Last night, Mike Tyson made his debut as a promoter on Friday Night Fights. While in attendance at Turning Stone Casino in Verona, N.Y., Iron Mike made an effort to reach out and apologize to his former trainer and current ESPN analyst Teddy Atlas.
The two had a falling out in 1982 after Tyson, who was in his late teens at the time, acted in a sexually inappropriate manner towards an 11-year-old female relative of Atlas. Teddy responded to Tyson's actions by confronting him, pressing a .38 caliber handgun to Mike's head and firing one shot in the air after telling the boxer to never interact with his family in that manner again. Following the incident, Atlas was let go by their common mentor, Cus D'Amato.
In addition to extending an apology to Atlas, Tyson had an incredibly honest press conference where he spoke about the demons he battles again and again, as well as revealing that he's "been lying about being sober" and still struggles with being a "vicious alcoholic." It's all so heartwrenching. We really hope Iron Mike stays on the road towards sobriety and reaches further success as a promoter in the sport of boxing.
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[via YouTube]
