Teddy Atlas: 'Mike Tyson was NOT a great fighter'

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Teddy Atlas talked about how he thinks Mike Tyson was not a great fighter. He believes he always failed when he faced adversity; essentially saying he had great power and was fearsome but did not have heart.. What do the people on this forum think? I would add a poll but don't know how to.

 

[Minowafanatic]

Atlas took about 12 minutes explaining such a simple point of view that's already been talked about to death by people, which the OP can perfectly sum up in about two lines of text.

Tyson's a great fighter in terms of his ability inside the ring and the performances he can produce. He's not the mentally toughest fighter ever, but the way Atlas phrases it, he's exaggerating and obviously has a chip on his shoulder regarding Tyson.

Atlas makes it out like Tyson never experienced any degree of adversity in the ring and just laid down under any pressure. And he's obviously not 0-5. That's just a stupid way of putting the very simple point that Tyson never managed to come through a very closely contested bout victorious.

 

[caesar]

I'd say he showed good adversity when he fought 'Bone crusher' Smith, damn Teddy that bitterness is just never going to go away is it lol.

 

[svmVR2097]

He's not an all time great HW, doesn't even crack top 10 and was the 3rd best HW of his own era, but during his time there was no boxer more feared.

 

[Area809]

Tyson was also thrown to the wolf’s at an early age. It doesn’t help that his development stopped after switching camps. Teddy’s beef lacks all sorts of objectivity, because its personal. Even against Buster Douglas, he didn’t stop fighting. He managed to drop him late in the fight. He was outmatched and severely hungover lol. Now was Tyson a fuckup outside of the ring, incapable of making the right decisions? Absolutely

 

[burningspear]

Extreme exaggeration through deep rooted hatred.

 

[cottagecheesefan]

He is just butt hurt that his ONLY claim to fame was riding Tysons coat tails. He is a shitty trainer, who tries to be a drama queen.

He has only led his fighters to failure (Moorer, Bradley, Povetkin).

He needs to stfu

 

[PUO3]

Teddy Atlas is a fucking can. Who cares.

 

[Shoemaker]

obviously has a chip on his shoulder regarding Tyson.

He has a chip on his shoulder about boxing in general.

 

[elanimalsantana]

I have contended this since before Tyson fought Douglas. He is the most overrated fighter of his era, and possibly ever. If he didn't overwhelm you with his power and aggression early he faded, esp if his opponent fought back. Compare him to another fighter of similar size and style, Joe Frazier, Joe picked up steam and got more effective as the fight wore on. Tyson was just the opposite.

 

[djacobox372]

Teddy talks in black and white, reality is gray.

Tyson didn't give up easily... botha, ruddock, tucker and green all stood up to him and failed. But tyson was no holyfield for sure

But it's not like holyfield won any fights where he was behind, he put up a better fight, but ultimately lost against just about everybody that tested him. Holyfield was no ali.

 

[TidWell]

I have contended this since before Tyson fought Douglas. He is the most overrated fighter of his era, and possibly ever. If he didn't overwhelm you with his power and aggression early he faded, esp if his opponent fought back. Compare him to another fighter of similar size and style, Joe Frazier, Joe picked up steam and got more effective as the fight wore on. Tyson was just the opposite.

One thing Gus never taught tyson was to take a back step, Tyson has no way to fight going backward so he was lost when he got pressed, he was taught to slip and weave and counter inside attack attack attack.

Tyson was my favorite fighter growing up because he was scary and freakishly fast like a tasmanian devil short ass arms but would gyrate his hips like a cartoon throwing those fast hook sand upper cuts, but yeah he lacked heart big time, I never seen him comeback from being dropped or badly hurt and smack his glove together and say bring it on and get more angry like a Manny Pacquiao or a Evander Holyfield.

Tyson even admit he was scared, he was a bully the moment you stand up to them and take their best shot they cower.

I never seen Tyson show championship heart like this

Evander 209 pounds versus a 250 pound Riddick bowe, Evander only stood up and kept fighting because of his heart he refused to die a warrior, Tyson would crumble under this type of adversity its sad because I never seen Tyson in any type of back and forth fight of the year fights, its usually him fighting cans scaring them and finishing them or hm going the distance and coasting when he couldn't KO a guy early.

 

[svmVR2097]

Teddy talks in black and white, reality is gray.

Tyson didn't give up easily... botha, ruddock, tucker and green all stood up to him and failed. But tyson was no holyfield for sure

But it's not like holyfield won any fights where he was behind, he put up a better fight, but ultimately lost against just about everybody that tested him. Holyfield was no ali.

At cruiserweight, where he's the all time greatest, did he not come back in the second half of his 15 rounder against Qawi?

 

[LEGS MAHONEY]

Lol teddy is a bitter wanna be gangster whos delusion has reached the point where he enjoys the aroma of his own farts.