Atlas named the fighter whose intimidating behavior Tyson copied

The famous American trainer Teddy Atlas said that the legendary Mike Tyson tried to copy Sonny Liston's behavior to intimidate his rivals.

“I think the very first boogeyman was Sonny Liston. I believe there were many others after him. I think his personality definitely influenced Mike Tyson. He tried to copy Liston's approach in terms of looking angry and blank, intimidating his opponent, using fear as a weapon like the left hook or right hand, trying to take something away from the fighter. There is no doubt that Tyson was eager to do this. I think the model he was looking at was Sonny Liston. I believe that George Foreman, when he first came, also copied this script a little.

It seems to me that Roberto Duran went his own way. He comes from Panama, its harsh streets. I don't think he even knew Sonny Liston. Liston aside, I think Durant could be the next first boogeyman. He had it real. This image was created by his life,” Atlas said.