Mike Tyson is a legend in the world of professional boxing. Originating from the poverty-laden streets of New York, Tyson went on to become a heavyweight world champion. His remarkable journey was shaped significantly by two legends, Cus D’Amato and Teddy Atlas.
These mentors played pivotal roles, but the path to Tyson’s success was far from a smooth one.
In an interview with VladTV, Teddy Atlas disclosed a moment when training Tyson became a struggle. Atlas stated that he had once barred Tyson from his gym because the young boxer had repeatedly gotten into trouble. It was Atlas’ partner Cus D’Amato who gave Tyson permission to return to the gym.
This marked a turning point as Tyson began pushing boundaries. The situation took a dark turn when Tyson inappropriately got involved with Atlas’ 11-year-old niece. This forced Atlas to take drastic measures.
Atlas said: “Next thing you know, he’s testing those boundaries and he only knows one way to test them. He’s with an 11-year-old girl who happens to be in my family. And I don’t have to go into what he did or what he said and what he threatened to do. It wasn’t something that should be allowed. It’s not allowable.”
Mike Tyson’s trainer Teddy Atlas required 400 stitches on his face after a knife incident gone wrong
Determined to shield his family, Atlas confronted Tyson outside the gym. Atlas brought up a g*n to Tyson’s face and made it unequivocally clear that any threat to his family would be met with severe consequences.
Atlas continued: “I got a g*n, I went and I grabbed him outside the gym, and told him that if you ever go near my family again, in any way of hurting my family or what you said you were gonna do to this person, I’ll kill you. I want him to be sure that he understood because I understood him and I want to be sure he understood me.”
“I needed him to understand what I really would do. I didn’t want to do it because I knew it would destroy my and my family’s life. It would destroy his life, obviously. So I wanted to make it very clear. And if it was gonna be, it was gonna be. That’s how serious I was.”
Reflecting on the incident, he said: “So I said, ‘Do you understand me?’ He showed that he didn’t, so I shot a bullet off close to his ear, just so he would because I didn’t want to be in that position again. If I had to, I would, but I didn’t want to, but in my way, I was saving him and me.”