Mike Tyson Trainer Needed 400 Stitches as Knife Missed Jugular

Mike Tyson's former trainer Teddy Atlas recounted a past knife attack in Staten Island that left him requiring 400 stitches. Speaking on the Ring Champs podcast, Atlas recalled how a street altercation following a traffic dispute escalated when five men exited another vehicle. While fighting, an attacker slashed him across the face, inflicting an injury that Atlas stated narrowly missed his jugular vein.

The severe wound required 200 stitches inside his face and 200 on the outside, creating his recognizable facial scar. Atlas survived the life-threatening incident, later training a young Tyson under Cus D'Amato, coaching Michael Moorer to a heavyweight world title in 1994, and establishing a prominent career as a boxing commentator.