Was Tyson Ever Great? Probably Not, Argues Atlas

It’s easy to look strong when your opposition is weak.

That’s the argument from famed boxing trainer Teddy Atlas, who admires former heavyweight champion Mike Tyson for his athletic prowess, citing a rare mix of speed and power from “both sides of the plate.”

Unfortunately, “Iron” was unable to overcome opponents like James Douglas or Evander Holyfield, who didn’t wilt under Tyson’s relentless pressure, or succumb to the fear and intimidation of fighting one of the sport’s most prolific knockout artists.

“I don’t know if he was ever great,” Atlas said on the Lex Fridman Podcast (transcribed by Farah Hannoun). “I know he was sensational. I know he was the greatest mix of maybe speed and power ever. I know he was one of the greatest punchers from either side of the plate, left or right. There’s been great punchers with just the right hand like Earnie Shavers and Deontay Wilder and Max Baer. 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. I don’t know if there was ever as good a fighter as Tyson was for maybe one night he was great. He wasn’t tested, but he might have been ready to be tested that one night against Michael Spinks when he took him apart in 90 seconds. I think I saw a great fighter that night. I don’t think you can be great unless you have all the requirements of being great.”

During his heyday in the mid to late 80s, Tyson racked up 37 straight wins with 33 knockouts, becoming a pop culture sensation and carrying boxing to the peak of its popularity. Then came his downfall — both personal and professional — sending Tyson tumbling down the WBA, WBC, and IBF ladders.

“Too often, (Tyson) relied on other people’s weakness, whether it’s by being intimidated or whether it was because his talent was so much greater than theirs that it was like putting a monster truck in there with a Volkswagen,” Atlas said. “The Volkswagen was going to get crushed. No matter how much horsepower the Volkswagen might’ve had under the hood, it was going to get crushed. The monster truck was not going to allow it to be a contest. To be able to find a way when your talent wasn’t enough — he didn’t find a way when his talent wasn’t enough.”

“A fight is not a fight until there’s something to overcome,” Atlas said. “Until then, it’s just an athletic exhibition contest. Yeah, who’s a better athlete? Who’s got more quick twitch fibers? Who’s more developed in those physical areas? But a fight is not a fight until there’s something to overcome. So, if you go by my definition, not Webster’s, pretend it means something, Mike Tyson was only in five (six) fights in his life. The fights where there was something to overcome, he didn’t overcome it.”

He didn’t overcome smoking, either.