NEWS
Breaking News -Former Mike Tyson Coach Teddy Atlas Reveals The Real Reason For Biting His Glove Against Jake Paul..See More 👇
Mike Tyson returned to the ring for one last big-money farewell this month in Texas, losing to Jake Paul over the eight round distance.
When the time came, the former undisputed heavyweight champion’s physical abilities no longer communicated with his ferocious mindset. After a brief attempt to take the fight to the 27-year-old in the opening round, Tyson largely remained dormant for the rest, allowing Paul – who has had 12 fights, mostly against retired UFC stars – to build up a healthy lead on the scorecards.
There has been many talking points in the aftermath, not least some big names in the sport suggesting the contest was ‘scripted’ – something Paul’s promotional company has come out strongly against.
Another debate was Tyson biting his gloves throughout the underwhelming affair. Speaking on his podcast, Teddy Atlas – who was in ‘Iron’ Mike’s corner assisting Cus A’amato in his very early boxing days – said it was nothing new.
“There’s a lot of questions out there about the thumb biting. Mike Tyson biting his thumb through the glove. First of all, that’s something that he did in his amateur days, his pro days and now of course he did it again. For people that follow Mike Tyson’s career, they’ve seen it before.
Though the famed trainer and analyst praised Tyson’s off the cuff answer of ‘a biting fixation’ when asked about the action post-fight, Atlas revealed that it was really down to nerves.
Tyson’s smart, he’s witty. He knows what to say and the importance of having that image … the scary guy, the guy who’s gonna eat your children, the guy who’s the baddest man on the planet … ‘I’ve got a biting [fixation]’ – in other words, so I didn’t bite his ear … But it’s not that. He done it before. It’s more like a pacifier. Look, everyone gets nervous, doubtful, scared. Even Mike Tyson. It was more of a thing like a pacifier when a kid’s unsure or insecure. You bite down on something, why? To suppress the doubt, the nervousness, the uneasiness, the insecurities. That’s what it is.”
The 58-year-old has since confirmed that the record-breaking event was his last foray through the ropes.