“He was born with power,” Teddy Atlas reveals MIND-BLOWING details of Mike Tyson’s first-ever sparring session
Teddy Atlas recounts the time when Mike Tyson first entered a boxing gym and had his first sparring session.
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Teddy Atlas and Mike Tyson (image credit- Forbes, Abstract Sports)
Mike Tyson became champion at the age of 20, a feat no one had achieved before him. Nowadays, Tyson is well-liked by fans and the younger generation of boxers and is considered the GOAT. Subsequently, Tyson’s former trainer, Teddy Atlas, recently recounted the first time Tyson entered a boxing gym and showed his potential.
Tyson was arrested 30 times in juvenile prison when he was 12 years old. In an interview with VLAD TV, Atlas spoke about the boxing gym he was part of with Cus D’Amato. Atlas said they would always recruit new young fighters and look for hidden talent. Furthermore, Atlas recounted Tyson’s first sparring session when he was 12 years old and stated:
Punches are born, they're not made, and it's true he was born with power, and you could see it.Teddy Atls via VLAD TV
Atlas mentioned how Tyson was a 12-year-old who weighed 190 pounds of only muscle and had incredible power. Subsequently, Atlas mentioned bringing in a 28-year-old 170-pound pro boxer to test Tyson inside the ring. They intended to test Tyson’s willpower, and they wanted to push him by using a pro boxer who was a former amateur national champion.
In addition, Atlas also mentioned how a punch cannot be taught and is something a fighter is born with. Hence, while Tyson’s fighting style was not refined yet, he displayed his immense power, potential, and fighting spirit.
Teddy Atlas doesn’t think Mike Tyson was one of the greats
Atlas’s relationship with Tyson is very complicated and is very old since Atlas has known Tyson since his teenage days. Subsequently, their relationship became ruined after Atlas once pulled a pistol on a young Tyson for allegedly molesting his relative. Hence, this led Atlas and Tyson to drift away, but Atlas still has a lot of insights about the former heavyweight champion.
Similarly, Atlas was once asked about Tyson’s career by Lex Fridman, and Atlas stated one crucial problem. Further, Atlas believes that Tyson has all the potential in the world. However, despite that talent, Atlas stated that when that talent didn’t get the job done, Tyson stumbled. Subsequently, Atlas admitted that Tyson won most of his fights splendidly, but it was because of his talent.
Hence, Atlas believed that Tyson did not have the flame inside him to be able to win without his talent and would rather stumble. In addition, Atlas stated that a fight was only a fight when there was something to overcome or some challenge. However, Tyson could not achieve this without his talent, so he didn’t believe he was the greatest.
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