D’Amato’s life laid bare in this quality read from the U.S.

THERE’S ALWAYS a little trepidation when a 450-plus page book lands on the desk to be reviewed, especially with writing so small that, if you don’t focus properly, it looks like the lines are running into one another.

You know that if it’s a dull read, the next several days are going to be torture. Yet you also know that if the content is vibrant, and if the author is competent, then at that length it should be thorough and the next few days could be a real pleasure.

Perusing ‘Iron Ambition - My Life with Cus D’Amato’ by Mike Tyson, the publication didn’t fall into either category initially.

Of course, Tyson is a saleable story but it’s one that has been told several times, including when Tyson and the ghostwriter of this book, Larry ‘Ratso’ Sloman, teamed up to author ‘Mike Tyson: Undisputed Truth’.

The question seemed to be, how much was this about Mike Tyson and how much was this about Cus D’Amato, his former manager/ trainer/surrogate father? Well, early on this publication felt very Tyson-like, as it was rough around the edges, it was aggressive, and it got its point across.

Coming up to one hundred pages in you’ll probably be on the fence, wondering is this worth my time, am

I really going to get a sense for Cus

D’Amato, or am I going to get bored of the Tyson speak? Sloman probably recognised that he had to tone it down, and he did.

And then an absolute gem breaks out. The story takes a turn back to the early days of D’Amato, his growing up on the streets of New York early in the

20th century. It zips along until it gets to Cus’ meeting with Floyd Patterson.

Much like the story of Tyson that followed a quarter of a century later,

D’Amato took a down and out Patterson under his wing. He became everything to the young boxer and he promised him the world. He then delivered.

The bulk of the middle chapters, around half the entire book, deal with D’Amato in the Patterson years, largely in the 1950s. But this is not just about the relationship between boxer and mentor, this was everything in between and around their little bubble.

This is the story of outside influences, whether it be lawyers, the mob, the promoters, or the boxing board of New York. Sloman delves into everything that was going on behind the scenes and it is truly fascinating.

The reader is given a fantastic profile of D’Amato in those years, the battles he wagered, the gangsters he rallied against, and the heartbreaking end to his Patterson connection. It’s almost impossible to put this book down when you’re in the middle of these stories.

Maybe the only complaint about this middle section is that you want more. Tell us more about Cus before Patterson, tell us more about the years between Floyd and Mike. Sloman moved through the years cleanly but could go even further.

This is another triumph coming from Stateside. This reviewer has a preference for well-researched, well-written books, and a higher percentage of that kind of quality read tends to come from the U.S.

This is for the sports book reader who likes a good story. You need a little patience, you need to forgive the gritty language in the early stages, but eventually you will find this difficult to put down.

For the younger reader, the content of this book comes from a time when sport was not all glamour, and wasn’t borderline manufactured.

This was dirty, nasty boxing, with shady people involved. This was what sport was before you were born.

DEAN GOODISON

Visit The Book Centre on Wexford’s Main Street for the very best selection of sports books.