Boxing trainer turned TV pundit, Teddy Atlas, was the first man to train future world champion Mike Tyson, and he has been brutally honest in his assessment of Iron Mike’s career.
Atlas himself trained under Hall of Fame coach Cus D’Amato, who eventually made Tyson into the youngest-ever world champion. But before that, it was Atlas who shaped Tyson between the ages of 12 and 15.
It ended suddenly, however, when Atlas heard rumours Tyson has allegedly been sexually assaulting a family member and confronted Tyson with a gun, firing it off near his ear as a warning to never do it again. Atlas was fired from the Catskill Boxing Club and the pair never worked together again.
Tyson has always maintained that Atlas pulled out the gun because he was leaving D’Amato and wanted Tyson to go and train with him.
In quotes used in a video share on YouTube, Atlas pulls apart the self-titled Baddest Man On The Planet’s career and claims he only really had five proper fights.
“Tyson’s talent was so great, his physical ability was so overwhelming, his talent was so superior that the other stuff never got tested, he was blowing guys out, it never got tested if there was anything in the warehouse.
To me, a fight is not a fight until there is any resistance, something to overcome, otherwise, it’s just an athletic venture, just an exhibition.
Five times, whatever the real record is, five times there was resistance, five times it became a real fight, five times there was something to overcome, and he failed all five times. He was only in five fights in his life, and he’s 0 in 5.”
Before the relationship soured, Atlas and Tyson were close, as can be seen in a rare video in which he is comforting a teary young Tyson.