CATSKILL – Students at Catskill High School received a rare visit from one of the most infamous boxers in history, Mike Tyson.
The visit by Tyson was to hand out academic scholarships to two lucky students, Ava Edmond and Demetrio Morales.
Tyson didn’t grow up in Catskill, but it is where he was molded into the boxer the whole world knows him as today.
Tyson said he owes his reputation to the kindness and welcomeness that the people and community of Catskill showed him many years ago.
Tyson had a rough start to his life. Growing up in Brownsville, Brooklyn, Tyson was surrounded by poverty, violence, and crime. He admits he was on the wrong track. That is until Tyson met hall of fame boxing trainer, Constantine “Cus” D’Amato.
D’Amato took Tyson under his arm and trained him at his local boxing gym in Catskill, New York. Tyson says he’ll never forget what D’Amato did for him as a young, troubled kid, turning him into one of the best boxers in history.
Now Tyson is just trying to return the favor to other kids in Catskill. He’s awarding scholarships named after his former coach, the Cus D’Amato Scholarship.
“I’m just very gracious to be a part of this town,” Tyson said. “I’ve always been grateful. I had never been in a family environment before coming to Catskill, New York. I never understood family life until I came to Catskill, New York. So Catskill, New York was a new beginning for me. Everything I do I do in the name of Cus. Sometimes people rob me of my justice to say I was trained by a master, and I would like that on my resume as well.”
Tyson’s days of fighting in the ring might be mostly behind him, but he says he will never stop fighting for good causes and good people.
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