Famed trainer turned analyst Teddy Atlas had success in the corner of many a fighter, learning the ropes from Cus D’Amato.
He worked with Mike Tyson in his teenage years before a nasty split, led Michael Moorer to a world heavyweight title, cornered Hall of Famer Tim Bradley and trained Puerto Rican record-breaker Wilfred Benitez.
It comes as little surprise that Atlas, despite only working with a young Tyson for a short period of time and before his career really kicked off, picked him as the hardest hitter in a feature with The Ring Magazine.
“That’s pretty easy. Anyone who could be knocking out men when he’s 12, 13 years old is a pretty damn good puncher. He learned the technique to make you miss and catch you clean but power’s power and punchers are born not made. Tyson’s maybe one of the best punchers in history.
When you’re developing a guy who’s 12 years old and you can’t put him in with kids to spar because there are none and so you’re hiring sparring partners and they’re men and he’s hurting them and knocking them out.”
Tyson went one shy of winning 20 fights by knockout. He went 37 undefeated before being on the wrong side of one of the biggest upsets in heavyweight history against James ‘Buster’ Douglas.
He would hang up the gloves with six losses in total and many felt he missed his prime when in prison. Still, as Atlas can attest to, his knockout-to-win ratio was an impressive 79% – those trademark hooks and uppercuts thrown relentlessly from the peek-a-boo style.
Tyson returns to the ring on November 15 to face Jake Paul in a controversial professional bout. Atlas has warned the YouTuber-turned-fighter not to underestimate the power.
