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RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 26: Former Boxer Mike Tyson looks on prior to the Cruiserweight Title fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena on February 26, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
via Getty
RIYADH, SAUDI ARABIA – FEBRUARY 26: Former Boxer Mike Tyson looks on prior to the Cruiserweight Title fight between Jake Paul and Tommy Fury at the Diriyah Arena on February 26, 2023 in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. (Photo by Francois Nel/Getty Images)
Picture Mike Tyson, a name synonymous with ferocity in the ring. Now imagine questioning his greatness. Sounds almost blasphemous, doesn’t it? But when legendary boxing trainer Teddy Atlas speaks, the fight world listens. Recently, on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Atlas dropped a verbal bombshell about Tyson.
While acknowledging Tyson’s raw power and speed, Atlas hinted at something missing in Tyson’s arsenal. What could a boxer, renowned for his knockouts and titles, lack? Atlas, a man who has seen champions rise and fall, has a unique perspective on this. Is Tyson’s legacy as concrete as we thought?
A coach’s bold claim
Teddy Atlas, who coached Mike Tyson from age 12 to 15, provided a detailed critique of Tyson’s boxing career. His words on the Lex Fridman Podcast were not just opinions but reflections of a seasoned trainer who once shaped Tyson’s early career. Atlas began, “I don’t know if he was ever great,” a statement that in itself stirs controversy. He recognized Tyson’s exceptional attributes, saying, “I know he was sensational. I know he was the greatest mix of maybe speed and power ever.”
Here's my conversation with Teddy Atlas (@TeddyAtlasReal), a legendary boxing trainer of 18 world champions, about his early days of training Mike Tyson with mentor Cus D'Amato. This was a Shakespearean, deeply human story of loyalty, betrayal, fear, greatness, and forgiveness.… pic.twitter.com/0cvoN6fPGn
— Lex Fridman (@lexfridman) December 24, 2023
Further elaborating, he added, “I know he was one of the greatest punchers from either side of the plate, left or right.” He compared Tyson to other boxing legends, “There’s been great punchers with just the right hand like Earnie Shavers and Deontay Wilder and Max Baer.”
Atlas then shifted to a more nuanced perspective, “I don’t know if there’s ever been anyone who could punch as good as [Tyson] did on either side with either hand other than Joe Louis and a few others.”
“I don’t know if there’s ever been such a combination of speed and power to that pure level that he had, and it was a pure level,” Atlas continued. Here, he acknowledges Tyson’s unique blend of attributes, a rare mix in the boxing world.
Atlas then reminisced about a specific fight, “I don’t know if there was ever as good a fighter as Tyson was for maybe one night he was great.” He referred to Tyson’s iconic match against Michael Spinks, where Tyson’s performance was undeniably dominant. “He wasn’t tested, but he might have been ready to be tested that one night,” Atlas mused.
However, Atlas’s definition of greatness involves more than physical attributes or a single night’s triumph. He stated, “To not rely on someone else’s weakness to be strong, to be strong on your own,” suggesting that true greatness in boxing transcends mere physicality.
Atlas concluded his thoughts by reflecting on Tyson’s defeats, particularly against Buster Douglas and Evander Holyfield. He noted, “A fight is not a fight until there’s something to overcome.” These losses, according to Atlas, exposed Tyson’s limitations when faced with adversity, a key component in his definition of a truly great fighter.
In this thorough analysis, Atlas not only highlighted Tyson’s extraordinary skills but also underscored the complexities of what it means to be ‘great’ in the world of boxing. What do we value more in a sports legend – the sheer display of physical dominance or the ability to overcome adversity and show resilience? What do you believe defines a truly great boxer?
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