Mike Tyson boasted a fantastic array of knockouts. World Boxing News reveals what his former trainer says is the best.
Teddy Atlas knows all about the work Tyson put in to become the youngest heavyweight champion. The man was side-by-side with the formidable puncher for years.
Overseeing the early stages of Tyson’s development, Atlas was an integral part of a dream team that distilled the fundamentals of being an animal into ‘Iron’ Mike.
After a long spell of honing his skills, Mike Tyson was unleashed to the world in 1984. The rest is history.
Two years later, Mike became ‘The Baddest Man on the Planet’ and scored his greatest stoppage on the night of his ‘coming out party’ – according to Atlas.
“It’s got to be Trevor Berbick,” Atlas told ESPN Sports Center. “First of all, you must understand the knockout’s anatomy.
“He was taught up in Catskill with Cus D’Amato and me. Cus was always talking about picking spots to hit a guy.
“You know, behind the ear and on the temple – different areas, like the liver, for body shots.
“This was a shot on the temple. There was no other opening, so he hit him with the left hook on t he temple.
“Look what happened. You saw it. He falls this way. He falls that way. Then he falls backward. He stands up. And then he falls through the ropes.
“You talk about dramatic. You talk about that for the heavyweight title. Talk about being on a stage and in a moment and capturing that moment.
“That’s what that was, and that was the coming out. That was the star going on Broadway and saying, ‘I am a star!’”
Mike Tyson comeback
Retiring in 2005 as a two-time world heavyweight champion, Tyson made an astonishing comeback in his fifties.
Training like a demon and being inundated with offers, the fighter-turned-actor-turned-podcast secured a vast deal to fight Roy Jones Jr.
The Pay Per View sold 1.5 million units and broke the top ten all-time PPVs in the United States.
Initially, one opponent stood out above all – Evander Holyfield. The pair had already met twice in the 1990s, and Holyfield was back in training.
‘The Real Deal’ kept himself in superb shape despite being four years older than Tyson. He also hung up his gloves far later than the New Yorker did.
However, Tyson vs Holyfield III wasn’t to be, and UFC star Vitor Belfort knocked the latter out in one round.
In addition, Tyson’s fight with Jones ended a draw.