Teddy Atlas: “Mike Tyson was NOT a great fighter”

Mythology & aura plays a strong role in perceptions in boxing.

Hype can blind long after a fighter is retired.

 

I don’t buy what Teddy is selling. Sure, Mike is overrated by a lot of fans, but he’s not a coward. Tony Tucker and Razor Ruddock (twice) were big, weren’t scared and offered him a lot of resistance. He still won. Also, in the Douglas, Holyfield 1 and Lewis fights he took his beatings like a man and was still returning hard punches all the way till the end.

There’s two Tyson myths that I hate...
1. “Size didn’t matter, he chopped down way bigger guys easily.”
He clearly struggled much more with big heavyweights with skill.

2. “He’s a coward/bully. Anytime he couldn’t intimidate someone he lost.”
Just simply NOT TRUE.

 

He was shot against Lennox. That's not an excuse, it's a fact as far as I'm concerned. Lennox was his lottery ticket to pay off numerous debts and lawsuits etc. His life was in turmoil and he was fighting because he had to.

 

I wouldn't say awesome, but they were good fighters. I only highlighted his main opponents. Feel free to add the others. The point I was making, was that he obviously doesn't possess a garbage resume. He has a very good resume.

 

Tyson fought an era of champions where none couldn't dominate the other. As a result, Tyson dominated the **** out of those dudes. He did what he was supposed to do.

Whereas Atlas knows all of the weakness' Cus knew and may have steered Tyson away from. Knew of all the times he cried before fighting, then turnaround and bully people in the streets like old ladies via robberies.

Atlas probably is still pissed at Mike hitting on his niece? Add all that up and I can see Teddy spending his life denouncing Tyson.

 

What got me, was when he paid Lennox step aside money to fight Seldon.
http://articles.latimes.com/1996-05-17/sports/sp-5202_1_tyson-fights-lewis
https://www.boxingforum24.com/threads/why-did-lennox-take-step-aside-money-to-avoid-tyson.554688/

 

Douglas yes.
Probably because he was still hoping to land that fight ending shot against a guy known to fold later on.

Holyfield 1, he was initiating that 7th rd headbutt to try to get out of the fight already.
Cause he knew what was coming to him.

Lewis, well he was there for the paycheck and knew another tantrum would mean the end of his boxing license.

 

A the end of the day it must sting Teddy a bit that this kid he used to train and have trouble with is now regarded at the very least in the lower end of the top 10 or 15 greatest heavyweight champs of all time, which is no mean feat.

 

He could or should have been able to beat holyfield but he lost it, what he did in that fight is a clear sign of being mentally weak. Tyson couldn't control himself, money and power got the better of him. Tyson biggest challenge was himself he couldn't control himself. Again a sign he was mentally weak. He faced someome of resistance in Douglas, holyfield, Lewis and lost them all. When he had to really step up or go that extra mile he came up short in every occasion. You can't deny that and that is what atlas is referring to. If tyson was stronger mentally he would have crushed everyone and had a longer career and wouldn't have been jailed.

 

I thought it was well known his team avoided Lewis. Lennox was all wrong for tyson and his team knew it.

 

Tyson was a very good fighter but not in the great category. He reigned in a very weak HW division and then got thoroughly schooled by Buster Douglas. Kevin McBride retired his ass brutally.

The word ‘Great’ shouldn’t be used to describe a guy that had to have a .38 stuck up his nose and threatened to stop harassing 14 year old girls and then years later brought up **** charges.

Tyson was good! That’s undeniable. But GREAT... **** no.

 

I can see where Atlas is coming from. Tyson was never in a single real war until Douglas and then not again until Holyfield. Lewis wasn't really a war but Danny Williams was and he failed there also. I don't rate the fights with Ruddock, Tucker, Tillis, Smith, Green that went the distance as wars or anything like it. Tyson did fail his major tests.

 

So if your 15 and you step out of line, its ok for me to stick a 38 up your nose then?

 

Know what ?

Let's take your 13 year old niece and put her in the same room as 15 year old Tyson, who had been arrested 32 times at age 12 already, and run the statistics.

 

Ok here come the wankers. One they were kids at the time and kids generally don't know wtf they are doing. This is where adults come in. But if the adult is waving handguns around, that's a ****ing problem. And you douchebags are applauding this type of ****? Pointing guns at minors is wrong regardless of how you rationalize this feeble minded ****.

And on top of that, Teddy was his trainer. Wth kinda crazy is that? What sort of adult role model is Teddy preaching?