Teddy Atlas names the current fighter who could've reigned supreme in any era, including the prime Mike Tyson period
Teddy Atlas believes Naoye Inoue could've reigned in any era of the sport. 'The Monster' returned to the ring earlier this week in Japan to face Stephen Fulton.
In his first fight up at super bantamweight, Inoue dominated. The former unified bantamweight champion scored a destructive knockout win to earn gold at another weight class.
Naoya Inoue has 6 straight wins by knockout and has stopped 14 of his last 15 opponents 🤯 #FultonInoue pic.twitter.com/Dbf5UpkX98
Following the win, many felt that the Japanese boxer had done enough to be pound-for-pound number one. It's safe to say that Teddy Atlas would agree with that idea, given his recent Twitter post.
On social media, the announcer and coach argued that Inoue could be competitive in any era.
I have always favored the 1930s- 1960s, 1970s-1980s, as Boxing’s best. But Inoue would have fit with greatest of any era. He’s the full package, which consists of: speed, power, smarts, technique, brains, instinct, timing, and controlled ferocity. Simply Special.
#FultonInoue… twitter.com/i/web/status/1… twitter.com/trboxing/statu…
In the tweet, Atlas added that he previously believed that certain decades of boxers are the best. The coach stated that the 1930s, highlighted by names such as Joe Louis, Max Schemling, Max Baer, and more, all dominated the decade.
Furthermore, he praised the 60s, which featured names such as Muhammad Ali, Sonny Liston, Joe Frazier, and more. Atlas then stated that the 70s had incredible talent, with names such as Carlos Monzon dominating the decade.
Lastly, he praised the 80s, which featured names such as Mike Tyson, The Four Kings, Evander Holyfield, and more.
While each decade saw different fighters and different styles, Teddy Atlas believes that Naoya Inoue could compete in all of them.
Teddy Atlas takes aim at former trainee Mike Tyson
Teddy Atlas recently made headlines for taking aim at Mike Tyson.
While the coach stated that Naoye Inoue would be pound-for-pound number one in Tyson's era, that's not a huge shock. In the late 70s, Atlas took 'Iron Mike' under his wing and guided him to several big amateur victories.
Mike Tyson and Teddy Atlas. pic.twitter.com/Md08VOcehK
However, the two would later split in 1982 under infamously bad circumstances. In the decades since, each man has had different tales of how the split happened, however, one thing is for sure, the two still don't like each other.
During a recent edition of the Joe Rogan Experience, Teddy Atlas took aim at 'Iron Mike'. There, he opined that the former heavyweight champion lost every 'real' fight he was in. He stated:
"His physical ability was so overwhelming, his talent was so superior that the other stuff never got tested...Five times, whatever the real record is, five times there was resistance. Five times it became a real fight, five times there was something to overcome, and he failed all five times. He was only in five fights in his life, and he’s 0 in 5.” [H/t The Sun]