Bill Cayton
Encyclopedia
William D. Cayton best known for helping to manage and promote Mike Tyson
early in his career, was also famous for preserving much of boxing
's legacy through his efforts as a film historian and producer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
in 2005.
To create the program, and many others that followed, he licensed, then later acquired, rights to vintage boxing film footage, and for nearly fifty years amassed and restored a collection of thousands of films going back to 1897. These films featured such legendary boxers as Jim Corbett
, Jack Johnson
, Jack Dempsey
, Joe Louis
, Rocky Marciano
, Sugar Ray Robinson
, Muhammad Ali
, George Foreman
, Wilfred Benítez
, and Kid Gavilan
. Cayton even acquired rights to the first boxing film ever made, a sparring session filmed by Thomas Edison in 1894. His effort in collecting, restoring, and maintaining these films, many of which were rapidly deteriorating, is credited for preserving modern boxing's heritage and history. Mr. Cayton undertook meticulous, arduous efforts in the restoration of his epic footage.
Bill Cayton's company, Big Fights, also produced numerous boxing features including "a.k.a Cassius Clay
" and academy award-nominated films "Jack Johnson" and "The Legendary Champions."
In 1960 Cayton was joined by boxing historian and film collector Jim Jacobs
. The pair subsequently went into managing boxers, guiding such fighters as Wilfred Benítez
, Edwin Rosario
, and Iron Mike Tyson
to world titles. Following Jacobs death in 1988, Cayton managed world champions Tommy Morrison
, Vinny Pazienza, and championship contenders Jeremy Williams
, Michael Grant, and Omar Sheika among others.
Cayton sold his film and tape library in 1998 to the Walt Disney Company, which shows many of the titles on its ESPN
Classic network.
Cayton's career extended well beyond boxing. His advertising agency remained active until well into the 1970s. In 1957, working with director and writer, Fred Ladd
, Cayton's company began marketing Russian animated films from the 1940-'50s, especially those of the famous Soyuzmultfilm
studios (well known titles included The Firebird, The Frog Prince, Beauty & the Beast, The Space Explorers, and Twelve Months). The films were dubbed, sometimes re-titled, partitioned into chapters and distributed to TV stations. He released a partly re-filmed version of the Czech animated feature Cesta do Pravěku (Karel Zeman, 1955), by replacing the opening and closing scenes with new footage and marketing it as Journey to the Beginning of Time
. These films proved popular both as features and as TV episodes. Many additional cartoons and natural history films produced by Cayton were marketed under the names "Cartoon Classics", "Animatoons", and "Jungle." Cayton is also credited with reviving professional pool on television in 1977, producing showcase events which included, among others, the legendary Minnesota Fats - Willie Mosconi title bouts.
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
early in his career, was also famous for preserving much of boxing
Boxing
Boxing, also called pugilism, is a combat sport in which two people fight each other using their fists. Boxing is supervised by a referee over a series of between one to three minute intervals called rounds...
's legacy through his efforts as a film historian and producer. He was inducted into the International Boxing Hall of Fame
International Boxing Hall of Fame
The modern International Boxing Hall of Fame is located in Canastota, New York, United States, within driving distance from the Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in Cooperstown and the National Soccer Hall of Fame in Oneonta...
in 2005.
Biography
Born in New York City, Cayton graduated from the University of Maryland in 1937 with a degree in chemical engineering and founded his own advertising agency, Cayton Inc., in 1945. He became involved in boxing in 1948 when he created and produced the TV program titled "Greatest Fights of the Century" to promote Vaseline Brand Hair Tonic. Television was then in its infancy and Cayton felt that boxing was the sport that lent itself best to the tiny black and white screens of the time.To create the program, and many others that followed, he licensed, then later acquired, rights to vintage boxing film footage, and for nearly fifty years amassed and restored a collection of thousands of films going back to 1897. These films featured such legendary boxers as Jim Corbett
James J. Corbett
James John "Gentleman Jim" Corbett was an Irish-American heavyweight boxing champion, best known as the man who defeated the great John L. Sullivan. He also coached boxing at the Olympic Club in San Francisco...
, Jack Johnson
Jack Johnson (boxer)
John Arthur Johnson , nicknamed the “Galveston Giant,” was an American boxer. At the height of the Jim Crow era, Johnson became the first African American world heavyweight boxing champion...
, Jack Dempsey
Jack Dempsey
William Harrison "Jack" Dempsey was an American boxer who held the world heavyweight title from 1919 to 1926. Dempsey's aggressive style and exceptional punching power made him one of the most popular boxers in history. Many of his fights set financial and attendance records, including the first...
, Joe Louis
Joe Louis
Joseph Louis Barrow , better known as Joe Louis, was the world heavyweight boxing champion from 1937 to 1949. He is considered to be one of the greatest heavyweights of all time...
, Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano
Rocky Marciano , born Rocco Francis Marchegiano, was an American boxer and the heavyweight champion of the world from September 23, 1952, to April 27, 1956. Marciano is the only champion to hold the heavyweight title and go undefeated throughout his career. Marciano defended his title six times...
, Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson
Sugar Ray Robinson was an African-American professional boxer. Frequently cited as the greatest boxer of all time, Robinson's performances in the welterweight and middleweight divisions prompted sportswriters to create "pound for pound" rankings, where they compared fighters regardless of weight...
, Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali
Muhammad Ali is an American former professional boxer, philanthropist and social activist...
, George Foreman
George Foreman
George Edward Foreman is an American two-time former World Heavyweight Boxing Champion, Olympic gold medalist, ordained Baptist minister, author and successful entrepreneur...
, Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred Benitez
Wilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...
, and Kid Gavilan
Kid Gavilan
Gerardo González , better known in the boxing world as Kid Gavilan, was a former world welterweight champion from Cuba...
. Cayton even acquired rights to the first boxing film ever made, a sparring session filmed by Thomas Edison in 1894. His effort in collecting, restoring, and maintaining these films, many of which were rapidly deteriorating, is credited for preserving modern boxing's heritage and history. Mr. Cayton undertook meticulous, arduous efforts in the restoration of his epic footage.
Bill Cayton's company, Big Fights, also produced numerous boxing features including "a.k.a Cassius Clay
A.k.a. Cassius Clay
A.k.a. Cassius Clay is a 1970 boxing documentary film about the former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali....
" and academy award-nominated films "Jack Johnson" and "The Legendary Champions."
In 1960 Cayton was joined by boxing historian and film collector Jim Jacobs
Jimmy Jacobs (handballer)
James Leslie 'Jimmy' Jacobs was an American handball player, boxing manager, Academy Award nominee and comic book and fight film collector.-Handball:...
. The pair subsequently went into managing boxers, guiding such fighters as Wilfred Benítez
Wilfred Benitez
Wilfred Benítez , is a Puerto Rican boxer. He is remembered best as a skilled and aggressive fighter with exceptional defensive abilities who won world championships in three separate weight divisions, and was the youngest world champion in boxing history at the age of 17...
, Edwin Rosario
Edwin Rosario
Edwin "El Chapo" Rosario was a Puerto Rican boxer. He was the WBC world lightweight champion from 1983–84 and the WBA world champion in 1986–87 and again in 1989–90...
, and Iron Mike Tyson
Mike Tyson
Michael Gerard "Mike" Tyson is a retired American boxer. Tyson is a former undisputed heavyweight champion of the world and holds the record as the youngest boxer to win the WBC, WBA and IBF world heavyweight titles, he was 20 years, 4 months and 22 days old...
to world titles. Following Jacobs death in 1988, Cayton managed world champions Tommy Morrison
Tommy Morrison
Tommy David Morrison is an American heavyweight boxer and a former World Boxing Organization champion. He lost only three out of a total of 52 professional fights. Morrison's nickname, "The Duke," is based on disputed claims that he is a grandnephew of Hollywood star John Wayne...
, Vinny Pazienza, and championship contenders Jeremy Williams
Jeremy Williams (boxer)
Jeremy Williams is a former professional boxer and mixed martial artist.-Amateur career:As an amateur, he was the 1989 and 1990 United States amateur Light Heavyweight champion and the 1990 and 1991 National Golden Gloves Light Heavyweight champion, and is a member of the Golden Gloves hall of...
, Michael Grant, and Omar Sheika among others.
Cayton sold his film and tape library in 1998 to the Walt Disney Company, which shows many of the titles on its ESPN
ESPN
Entertainment and Sports Programming Network, commonly known as ESPN, is an American global cable television network focusing on sports-related programming including live and pre-taped event telecasts, sports talk shows, and other original programming....
Classic network.
Cayton's career extended well beyond boxing. His advertising agency remained active until well into the 1970s. In 1957, working with director and writer, Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd
Fred Ladd , is an American television and film writer and producer. He is notable as one of the first to introduce Japanese animated cartoons to North America....
, Cayton's company began marketing Russian animated films from the 1940-'50s, especially those of the famous Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm
Soyuzmultfilm is a Russian animation studio based in Moscow. Over the years it has gained international attention and respect, garnering numerous awards both at home and abroad. Noted for a great variety of style, it is regarded as the most influential animation studio of the former Soviet Union...
studios (well known titles included The Firebird, The Frog Prince, Beauty & the Beast, The Space Explorers, and Twelve Months). The films were dubbed, sometimes re-titled, partitioned into chapters and distributed to TV stations. He released a partly re-filmed version of the Czech animated feature Cesta do Pravěku (Karel Zeman, 1955), by replacing the opening and closing scenes with new footage and marketing it as Journey to the Beginning of Time
Journey to the Beginning of Time
Journey to the Beginning of Time is a 1955 Czechoslovak children's science fiction feature film directed by Karel Zeman. Produced using a combination of 2-D and 3-D models, it was the first of Zeman's productions to include actors in conjunction with stop-motion and special effects, and won awards...
. These films proved popular both as features and as TV episodes. Many additional cartoons and natural history films produced by Cayton were marketed under the names "Cartoon Classics", "Animatoons", and "Jungle." Cayton is also credited with reviving professional pool on television in 1977, producing showcase events which included, among others, the legendary Minnesota Fats - Willie Mosconi title bouts.