In boxing, some stories pack a harder punch than actual boxers. Such is the saga of Mike Tyson and Teddy Atlas, who go way back when ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ was nothing but a 15-year-old punk. Discovered by Bobby Stewart in a correctional facility, ‘Iron’ Mike was brought to Cus D’Amato’s gym in Cat Skills, where he would meet Teddy Atlas. It started with something bigger than any of them!

Mike would go on to become the youngest heavyweight champion the world has ever seen. However, on the path to greatness, 15-year-old Mike found himself on a collision course with Atlas for allegedly harassing Atlas’ 11-year-old family member. It forced the legendary trainer to put Mike at gunpoint, threatening to stay clear of his family. However, more than four decades after that incident, Mike and Atlas would meet again! In an interview with Vlad TV, shared on YouTube today, Atlas reveals how it went! 

Encounter with Mike Tyson: Teddy Atlas didn’t want it to happen in front of millions

While appearing in the ongoing series on YouTube from Vlad TV, the host began the latest video by drawing Atlas’ attention to his first encounter with Tyson after the incident. The Staten Island native was at the Turning Stone Casino in 2013 when he met Tyson. Describing the surprise meeting publicly, the legendary trainer detailed how it happened.

“Unexpectedly, unbeknownst to me, I was [in] Corner fights on ESPN, which I did for 20-some years. And I’m ringside corner fights in the middle of [a] fight, and my producer gets to my headset and says Mike Tyson’s coming up, he wants to apologize,” said the famed boxing trainer. Learning about Tyson’s intentions from his producer, Atlas claimed he did not want it to happen in public but accepted the situation.

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“I’d rather [preferred it] been private. It’s in front of millions of people, it’s on TV – that’s a private thing,” said the trainer. He then unraveled his inner conflict on how to deal with Tyson’s apology, questioning, “What are you gonna do? Get up! You’re gonna accept his handshake or not?” When the moment arrived to face Tyson, he chose to accept Tyson’s apology, feeling it was sincere. 

Also Read: “It Was Causing a Problem for Me”: Years After Firing Bullet at Mike Tyson, Teddy Atlas Explains the Real Issues That Led to the Incident

“I accepted it! I accepted that it was sincere, we shook hands, he hugged me, [and] he told me he loved me. He said he was sorry,” Atlas revealed. It’s also worth mentioning that at that point in life, Mike was on a mission to smoothen things over with the people he had wronged. 

While the former trainer and boxer duo aren’t in a position to call each other buddies, they have left past animosity against each other in the past. Perhaps Tyson’s apology during their encounter in 2013 had a major role in that. Do you think Atlas should have forgiven Tyson? 

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