The fallout of pulling a gun on 15-year old Mike Tyson taught Teddy Atlas true forgiveness, says the famed boxing trainer

Mike Tyson is without doubt one of the most legendary names in boxing history.

His rise from the streets of New York to become the heavyweight champion of the world are in no small part thanks to his childhood trainers, Gus D'Amato and Teddy Atlas - who has now reflected on putting a gun to a 15-year-old Tyson's head.

'Iron Mike' grew up in a poverty-stricken, crime-ridden area of Brownesville, NY. His rough upbringing moulded Tyson into a tough individual, who at times let his impulsive nature get the best of him.

One such time was when the 15-year-old Tyson inappropriately touched the niece of Teddy Atlas, which prompted the famed boxing trainer to put a gun to the young pugilist's head.

Atlas was swiftly barred from training 'Iron Mike' by Gus D'Amato after the incident. During a recent appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast, he reflected on the lessons that being left behind by D'Amato and Tyson taught him.

He said this:

"For a while I thought everything Gus had said to me was a lie. I didn't want to be part of it anymore. Until I got a little more mature. A little more passed that, where I was able to understand that just because somebody that you perceived as great in every area, you find to be weak in certain areas, doesn't mean that they can't still be what they were to you." [1:40-2:42]

Atlas continued:

"Gus told me the most important thing was loyalty, Gus told me he loved me because I was loyal... So I assumed that he would show the same traits." [2:57-3:24]

"You can learn to forgive weakness when you realize how easy it is to be weak." [5:00-5:27]

Watch the video below:

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When was Mike Tyson's last appearance in the ring?

In his prime, Mike Tyson was one of the most intimidating boxers to ever walk the planet, and at the age of 57, still appears to be in shape enough to step in the ring.

While his final professional boxing bout came in 2005, against Kevin McBride, 'Iron Mike' has competed in several exhibitions fights since his professional retirement.

Most recently, Tyson faced off against fellow boxing Hall of Famer Roy Jones Jr. in an exhibition match. The pair faced off in 2023, with the bout being ruled a split-draw.

Mike Tyson has yet to indicate that he would be interested in another exhibition bout.