Anthony Smith is receiving praise in the wake of UFC 310.
'Lionheart' suggested he will most likely retire after suffering a second-round TKO loss to fellow light heavyweight title contender Dominick Reyes on Saturday night in Las Vegas.
The 38-21 MMA veteran broke down in tears while discussing his fighting future following the recent death of his longtime coach, Scott Morton.
If this is the end, Mike Tyson's ex-trainer wants Anthony Smith to be celebrated as a fighter who faced all odds and refused to win the wrong way.
Photo by Chris Unger/Zuffa LLC
Teddy Atlas reflects on Anthony Smith's career
Teddy Atlas trained Tyson during his teenage years before he went on to coach several world champions and become one of the most respected figures in boxing.
The 68-year-old is also an avid MMA fan. In the aftermath of UFC 310, he focused on one of the three fighters who asked Dana White to retire during his post-fight press conference.
Atlas shared a photo of Smith's fight with Jon Jones, who would have been disqualified for landing an illegal knee had his opponent not decided to continue fighting.
Smith lost by unanimous decision and never got another shot at UFC gold. Still, Tyson's ex-coach believes he deserves to be praised for doing things the right way during his 16-year MMA career.
Atlas wrote on Instagram: “He fought everyone and refused to win the title of DQ, but earned a title that a parent hopes for. Someone who teaches us that we can be more than we ever knew. #Lionheart.”
Teddy Atlas answers Mike Tyson's important question
Tyson's recent comeback loss left a bunch of boxing fans asking the same question.
Everyone wanted to know why 'Iron Mike' bit his gloves during his clash with Jake Paul, which ended in a lopsided points win for the younger man.
The boxing legend put it down to a 'biting fixation', but his old coach insisted it had nothing to do with that and revealed the 'real reason' Tyson chewed his gloves.
“There are a lot of questions about thumb biting,” Atlas said.
“Mike Tyson bites his thumb through the glove. First of all, that's something he did in his amateur days, in his professional days, and now of course he did it again.
“For people who follow Mike Tyson, his career, they've seen it before. People said, 'Tyson is smart, he's witty. He knows what to say and how important it is to have that image.”
'That's why he got all the money. It wasn't about what he had left at age 58. It was about what he might still have and the image. The scary guy. The man who is going to eat your children, the man who is the meanest man on earth.
“When people asked Tyson about the biting, he knew what to say. Again, keep that image, keep that myth. In areas like this it's important that they believe he's still the bogeyman.
“Why did you bite, Mike?” “I have a biting feeling.” In other words, so I didn't bite his ear. That's just a brilliant promotion for his brand so that people stick with that image. “Oh my God, he bit his thumb so he wouldn't bite his ear off.”
“But it isn't. He's done it before. It looks more like a pacifier. Look, everyone gets nervous, doubtful, scared. Even Mike Tyson. It was more like a pacifier when a child is insecure. You bite on something. Why? To suppress those feelings, you must suppress the doubt, nervousness, discomfort, and insecurities. That's it.”
Related posts
Comments