reminds me of the times, doing the moves and in sparring, when he was 20. That right there makes him younger than Jake. Over time, all of the moves become second nature again. You can’t beat it.

“He’s doing phenomenal. Like, he’s doing the moves damn near perfect. It’s amazing where he’s at. He’s old-school and new-school combined. I don’t think there is a fighter in the history of the sport who trains as hard or works as hard as he does. He does three to five workouts a day. He’s so determined. Cus said it’s 80% mental, 20% physical.” 

Tyson added that he would’ve gotten his mentor’s approval if he were still around. 

“Cus would be so happy that I’m doing this and proving to the world that age is nothing but a number,” he told BoxingScene in an interview. “I was born to do this. I was built for this stuff. I was born to sell out stadiums. This is what I always wanted to do my entire life.”

White said Tyson and the team, which includes co-trainer Rafael Cordeiro, frequently seen holding mitts for Tyson, are not taking Paul lightly. White and Cordeiro also worked in tandem to help Tyson train for the exhibition against Roy Jones Jr. in 2020. 

“Cus taught us to never underestimate an opponent,” said White. “Jake is doing something every man has said they wanted to do by simply taking a punch from Mike Tyson. He’s a Disney kid and YouTuber but all due respect to him. He’s training every day. He’s very dangerous. His detriment is that he doesn’t have any amateur fights. He’s going to wilt to the pressure and that’s ultimately going to be his downfall.

“We say he’s going to run like a thief. We hope he slugs it out with our slugger. Nobody in the world survives a slugging contest with Mike Tyson, quite frankly.

“Look, Jake is going to try to kill the clock. That’s the bottom line. That’s his only hope. Stick and move and try to avoid the inevitable. It doesn’t matter what round it is. It’s coming. Mike will be stronger in the eighth round than he was in the first and every other round. That’s just how training has been going.

“They say you never lose your power. The proof is in the pudding when he hits the bag, and when he’s sparring. His sparring partners tell me he’s hitting hard, and that’s with 18-ounce gloves. When he hits Jake with 14-ounce gloves, he’s in trouble. Mike’s determination, discipline and dedication are just incredible. He’s the ultimate warrior, and not just in boxing.”

As the public questions whether Tyson should be fighting at the age of 58 after nearly 20 years away from professional boxing, White quelled the concerns by saying he’s ready for the fight, which will be contested at eight, two-minute rounds.

“Look, health comes first,” said White. “I would be the first one to throw my hands around him and say, ‘Let’s walk off in the sunset.’ If you tell him he can’t do something, he’s going to prove you wrong. It’s history in the making. You’re going to have so many people watching. It doesn’t get better than that. His mass appeal after this is going to be just as big, if not bigger, than when it was in 1986 when he knocked out Trevor Berbick and became the youngest heavyweight champion in the history of boxing.”

The spirit of D’Amato has been alive and well within Tyson throughout camp, thanks to White’s helping hand and continued affirmations. 

“We talk about Cus every day,” said White. “His name comes up in the gym every day. He’s ingrained in us. Mike got his PhD from Cus. It doesn’t get better than that. Every time we go home in New York, we pour a bottle of Dom Pérignon on Cus and his wife Camille’s gravesite. Cus loved champagne and always loved to celebrate victories with champagne … [If Cus were alive today he’d tell Tyson] ‘you did it.’ He overcame every obstacle. He’s a chameleon. He’s a phoenix. He rises above the ashes no matter what happens to him in the game of life.”

Manouk Akopyan is a sports journalist, writer and broadcast reporter whose work has appeared on ESPN, Fox Sports, USA Today, The Guardian, Newsweek, Men’s Health, NFL.com, Los Angeles Times, Philadelphia Inquirer, Ring Magazine and more. He has been writing for BoxingScene since 2018. Manouk is a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America and the MMA Journalists Association. He can be reached on X (formerly Twitter), Instagram, LinkedIn and YouTube, through email at manouk[dot]akopyan[at]gmail.com or via www.ManoukAkopyan.com.