Teddy Atlas on Mike Tyson

[-Antonio-]

According to a biograpghy I saw, Atlas put a gun to Tyson's head and threatened his life.

[pug1986]

I wouldn't say that his mentality didn't match his fighting style, I'd say it was intertwined with it but he had a hard time controling it when Cus was not around. The premise was that if he ever felt fear in the ring he would project those emotions onto his opponent, giving the impression of an irresistable force which really discouraged his opponents. Sometimes he would internalize his fear though and become discouraged by himself more than the opponent.

[Tarver is my dad]

According to a biograpghy I saw, Atlas put a gun to Tyson's head and threatened his life.

Yea I saw that in Beyond the Glory.

[buff_mike10]

Atlas put a gun to Tysons head and he once pushed George Foreman. He's lucky to still be alive

[Mike Tyson77]

no Tyson fan will say hes the greatest but one of the greatest and its true... as much as u would like to believe hes not cuz of his life after prison and out the ring he woulda gave any all time great a tough fight and maybe even win...tha point is no one knows what Tyson woulda done against Marciano...Ali...Forman...NO ONE...so to say they would beat him is ignorant cuz u really dont kno u are only going on what u hear...

I say he's the greatest. He had more heart than most will ever know. From 85 to 90 he was a force of nature. If he hadnt been hung over and bored, he would he KO'd Buster. Actully he did in the 8th round. If they had a rematch, I would bet my life Tyson would win by KO. Even after a 3 and a half year lay off w/o ANY training he won back the WBC and WBA belts. He didnt just "win" or "beat" someone... he totally BROKE them! NO ONE could have stopped him the night he KO'd Spinks. If it wasnt for him I wouldnt even have known about boxing. I say he's the greatest.

[Kball15]

read Teddy Atlas's book. It's fantastic and explains everything ud want to know about Tysons growing up.

[StaynerCoins]

Teddy then pointed out that the first fighter that stood up to Mike was Buster Douglas and he knocked Mike out. The week before the Douglas fight Buster's mom had died

False. Buster's mom died two months before his fight with Tyson.

[Kball15]

According to a biograpghy I saw, Atlas put a gun to Tyson's head and threatened his life.

Yea, this is true. He even shot the gun in the air to scare Tyson.

Atlas was a true gansta. He robbed places like it was his job. And he got stabbed in the face. His life story is a true "rags to riches" story.

[Abe Attell]

Yea, this is true. He even shot the gun in the air to scare Tyson.

Atlas was a true gansta. He robbed places like it was his job. And he got stabbed in the face. His life story is a true "rags to riches" story.

I hope you are joking, then again, I guess being "Gangsta" is being a bit of a *****/bully...I would of liked to see Atlas without a gun vs Mike, and if he would of stood up to George if it wasn't in front of the cameras; like Mike was really going to stand up to a gun, or George was going to mess up his new reputation of being the "Good Guy."

A lot of "Gangstas" do this though: they are tough when they out-number you, or have a weapon when you don't.

[Abe Attell]

If you look at Tyson's story it seems he was never truly a "Fighter":

From some of the stories I read/heard, in his early childhood he hung around girls only because he was afraid of the boys in the neighborhood...then as legend has it, his bird's head was ripped off and Mike went crazy on the kid...Mike then started to become "Tyson" and started to hang with that crowd...he probably became a "Bully" because he was bullied; to be accepted by such people he followed...so when he is fighting in a boxing match, it is pure anger against who he was/is, who he fought against, who "They" wanted him to be...I really don't think Mike ever wanted to fight, but since boxing was a way out, he took it.
If anything, if you look at it, Mike was always being used...not saying it wasn't his fault, but all the blame really can't be just placed on Mike, it has to be blamed on everybody that was present and absent in his life...Psychology is a *****.


Just look at what he supposedly did with his money, he always gave it away to people; basically anybody, especially those that look like they needed it. True professional boxers like the money side of the sport, but Mike seemed to shun part of this side, even though he liked to party and feel some of that power that money brought ...though those are just the stories that I read/heard, which is an outside perception, so until Mike himself gives his side of the story, it is a bit unfair.