Legendary Boxer Mike Tyson, who dominated in the ring with his sheer power and knocked out more than 40 boxers in the ring, has now been named for something substandard by his former trainer.
In the annals of boxing history, a startling incident involving Teddy Atlas and a young Mike Tyson emerges. Decades-old allegations made by former trainer Teddy Atlas about an interaction with Mike Tyson as a teenager have sparked renewed debate in recent weeks.
Teddy Atlas once pulled a gun on Mike Tyson
Once a name synonymous with fear, the man who reigned as the most feared on the planet, Mike Tyson, has now found himself in a new controversy as his former trainer Teddy Atlas has made some shocking allegations against the former heavyweight champ.
On the Lex Fridman Podcast, Teddy Atlas shared the shocking incident that led to their separation. Teddy started training when Tyson was 12 years old. And he continued training him when an incident took place that shook Teddy and made him pull a gun over Tyson’s head.
As Teddy tells, Tyson was growing up to be a careless man who did not know how to respect people. Teddy said, “as strong a guy as you’re ever going to see but he was a weak of a person as you’re ever going to find”.
He said: “Tyson had gone after a family member who was 11-years-old, a girl, and he had been pushing the boundaries more and more and more.
“His restrictions or care about how he treated other people became less and less.”
“It pushed it into one day, I come home, and I find out that my wife and sister-in-laws are crying because what he did to an 11-tear-old girl in my family. Took him on his word for the things he wanted to do to the 11-year-old girl, in a sexual way.”
It was then that Atlas decided to make sure Tyson knew the behavior was unacceptable, a move that ultimately ended their partnership.
Atlas continued: “So I got a gun and went and confronted him. I told him, ‘You made a choice to do this, whether or not you think you’re hurting me or you think you’re sending a message to me. You did send a message to me. You sent a message to me you don’t give a damn about other people, that you don’t care if you behave like an animal’.
“‘You will never do it again. You’ll be dead if you ever do it again. There won’t be a conversation. You won’t be seeing me. You won’t even know that there will be repercussions. You’ll just be gone. Understand that very clearly because It’s important for my family and obviously you.’
“I put the gun in his ear, and he didn’t seem like he understood it at that moment.
“So I pulled it out of his ear and pulled the trigger. Missing him on purpose, and he understood it after that. It wasn’t a threat. It was to make it clear that I wouldn’t have to be in that position again, and either was he.”
Pretty harrowing stuff, which led to Atlas’ dismissal from the Catskill Boxing Club.
Teddy Atlas questions Mike Tyson legacy
The majority of boxing fans consider Mike Tyson to be one of the all-time greats, however Teddy Atlas, Tyson’s former trainer, strongly disagrees and claims Tyson isn’t. Teddy Atlas reflects on the legacy of Mike Tyson, raising thought-provoking questions about the impact and perception of the boxing icon.
During a recent episode of the Lex Fridman Podcast, Teddy Atlas explained why he doesn’t think Mike Tyson is one of the greats. Here’s part of what he said: “I don’t know if he was ever great. I know he was sensational. I know he was the greatest mix of maybe speed and power ever. I know he was one of the greatest punchers from either side of the plate, left or right.”
Atlas added: “I don’t know if there’s ever been such a combination of speed and power to that pure level that he had, and it was a pure level. He wasn’t tested, but he might have been ready to be tested that one night against Michael Spinks when he took him apart in 90 seconds. I think I saw a great fighter that night. I don’t think you can be great unless you have all the requirements of being great.”
“To not rely on someone else’s weakness to be strong, to be strong on your own,” Atlas said. “Too often, (Tyson) relied on other people’s weakness, whether it’s by being intimidated or whether it was because his talent was so much greater than theirs that it was like putting a monster truck in there with a Volkswagen.”
After such a terrific career that Mike Tyson had, it is shocking to hear such incidents about the superstar from his trainer. Tyson’s impact can be seen, as the reigning World Heavyweight Champion is named after him (Tyson Fury). And many fans would disagree with Teddy’s opinion of Tyson not being the greatest fighter.
