Arrested 38 Times by Age 13, Mike Tyson Reveals What Actually Turned Him Into “a Mad Dog”

Former world heavyweight champion Mike Tyson has often credited his mentor Cus D’Amato for his success. From a rough childhood to a shimmer of hope after meeting D’Amato, Tyson has had quite a ride. In fact, the former champ once opened up about a rather interesting style of training that D’Amato taught him.

Tyson was recently talking about his training experiences. In conversation, he spoke about D’Amato unique training approach. Tyson said, “This old man made me hunger for glory, like a mad dog. So, one of the first things Cus ever told me was this invention called Willie the Willie, right?”

Notably, the ‘Willie the Willie’ method was named after former world light heavyweight champion Willie Pastrano. Moreover, Pastrano was the holder of the undisputed WBA, WBC and The Ring titles from 1963 to 1965.

Further, Tyson divulged more information about the training style. He said, “Cus would call these numbers in rapid succession. It would go something like this, one left hook to the jaw, two right hook to the jaw boom. Three left uppercut, four right uppercut, five left hook to the liver, six right hand to the spleen. Seven jab to the head, eight jab to the body.”

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Additionally, Tyson seemed winded out after demonstrating the punches. In fact, he hilariously stated that he’s glad that he does not have to do that for a living anymore.

Mike Tyson and Cus D’Amato

‘The Baddest Man on The Planet’ had a very rough childhood while growing up. His father abandoned his family when Tyson was 2. And, his mother, Lorna Smith Tyson, had to single-handedly raise him and his siblings.

Tyson grew up in a neighborhood with a very high crime rate. And, by the time the former champ was 13, he was arrested 38 times. He was enrolled at the Tryon School for Boys in Johnstown, New York, when he was noticed by former boxer Bobby Stewart. Moreover, he introduced him to D’Amato, who took the young Tyson under his wing and became his legal guardian.

In fact, there is no doubt that D’Amato molded the once troubled teen to become one of the greatest heavyweights of all time.

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What do you think of D’Amato’s training method? Let us know in the comments below.