Teddy Atlas on The Joe Rogan Experience

[El Kabong]

I finally got around to listen to Atlas talk about Tyson.....geez what the fuck makes a great fighter for Teddy? So Tyson lost a few fights, big deal. I don't think he quit or hid...I think vs Douglas he tried his damnedest he just ran out of gas and took too many shots. I think vs Holyfield in #1 he gave everything but Evander never broke and in the rematch it was looking the same and THEN he looked for a way out. Against Frans Botha he struggled and Frans gave a great account of himself and Tyson found a way to win, great punch too. Against Ruddock 2 times he really was called to dig deep. Against Bruno he went through some adversity. Against Lennox he came out of the gates hot but faded quickly (thought Manny Steward did a great job pushing Lennox for the KO). Against Williams and McBride he was just too damned old.


Teddy has convinced himself he's not being personally harsh on Tyson, but we all know he is and hell I understand it, Tyson and he had a very personal fallout.


I would be interested for Kevin Rooney to be on The JRE

[p4pking]

Yeah that was my take also, cool interview on the whole but when Tyson comes up he’s just sour. “He only had five fights and he lost them all” you could say that about almost anyone who ever lost some fights.... Mike probably had less heart than someone like a Gatti, sure, but he never went out easily, was tough as nails, and as you mentioned he overcame serious resistance a bunch of times to beat top guys. You can’t hold it against him for having a tendency to steamroll others without taking the kitchen sink.

[El Kabong]

Yeah that was my take also, cool interview on the whole but when Tyson comes up he’s just sour. “He only had five fights and he lost them all” you could say that about almost anyone who ever lost some fights.... Mike probably had less heart than someone like a Gatti, sure, but he never went out easily, was tough as nails, and as you mentioned he overcame serious resistance a bunch of times to beat top guys. You can’t hold it against him for having a tendency to steamroll others without taking the kitchen sink.

Absolutely! Given Tyson's issues outside the ring, given the turmoil in his training camps, and given the era remember fighters were RUINED by drugs in the 80's and 90's John Tate, Michael Dokes, hell Tyson himself admitted recently to being high during some major fights and he still accomplished so much.


What gets me is the amount of adversity Teddy is talking about happening during a fight...nobody would last long in the sport if they took that much adversity, that much punishment every single fight. I don't care who you are!


Mike Tyson never got off the canvas to win a fight, but hell neither did Lennox Lewis, I don't think Joe Frazier did, I don't think Sonny Liston did.

Tyson was behind on the scorecards when he beat Frans Botha 36-40, 36-40, 36-39 and there are great fighters who haven't done that before

Tyson got rocked and recovered to go on to win or hold on to win


So really the only deal was once you got Tyson on the canvas he was beaten....so his history tells us. But shit Buster Douglas had to throw the kitchen sink at him to drop him. Tyson never ever suffered a flash knockdown that I know of which speaks to how great both his footwork and his chin were and how good his balance was.


I really think Tyson vs Bowe at old Yankee Stadium in the Bronx or Madison Square Garden in the 1990's (had Tyson not been sent to prison) would have been just an amazing spectacle. The prefigth press conferences alone would have been amazing. It would have been one of those fights where you wouldn't even need a title to get everyone hyped for it.

[p4pking]

Yep, every time he got dropped he had already taken tremendous punishment and been comprehensively beaten. Show me a fighter who has gotten off the canvas to win numerous times, and you’re almost always going to be talking about guys who weren’t great at staying off of it in the first place.

[El Kabong]

Yep, every time he got dropped he had already taken tremendous punishment and been comprehensively beaten. Show me a fighter who has gotten off the canvas to win numerous times, and you’re almost always going to be talking about guys who weren’t great at staying off of it in the first place.

And it's not like Tyson ever got sparked cold.


Look at Floyd Patterson, I bet Teddy rates Patterson and Floyd got sparked on occasion!

[p4pking]

It’s almost like we agree. Let’s keep putting it differently and liking each others posts for a few pages, just for a change of pace around here.

[p4pking]

Tyson r gud fighter, almost like Dane mikkel Kessler.

[El Kabong]

It’s almost like we agree. Let’s keep putting it differently and liking each others posts for a few pages, just for a change of pace around here.

I might not say it that way, but I don't disagree

[Spicoli]

I have to watch the whole thing Sunday looks pretty interesting. Teddy at the beginning sounds like any random stoner who forgot the tv was on and starts talking about the awesome patterns on the new carpet. Teddy don't care. I've always found him a wear it on your sleeve kinda guy and his carpet bombing of boxings BS after the result of Augustus v Burton belongs in a time capsule! He slags on Tyson hard but he was there and can come off as disappointment or frustration with self in a way.