Teddy Atlas Blasts Match Between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr

The former trainer of "Iron" Mike Tyson didn't hold back when talking about the fight.

Former trainer Teddy Atlas heavily criticized the fight between Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. set for April. | IMAGO / Christian Schroedter

Former heavyweight champion and boxing icon Mike Tyson is set to face former champion Floyd Mayweather Jr. in an exhibition match in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in April.

Tyson, 59, will be making his return to the ring for the first time since facing Jake Paul in November 2024. The fight will serve to honor the famous “Rumble in the Jungle” heavyweight bout between Muhammad Ali and George Foreman in 1974.

Despite the event honoring one of the most memorable moments in boxing history, many are skeptical of Tyson jumping back into the squared circle after his performance against Paul. 

Jake Paul vs Mike Tyson | IMAGO / Inpho Photography

Atlas is not looking forward to Tyson vs Mayweather

Among the detractors of the event labeled “Legend vs. Legend” is Teddy Atlas, who formerly worked with Tyson when he trained with the legendary Cus D’Amato. Atlas spoke with BetVictor and was blunt about the fight.

“Mike Tyson vs Floyd Mayweather is just a money grab. It’s not an athletic venture; it’s no longer an athletic contest.”

Teddy Atlas

“I won’t even go deep to say if it’s preordained, scripted, or WWE-like, which maybe some people thought with the Paul-Tyson fight,” Atlas added. “I don’t go that deep. I just say that sometimes fights in my world were about competitiveness. They were about who’s better… about answering a question for the fans, but, more importantly, for the participants."

This will be Mike Tyson's first time back in the ring since facing Jake Paul in an exhibition match in 2024. | IMAGO / Inpho Photography

"Who’s better? Who’s up to the challenge? Who can be greater? Who can dig further? That’s not what this [Tyson-Mayweather] is about.”

Neither fighter is a stranger to exhibition fights

Both Mike Tyson and Floyd Mayweather Jr. have been part of an event like this before, particularly Mayweather, who has competed in numerous exhibitions.

Mayweather’s first exhibition bout came in 2018, when he traveled to Japan and knocked out the then-20-year-old bantamweight Tenshin Nasukawa in the first round. From that point, Mayweather has taken exhibition fights against influencers Logan Paul (who claims Mayweather still owes him millions) and Deji Olatunji, among multiple other fighters.

Floyd Mayweather Jr. and Logan Paul fought in an exhibition match in 2021. | IMAGO / MediaPunch

He has two additional fights scheduled after he faces Tyson, an exhibition against legendary kickboxer Mike Zambidis in June, and a professionally sanctioned bout against Manny Pacquiao in September at the Sphere in Las Vegas.

Tyson is no stranger to exhibition fights either. He faced Roy Jones Jr. in Los Angeles in 2020. He also faced former heavyweight boxer Corey Sanders in 2006.

“This is gonna be incredible, it’s gonna break all the records. It’s gonna be one of the biggest events of this year’s sport,” Tyson said while speaking at a live event in December.