Teddy Atlas

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Atlas in November 2011

Theodor A. "Teddy" Atlas Jr. (born July 26, 1956 in Staten Island , New York City ) is an American boxing coach and television commentator.

Early years

The son of a doctor with a Hungarian-Jewish background, "Teddy" Atlas grew up in a middle-class environment in Staten Island. His interest in boxing developed in the early 1970s, so that he began training in the local police league and soon played his first amateur fights. In addition to his athletic development, however, there were personal problems in a criminal environment.

He was involved in several street fights. He suffered a cut when he was stabbed by a knife, which had to be stitched with 400 stitches. From this episode he wore his characteristic facial scar. At the height of his criminal machinations, he took part in a failed armed robbery that earned him a prison term on the prison island of Rikers Island . Atlas came into contact with him through his childhood friend Kevin Rooney , who trained in the Catskill Gym under old master Cus D'Amato .

Under D'Amato's care, he developed into a successful amateur fighter who, among other things, won the Golden Gloves tournament of the Adirondack Association of USA Boxing . His path to becoming a professional boxer seemed mapped out, but a serious back injury ended his active sporting career. After a brief relapse into old patterns, he decided on D'Amato's advice for a career as a coach in his gym and thus finally broke with the criminal milieu.

Coaching

D'Amato was convinced of Atlas' abilities, so that after a few years of apprenticeship he took him on to the coaching staff around his most promising protégé, Mike Tyson . After four years of successful collaboration, Atlas left the Catskill Gym in 1983 after an argument with Tyson, as a result of which D'Amato relieved Atlas from his duties. There are two versions of this incident.

Atlas later stated that Tyson had sexually molested his eleven-year-old niece, whereupon Atlas aimed a loaded pistol at Tyson and threatened him with death if he ever approached his family in a foul manner. Tyson confirmed the incident with the loaded gun. However, he was touched by the fact that Atlas wanted to leave the Catskill Gym and take him with him. Atlas wanted Tyson with the loaded gun under pressure to follow him.

His greatest success as a professional boxing coach celebrated Atlas alongside his protégé Michael Moorer , in 1994 after the points victory over Evander Holyfield the IBF - and the WBA - Heavyweight champion title could win. He also worked temporarily as a coach for Donny Lalonde and Barry McGuigan . In 2006 Altlas prepared Henry Maske for several months for his comeback fight against Virgil Hill , until the collaboration was terminated due to pre-fight disagreements.

In 2009 Atlas began working with Russian heavyweight Alexander Powetkin . On August 27, 2011 Powetkin won the WBA title after a unanimous victory over Ruslan Chagayev . Shortly afterwards, Atlas and Powetkin's manager Vladimir Hryunov fell out. Atlas accused Powetkin's management of not having the fighter's wellbeing in mind, but of being driven by financial interests. The background was a planned fight against Wladimir Klitschko . As a coach, Atlas took the position that Powetkin was not yet ready for such an opponent and suggested that he reject it. After the dispute, the two ended the collaboration by mutual agreement.

Career as a boxing commentator

Atlas has been commenting on Olympic boxing competitions for NBC television since 2000 . He is also the North American Pay TV transmitter ESPN operates. According to his own statement, he doesn't want to train fighters anymore.

Reconciliation with Tyson

On the sidelines of an ESPN fight event on which Atlas commented, there was a brief discussion between him and Tyson, who is now a boxing promoter, on August 25, 2013. Since his departure from Catskill there had been no face-to-face conversation between the two of them. Over the years, Atlas had drawn attention to himself as a sharp critic of Tyson. For example, in connection with the disqualification in the Holyfield fight , he described him as a “weak and flawed person”, ie as a “weak personality and a bad person”.

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Teddy Atlas Biography on dratlasfoundation.com (English)
  2. ↑ Teddy Atlas: Once troubled Staten Island kid always had a big heart on silive.com (English)
  3. ↑ Teddy Atlas held a gun to Mike Tyson's head on YouTube , recording of the program Highly Questionable from July 9, 2012, ESPN2
  4. ↑ EMMY 2012 on youtube.com
  5. ^ Richard V. Powell: Teddy Atlas Slammed by Povetkin Trainer. In: fightsaga.com. April 25, 2012. Retrieved March 23, 2019 .
  6. ↑ Fired trainer pulls over Henry Maske welt.de
  7. ↑ a b Atlas Discusses Split With Povetkin , History of Dispute on boxingscene.com (English)
  8. ↑ Mike Tyson apologizes to Teddy Atlas after 2 decades on YouTube , Boxing Now, August 25, 2013.
  9. ↑ Aatlas shrugged, he knows what's eating Tyson on nydailynews.com
personal data
SURNAME Atlas, teddy
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Atlas, Theodor A. junior; Atlas, Teddy junior (nickname)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION American boxing coach and television commentator
DATE OF BIRTH July 26, 1956
PLACE OF BIRTH Staten Island , New York City