Training Sessions
Ever wonder how Cus D’Amato taught his fighters his intricate and strategic peek-a-boo style? Heard of the famous Willie Bag? Cus invented the Willie Bag as Jose Torres prepared to fight Willie Pastrano for the light heavyweight championship in 1965. Working with five mattresses tied together to make a stand-in for the opponent’s body, Cus numbered the areas of the body where he wanted the fighter’s punches to land. He created a series of punch combinations that were repeated at gradually increasing speed with intervening intervals of rest. Over time, Jose Torres was able to execute six blows in two-fifths of a second [For more, see chapters 81 and 83 in Confusing the Enemy: The Cus D’Amato Story].
Recorded live at the gym, these vintage recordings have been digitally remastered to optimize the sound quality so that you can re-enact these training sessions yourself listening to the voice of the master as he instructs you on his legendary technique. Experience this slice of boxing history and re-live the training sessions that got Floyd Patterson, Jose Torres, and Mike Tyson, into the International Boxing Hall of Fame.
Available now on two CD’s with over 90 minutes of rare, previously unreleased audio, this archival footage of six training sessions was recorded live during the mid-1960’s. On these incredible recordings Cus D’Amato takes an unknown fighter through a series of training drills to develop the speed and strategic execution that turned great fighters into world champions. This fly-on-the-wall experience is a must have for any student or serious fan of the sweet science.
A portion of the proceeds of the sale of the Training Sessions CD’s will be contributed to the Jose Torres Foundation and the Catskill Gym in Catskill, NY.
Acanthus Publishing, 2013
725 pages, hard cover
ISBN-13: 978-0-9890001-2-3
U.S. $39.95
Foreword by Gerry Cooney
Included with the CD set is an insert with information about the numbering system Cus utilized and the science behind it. Listen to Cus talk about the philosophy and strategy that comprises the peek-a-boo technique and hear Cus call out combinations: “6-1-5-1-2! Faster! Move after every punch!”
Click here to order this amazing training material now for only $99!
See what the reviews are saying
See what boxing critics are saying
“The reader truly feels like he is a fly on the wall of gymnasiums, bars, arenas and backrooms while history is unfolding… My verdict on this book. Buy it.”
– Bruce Kielty, Boxing World
“Dr. Scott Weiss and Paige Stover’s exhaustively researched Confusing The Enemy – The Cus D’Amato Story is a gem of a tomb to one of the most enigmatic, controversial, and fascinating men in the history of boxing. It’s a brave look at a notoriously secretive man inside boxing, a sport Jimmy Cannon once described as ‘the red light district of sports.’ The book’s 11 tireless years of research throws more light on D’Amato than anything that’s previously been written, yet the dark shadows surrounding D’Amato and his legacy have only intensified as a result. A fascinating character honored with equally fascinating reporting.”
– Brin-Jonathan Butler
“Confusing the Enemy paints D’Amato as a suspicious and secretive individual, yet his brilliance comes through. His relationships with Patterson, Torres, and Ali are fascinating to read about. D’Amato was a man of great resolve, such as he showed in a sit down meeting with Liston and when he resisted the mob’s efforts to assert control over Patterson. And he was a rarity in that material things meant little to him.”
– Jack Hirsch, Boxing News