09/01/2026
⬜ A UKRAINIAN MOTHER FOR TYSON
💬 “He asked if I would be his mother. And if he could call me Mom. I said, ‘Yes, Mike.’ From that time on, I was his mom,” Camille Ewald recalled.
▫️👨👩👦 Constantine "Cus" D'Amato and his wife Camille officially adopted Tyson, who was not even 16 at the time, in 1982 after the death of Mike's biological mother. By then, the elderly couple had already been caring for the boy for about 3 years.
▫ Much is said about D'Amato's involvement in the legendary boxer's life, undeservedly overlooking his wife, who also deeply influenced "Iron" Mike's life and actively supported her husband's initiative to rehabilitate troubled teens — among whom was Mike Tyson.
▫ Testament to Camille Ewald's significance in Mike Tyson's life is the abundance of references to her in the former champion's autobiography. Recalling their first meeting on the pages of his book, Mike calls her none other than "the famous Ukrainian."
▫👶 Camille was born in March 1905 in the village of Staromyshchyna in the Ternopil region to her parents, Hnat and Anastasiia Ewaschuk. When the girl turned 5, her parents joined the great wave of Ukrainian emigration to Canada at the time. In their new home, the Ewaschuk family adopted a new surname — Ewald. ▫ Having lived in northern Canada until reaching adulthood, Camille Ewald moved on her own to New York, where she worked for many years, helping her parents financially. Later, she purchased her own 14-room house in the small town of Catskill, 100 miles from New York City.
▫🏠 After meeting Cus, Camille's spacious house essentially turned into a dormitory for their young wards with difficult childhoods, whom the couple tried to raise as decent people and give a start in life.
▫ While D'Amato founded his boxing gym and saved young lives through sports, his wise wife "healed" the boys with work therapy.
▫ Calm and serene, the Ukrainian directed the youths' energy into productive household routines: assigning chores and offering guidance. She patiently taught the teenagers basic things no one had ever taught them: how to look neat, be polite, and behave at the dinner table.
▫ Camille often acted as a protector for the boys who feared the fiery D'Amato's temper. Twice she saved Mike from serious, impulsive decisions by her husband. Tyson could have been kicked out of Camille's house on his very first day when he stole money from trainer Teddy Atlas's wallet. The second time, the Ukrainian defended her stepson against Cus's persistent desire to push young Mike into marriage so he would finally settle down.
▫ Describing his "white mother's" attitude toward him, the legendary champion recalls the following episode right after the adoption, when the three of them were sitting at the dining table.
💬 “Look at your black son, Camille. What do you think about that?” Cus said. Camille stood up, walked over to Mike, and kissed him.
▫ After D'Amato's death in November 1985, Camille continued to shield young Tyson from the rest of the world: from relentless paparazzi and wild fans. At 87 years old, she even spoke in court in Tyson's defense when the star boxer was accused of r**e.
▫ Mrs. Ewaschuk-Ewald's doors always remained open for Mike, and the "Iron" champ's room was constantly waiting for his return.
✝ When his "white mom" passed away at the age of 96, Tyson spiraled into a deep depression, abused drugs, and went off the rails. The boxer managed to squander $400 million and fall another $23 million into debt before pulling himself together and turning his life around.
💬 “I was very fortunate that Camille blessed me with her love and took care of me for most of my life. She took care of the house and everything we needed, being a wonderful partner to Cus. Camille became a mother to me, and I supported her in everything.”
© Michael Gerard Tyson (50-6, 44 KOs).
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P.S.:
Mike Tyson was born on June 30, 1966. His childhood was extremely harsh: his biological mother suffered from alcoholism, and the living conditions of the ghetto forced her to lead a reckless lifestyle just to survive. Tyson never saw his biological father. From a young age, Mike tried alcohol and drugs, plunged into crime, and experienced all the street filth imaginable. It is a true miracle that someone with such a start in life not only lived to a respectable age and became a sports icon, but at 60 years old enjoys a strong marriage and a stable life. And the creators of this miracle were an American pair of benefactors: the son of Italian immigrants Constantine D'Amato and a first-generation immigrant from Ukraine, Camille Ewaschuk-Ewald.
