Legends descend on Catskill as Cus D’Amato’s gym looks toward next generation
The names coming through the doors Saturday represent several generations of boxing history.
Former heavyweight champion Larry Holmes will be joined by Michael Nunn, Gerry Cooney, Ray Mercer, Tim Witherspoon, Micky Ward, Kelly Pavlik, Christy Martin, Bobby Czyz, Junior Jones, Tracy Patterson, Monte Barrett, John Scully and Leo Loiacono for the Legends of the Ring Autograph Show at Cus D’Amato’s KO Boxing Gym in Catskill, N.Y.
Mike Tyson, the most famous fighter to emerge from the Catskill gym, will also make a special appearance for a meet and greet with fans in support of the gym where he became a heavyweight champion but won’t participate in the autograph show.
But for Ed Dupont, the autograph show at the historic gym is ultimately about something much bigger than nostalgia: it’s a fundraiser to help Dupont rebuild a boxing program that once produced some of the most recognizable fighters in the sport’s history.
“I’m trying to rebuild a program and it takes funds,” said Dupont. “That’s the only way we’re going to get ahead here.”
The event takes place Saturday, Aug. 22 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. at Cus D’Amato’s KO Boxing Gym, located on the third floor at 422 Main Street in Catskill, N.Y.
Tickets are $75 and must be purchased in advance at this site.
Dupont said the response from the surrounding community has already surpassed his expectations.
“This town has been buzzing for the last month. I can’t walk through Price Chopper and Walmart without someone stopping me and saying, ‘Oh my God, Larry Holmes is coming. Oh my God, Micky Ward or Christy Martin or Kelly Pavlik,'” said Dupont.
The lineup provides fans with the opportunity to meet fighters spanning several different eras.
Holmes, one of the longest-reigning heavyweight champions in boxing history, headlines a heavyweight contingent that also includes his former opponents Cooney, Mercer and Witherspoon, plus former contender Barrett and New Jersey fan favorite Loiacono. Nunn and Pavlik were middleweight champions, while Czyz captured world titles at light heavyweight and cruiserweight.
Ward became one of the sport’s biggest action fight attractions through his three legendary fights with the late Arturo Gatti, while the Hall of Famer Martin helped pioneer women’s boxing on mainstream television. Jones was a two division world champ champion and Patterson, whose father trained at the gym under D’Amato, world titles at junior featherweight and junior lightweight.
“Iceman” Scully was once a top middleweight and super middleweight contender and is now one of the most respected boxing trainers in the sport. He’s looking forward to being part of an event alongside Nunn, whom he fought to a close decision loss in 1995.
“It’s going to be amazing to be there in the gym that I heard about so many times since I was a kid in boxing, and especially to be there alongside Mike Tyson and Michael Nunn, two of the biggest stars from the class of 1984 amateur era,” said Scully.
“That is literally the era that is responsible for me wanting to become a boxer in the first place.”
Author Dr. Scott Weiss, along with veteran boxing cutmen Joey Eye and Richie Schwartz, are also advertised as special guests.
For Dupont, assembling such a collection of boxing personalities was actually less complicated than one might expect. He began discussing the possibility of an event in April before getting serious about putting the lineup together in early May.
Within roughly two and a half weeks, Dupont had commitments from most of the fighters he wanted.
“Fighters stick together when they know it’s for a good cause, I’ve always found that over the years,” said Dupont.
“I’ve said several times to people, it’s a global sport with a very small community. We all look out for one another.”
Dupont’s connection to the Catskill gym dates back to 1990, when Kevin Rooney became his final trainer as an amateur boxer. He later ran the gym himself before stepping away about 15 years ago because of work. His longtime friend Kyle Lyles subsequently took over as director. Dupont remained connected to the gym throughout the years, occasionally training fighters or evaluating prospects when promoters asked for his opinion.
About a year and a half ago, he was asked to return with a larger mission: help breathe new competitive life into a historic gym.
D’Amato opened the gym in 1968, and Dupont says only four men have held the title of head trainer there: D’Amato, Teddy Atlas, Rooney and now Dupont.
“Those guys are legends, right?” Dupont said. “So I got my work cut out for me to try to get this thing where it needs to go.”
Luckily for Dupont, he has help. Darren Ruff, Todd Smith and George Young are among the trainers working alongside him, while Carlos Santos also assists the program. Approximately 30 boxers are currently associated with the gym, including amateurs and several professionals.
“There hasn’t been a lot of great fighters come out of here in a very long time,” Dupont said. “There’s been good fighters, no doubt about that, and there’s been a lot of dedicated trainers in this place. But what’s going to happen in the future is it’s got to be all about the fighters and the people we’re trying to create.”
The history of the gym needs no embellishment.
Former heavyweight champion Floyd Patterson and light heavyweight champion Jose Torres trained under D’Amato there. Tyson became the most famous fighter associated with Catskill, while Vinny Pazienza also spent time training there years later.
“Those guys had their time, and now it’s time to create a new generation here,” Dupont said.
There have already been encouraging signs. On July 11, Dupont and the team brought three fighters – Carlos Lozano, Davishmar Hicks and Jaream Perry – to an amateur show in Albany and the team went 3-0. Their next competitions are already being planned for August 29.
But Dupont does not define the success of the rebuilding project simply by how many hands are raised at the end of fights. For him, one of the best examples is Lozano, a fighter who came to Dupont roughly six months ago weighing 215 pounds and asking for help.
At 5-foot-9½, Dupont immediately told him that trying to compete as a heavyweight wasn’t realistic. By the time he stepped in the ring last month for his split decision win, he was 162.4 pounds.
“You already won,” Dupont recalled telling him. “You learned how to commit to something. You learned how to be disciplined. You learned how to work hard.”
“When you train guys, it’s not all about wins and losses,” he continued. “It’s about building a good foundation for these guys and their future too. Boxing teaches you life skills. It teaches how to be determined and to work hard. Those sort of values are going to help you when you go out and you get a job and you continue your life.”
Dupont is already looking toward May or June of next year, when he hopes to promote a professional boxing card at Historic Catskill Point.
Saturday’s event is both a celebration of what Catskill once represented and a fundraiser aimed at what Dupont believes it can become again.
The photos on the walls will always tell the story of D’Amato, Patterson, Torres and Tyson.
Dupont’s job now is to give the gym some new ones to hang.