One of the cliches about life in a hyper-capitalist society like ours is that your career may go through 3 or 4 dramatic changes before it’s all said and done. That kind of flexibility is highly prized around here. Bill Cayton didn’t have any problem with that. He started off as a chemical engineer, then a technical writer, then advertisting. And when Vaseline led him to boxing, he ran with it. To all of you in the outbound telemarketing industry— my advice to you is to stop promoting Vaseline hair tonic and start finding whatever your next thing is. The blunt force of Capitalism will reward you.
Bill Cayton, 85, Boxing Former Manager, Is Dead
By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Bill Cayton, who managed the former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson and owned a collection of old fight films, died Saturday in Larchmont, N.Y. He was 85.
The cause was lung cancer, said his daughter, Trish Cayton.
Cayton also managed the world champions Wilfred Benitez and Edwin Rosario. He was best known for managing Tyson with Jim Jacobs when Tyson turned pro in 1984.
Cayton’s film collection included fights involving Jack Dempsey, Jack Johnson and Gene Tunney, and the 1936 fight between Joe Louis and Max Schmeling at Yankee Stadium.
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.
Born in New York City, Cayton earned a degree in chemical engineering from the University of Maryland in 1937 and became a technical writer for the DuPont Company. By 1945, he was running his own advertising agency, Cayton Inc.
In 1949, he became involved in boxing when a client, Chesebrough Manufacturing Company, asked for his help in promoting Vaseline hair tonic. He decided to use television advertising on sports events, recommending boxing because team sports were not yet suitable for small-screen viewing. He began managing fighters in the mid-1970’s.
Cayton is also survived by another daughter, Merrie, and a son, Brian. His wife, Doris, died in 2000.