Fury, Fear, Philosophy: Understanding Mike Tyson
Mailer's Spin essay (September 1988) on the heavyweight champion Mike Tyson, explaining the fighter through his mentor, Cus D'Amato — 'his spiritual father, surrogate father, coach, and training philosopher.'
“Fury, Fear, Philosophy: Understanding Mike Tyson,” Mailer’s essay for Spin (September 1988, 40–44, 78), reads the heavyweight champion Mike Tyson through his mentor, the trainer Cus D’Amato — Tyson’s “spiritual father, surrogate father, coach, and training philosopher.” It belongs to the long line of Mailer’s boxing writing, from his Ali coverage through The Fight.