Youth and background
Constantine D’Amato was born on January 17, 1908 in The Bronx, New York, into an Italian-American family. His parents came from Toritto, in the province of Bari in the southern Italian region of Puglia. His father worked in The Bronx delivering ice and coal. During his youth, D’Amato became deeply involved in Catholicism and even considered becoming a priest.
As a young boxer, he competed in the featherweight and lightweight divisions. A eye injury he sustained during a street fight later prevented him from obtaining a professional license. D’Amato also spoke about the physical violence he experienced from his father during his youth. He said he held no grudge over it and believed these experiences had made him more disciplined.
First clubs and independence
At the age of 22 , D’Amato founded the Empire Sporting Club with Jack Barrow at the Gramercy Gym in Manhattan. He lived there for years and, by his own account, waited for a champion. However, many of his best boxers were taken away by managers with better connections. One well-known example was Rocky Graziano, who became world middleweight champion through other trainers and managers.
In the 1950s, D’Amato opposed the power of the International Boxing Club of New York, which controlled a large part of boxing promotion. According to available sources, he refused to submit to that power structure, and his boxers were not matched for bouts organized by the IBC. The organization was later dissolved after violating antitrust law.
Catskill and Mike Tyson
After his periods with Patterson and Torres, D’Amato moved to Catskill, New York, where he opened the Catskill Boxing Club . There he met Mike Tyson, who was staying at a nearby juvenile detention facility at the time. D’Amato took on a fatherly role in his life, trained him, and helped him build his confidence and technical foundation. Teddy Atlas helped him for a short time, after which Kevin Rooney, a protégé of D’Amato, played an important role in Tyson’s further training.
Joe Hadley and other students
Amateur boxer Joe Hadley was also trained by D’Amato. Hadley won the Golden Gloves in Memphis and the Mid-South six times. In 1976, he took part in an early fight between different martial arts disciplines against karate champion David Valovich. To account for both punches and kicks, Hadley adapted the peek-a-boo approach. He won the fight by a first-round knockout.
Camille Ewald and guardianship
D’Amato had a close relationship with Camille Ewald for decades. She supported his work with young people who needed additional guidance and made her home available as a place of residence for D’Amato’s students. Together, they assumed legal guardianship of Mike Tyson, with the aim of protecting him personally and financially within the harsh world of boxing.
United States
