“It Was Causing a Problem for Me”: Years After Firing Bullet at Mike Tyson, Teddy Atlas Explains the Real Issues That Led to the Incident

It might have been decades since the incident happened but it is still fresh in Teddy Atlas’ mind. The Hall of Famer has been a legendary trainer since the 70s. He has spent six years in the Catskill Boxing Club serving under Cus D’Amato. Atlas is perhaps best known for training Mike Tyson and preparing him for the heavyweight championship. But things did not end well between him and the youngest heavyweight champion.

Atlas had once pulled a gun on a young Tyson. Though the two seem to have resolved the issue more or less, Atlas cannot completely move past what happened. The trainer went on VLADTV to speak on the event, and let us see what he had to say.

Teddy Atlas explains why he almost shot Tyson

“Well, the full job was to try and make him a better person,” explained Atlas as he talked of Cus pulling Tyson out of all the problems he would face in school. Atlas had thrown Tyson out of the gym for breaking the rules, but Cus brought him right back, which posed difficulties for Atlas as a teacher because he didn’t want to give Tyson special treatment.

“It was causing a problem for me. Because I trained him not Cus. I am training everyone the same, teaching everyone the same,” Cus said.

This gave young Tyson the incentive to tested Teddy’s boundaries. Touching an 11-year-old girl who just happened to be Atlas’ relative was crossing the line.

“If you don’t have your own dignity, and that starts with simple things like standing up for your family, then you have nothing,” said Atlas. The legendary trainer agreed that he does not condone his actions but he did what he had to do.

He grabbed the gun and pointed it at Tyson and said, “If you ever go near my family again, in any way of hurting my family or what you said you were gonna do to this person. I’ll kill you.” Unfortunately for Atlas, following this altercation, he was taken out of the camp by D’Amato. However, after all these years, Atlas found the courage to forgive D’Amato.

Teddy Atlas lauds Cus D’Amato for his philosophy

Teddy Atlas, feeling betrayed by Cus D’Amato’s decision to side with Mike Tyson in a tumultuous incident, eventually forgave his former mentor decades later. Despite being hurt, Atlas, in a podcast with Lex Friedman, reflected on the incident and disclosed how he found forgiveness through D’Amato’s teachings. Recounting the 1982 episode where he pulled a gun on Tyson after a harassment incident, Atlas expressed his sense of betrayal when D’Amato asked him to leave the Catskill Boxing Club.

Read More: Infamous for Putting Mike Tyson at Gunpoint, Legendary Trainer Reveals Lucrative Offer He Refused From Late Cus D’Amato to “Disappear”

However, Atlas was drawn to D’Amato’s passion for imparting life lessons through boxing, emphasizing character, morality, and integrity. Despite their disagreements, Atlas chose to believe in D’Amato’s philosophy and ultimately forgave him. In a later turn of events, Mike Tyson personally apologized to Atlas nearly three decades after the incident, seeking reconciliation at the Turning Stone Casino in Verona, New York.

This situation, like any other, has two perspectives. One of D’Amato and that of Atlas. Which one do you agree with?

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