Comments Thread For: Teddy Atlas on Mike Tyson: I Don't Know If He Was Ever Great

[chicken-]

Atlas, doubts his greatness and then proceeds to outline all the things that made him great haha. He made everyone look like Volkswagen and he was always the monster truck, always.

He was so great that his prime ended in 1989 but his aura and reputation earned him millions more for like 15 years (minus the years he was in prison) and he's still earning.

Everyone knew who Mike Tyson was in one way or another. I remember when he lost to Douglas that all the kids in the neighborhood where out on the street saying "Tyson lost, Tyson lost!" and another kid came out saying "Wait, Tyson is real? I thought he was just a video game character" lol.

Greatness is not linear, Ali wasn't great just because of his ring accolades, MJ wasn't great just because of his ability to play basketball. Tyson is a story of resiliency, ups and downs, boxing successes and failures, and contributing to the globalization of the sport in ways that not too many have done.

You don't have very good reading comprehension. He didn't make "everyone" look like a Volkswagen vs a Monster truck, he did that until he faced adversity, and then he failed every single time. He wasn't even competitive against Holyfield or Lewis for more than a couple of rounds. He was essentially a 4 round fighter other than a couple he went the distance and actually won in. Everything Atlas said is 100% true, he got his ass beat by anyone who wasn't defeated before entering the ring. He lost to Franz Botha and other bums because he was essentially Deontay Wilder after 1990, no skill, throwing bombs and trying to land one punch.

[juanpablo]

You don't have very good reading comprehension. He didn't make "everyone" look like a Volkswagen vs a Monster truck, he did that until he faced adversity, and then he failed every single time. He wasn't even competitive against Holyfield or Lewis for more than a couple of rounds. He was essentially a 4 round fighter other than a couple he went the distance and actually won in. Everything Atlas said is 100% true, he got his ass beat by anyone who wasn't defeated before entering the ring. He lost to Franz Botha and other bums because he was essentially Deontay Wilder after 1990, no skill, throwing bombs and trying to land one punch.

I don't think you read my post. His prime ended in 1989. Do you know what happens when a fighter's prime ends?

[ShoulderRoll]

Tyson was not the greatest but he was great.

He is still the youngest heavyweight champion ever, to this day. And he was undisputed…we haven’t had an undisputed heavyweight champ for 23 years now. Despite going through some very crappy eras in the division.

Teddy is just bitter that Cus D’Amato chose Tyson over him.

[wileyhemi]

Atlas just loves doing the speaking circuit and tries to secure his next job by making outlandish statements. Some of what he said there is self-contradictory. Tyson was obviously great.

Basically saying he wasn't great because opponents were intimidated by his greatness. With this blowhard moron in his corner no wonder poor Moorer got ko'd by geriatric George

[PRINCEKOOL]

Mike Tyson at his so called peak, and even outside of his peak was 'A great fighter, both in skill and determination'.

People seem to pass over? Mike Tyson was no super Heavyweight, and he was beating fighters who had ether out weighed him or had the dimensions over him.

It is a complete myth, that Tyson would just disappear soon as a fighter stood up to him 'This is a fairy tale people tell themselves, in order to comfort themselves'.

Razor Rdducok was effectively the Deontay Wilder of the 90's 'Ruddock arguable, most likely in my opinion hit with more power than Wilder and was skill for skill a better fighter. Mike Tyson fought Ruddock at his absolutely peak, and Ruddock did not back down'.

Ruddock was a solid super Heavyweight naturally, no body building or being out of condition 'Then claiming that he is a super Heavyweight'.

Mike Tyson specifically in that fight, encountered extremely resistance and came through it.

Even during all of Mike Tyson's loses, he did not just disappear when his opponents resistance 'His opponents always were forced to throw everything at Tyson in order to get him out of there'.

Buster Douglas beat on Mike Tyson, like he had never beat on a opponent before 'Still Mike Tyson kept on coming, and effectively turned the fight around in the 8th round. Reality is Mike Tyson knocked Buster Douglas out in the 8th round, Douglas got up from a knock-out blow technically just like Tyson Fury vs Deontay Wilder I'.

Holyfield I, Lewis, Williams, Mcbride 'Mike Tyson has no bad loses on his record, none'.

There are no loses were boxing fans can look back, and say? Look at the state of Mike Tyson in this fight, look at him just being blasted out 'Look at Mike Tyson, showing no signs of his innate ability'.

Right up until Mike Tyson's last fights, people were always apprehensive 'There were always flashes, always violence and bad intentions'.

Even outside of his suppose peak, Mike Tyson always showed flashes of greatness 'Flashes of Iron Mike'. Statistically Mike Tyson was a great fighter, there are no active Heavyweights in the sport today, who are greater Champions at Heavyweight than Mike Tyson'.

Tyson always displayed courage, nobody can watch Mike Tyson vs Lennox Lewis 'And deny that Tyson displayed courage in that fight'. For goodness, Tyson never very rarely took a backwards step, futile as his efforts were he ether tried to press forward or stood his ground. Lennox Lewis was a highly skill super Heavyweight, and powerful puncher'.

It took at 28 punch combination for Danny Williams to hammer Mike Tyson into the canvas, a injured Mike Tyson. And even still at that point, Tyson look as if he could of got up 'In that fight Tyson injured his knee, which pretty much was the turning point of the fight'. It was another fight were, boxing fans and supporters of Mike Tyson were aware that Tyson was in the latter part of his career, but? The difference with Tyson and other past great fighters 'Is that there was always flashes of greatness in his fights, always flashes of Iron Mike Tyson'.

And that was why, even until the very latter part of Mike Tyson's career 'The World still believed? If only Tyson could just string a few fights, together and gain momentum? I think he can still be a major threat to the Champions'.

That is a clear sign of greatness, the instincts of society 'Understood that Mike Tyson, was a great fighter'.

People can consciously deny this, people can make up fairy tales 'But their instincts will tell the truth, and convey what they really think'.

A few years back, when it flashes up on the news 'Imagines of Mike Tyson whamming the boxing pad's'. Those scenes sent shock waves around the World, why? Why did the scenes of a fighter that had been retired for decades, a fighter who who had not trained seriously for decades invoke or cause such a reaction? The reason why the world reacted the way it did, was because on a instinctual level people could still detect Iron Mike Tyson'.

There are very few athletes with that ability, and influence 'Rapport'. Lets compare that type of ability and look within other sports? There may be people who are big supporters of team sports, think about the great athletes of the 80's 'The great basketball, or NFL players'.

Lets say one of those great basketball players or NFL players 'Suddenly appeared in footage playing basketball, or throwing a football'. Do you guys really think, that the footage would send shock waves around the world? Would people from within those sports, consider the prospect of those athlete's making a genuine comeback? And actually being a threat? I will not say NO, because it is not in my nature 'But I am posing this question to the people out there, YOU GUYS know the answer'.

A Lion is still a Lion, a Tiger is still a Tiger. Whether they are out in nature, in captivity or in suffering. That is the type of fighter Mike Tyson was, it is the type of breed of man he was 'And instinctual society is aware of this'.

Apex fighter, Apex character 'Those type of people may always be targeted by certain types of people in society. Those are the people who make up these fairy tales, their motives intentions as to why? I don't know personally why people do this, but I have a theory that 'It is a reaction, to a potential threat'.

Even outside of boxing, the topic I am briefly touching upon can be witnessed time and time again throughout history.

Note: So overall it is clear that Mike Tyson was a great fighter, in his ability and within his innate qualities. Anyone who attempts to deny this, I believe is afraid of something they saw within Mike Tyson, on a instinctual level. Was Mike Tyson the greatest Heavyweight of all-time? Of course not, but he was for sure one of the greatest Heavyweight fighters of all-time. Former Undisputed Heavyweight Champion, two time World Heavyweight Champion 'And even during is career as none Champion, Mike Tyson was that bench mark which the then current Champions were always compared to'.

Since Mike Tyson's retirement, he has become one of those fighters universally who are considered a bench mark.

This naturally and organically just happened, it was people within society and the sport of boxing who made Mike Tyson into this sort of fighter.

People in society try and complicate greatness, but I will say this? Instinctual we all know what greatness is 'Organically in life and society, greatness will always stand out it will always endure. Whether this be in the moment, or throughout the passage of time'.

Mike Tyson was a great fighter, and Champion etc.

[Oldskoolg]

That’s going to offend the casual fans. Mike Tyson is a mix of Jesus Christ, Alexander of Macedon, Harry Houdini, Ghandi, and MLK all wrapped up into one for the casual fans

[Eff Pandas]

That Lex interview is one of the best Atlas interviews I've heard, but clearly this guy still has issues with Tyson. Love or hate Tyson you gotta admit he was a bad mfer for some period of time in his reign. You can't create weirdo goalposts on what makes someone great in boxing that no one else is in agreement with you on like Atlas did with Tyson.

[Boro]

Holme's was past his best but still a credible heavyweight, evident by his victory over Ray Mercer. Furthermore, Spinks being a former light heavyweight means what? He was the first man to dethrone Larry Holmes and was a champion at heavyweight.

Finally, Tyson resume is more than just two names - victories over Pinklon Thomas, Tony Tucker, Razor Ruddock, Trevor Berbick, and Bonecrusher Smith. Tyson did clean out the heavyweight division in the mid-eighties. Something neither current heavyweight can claim whether it is Wilder, Joshua or Fury.

Holmes was lured out of retirement and Spinks being a LHW is important because he's known primarily and always will be for his work at LHW and he operated at his best there.

Those being his best or should say his premium wins says all you need to know.

You've just listed a litany of crackheads and I don't know why you mentioned the current day heavyweights no one is impressed with them, they're all mediocre apart from perhaps Usyk and he's still yet to prove it.

[Jdasilva2012]

I respect Teddy public opinion but inside him, he think otherwise, he know Mike was great and is a legend for a reason but between him and Mike, it’s personal and don’t blame him. I love both of them.

[Boro]

'Mike Tyson has no bad loses on his record, none'.

There are no loses were boxing fans can look back, and say? Look at the state of Mike Tyson in this fight, look at him just being blasted out 'Look at Mike Tyson, showing no signs of his innate ability'.

You really need to stop with this no bad loss narrative, there was plenty of times Mike was on his back/ass with the ability to get up and choose to capitulate, that in and of itself is not only bad, it's terrible.

Quite frankly it's tantamount to quitting.

You said they exact same shíte about Parker, the guy has all the boxing ability to win fights and he doesn't use what he has PROPERLY and most importantly at the right intervals within a fight and on multiple occasions allowed REFs to job him without saying a word until after the fact.

You seem to slurp people with losses for some reason particularly those with losses that are extremely questionable.