Two Sides To Atlas, But He's His Own Man

[BIGPOPPAPUMP]

by TK Stewart - I've been following the ongoing saga with Teddy Atlas and his seven day suspension from his position as a color analyst with ESPN2 Friday Night Fights with a keen interest as to what will come of it all. Incidentally, it's a story that was broken wide-open right here on boxingscene.com by Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Rick Reeno.

If you know Teddy Atlas, you know there's two sides to the man. There's the side that is abrasive and ornery and that would never back down from a confrontation. It's the side that once counted former New York City mafia characters John Gotti and Sammy The Bull" Gravano as close associates. It's the same side of Atlas that once held a gun to a young Mike Tyson's head and also had laid out plans to murder former world champion Donny LaLonde. It's the same Teddy Atlas that has a scar that runs down the entire side of his face - compliments of being on the wrong end of a knife.

The other side of Teddy Atlas is a tireless charitable giver, a husband and father and a man of great integrity. Through the "Dr. Theodore J. Atlas Foundation" named after his father and which he created, Atlas is the head of a charitable organization which helps those who can't help themselves. Atlas sees to it that the needy are cared for, given the basics to eke out meager existences and he does it all without ever expecting anything back. His annual fund raising dinner has grown tremendously over the past several years and as it has expanded Atlas has been able to give more and more to those that need it the most. [details]

[goneworldwide]

I respect Teddy Atlas

[MorganB]

Great Article

Cool dude!

[Gareth Ivanovic]

After reading his book I really had a new respect for Atlas. You know he loves the sport of boxing and wants to keep it clean. It sucks that he stands up for what he thinks is right and may have to pay the price for it.

[punchDrUnK MONK]

he is a boxing geneious.. and clearly i cant spell .. lol

[Tom Molineaux]

Teddy Atlas is the opposite of his public image. It is absurd that such a bad guy has people believing that he is squeaky clean and out to clean up the sport. Wake up people you have been hoodwinked. This guy is as bad a guy as there is in the sport. Do your homework before you spout off what a cool dude he is. He is, was and always will be a thug who is one of the worst characters the sport has ever produced. As soon as the ESPN suits really realize what they have allowed in their midst, he will be gone. And then we will see him back where he began and where he belongs, carrying spit buckets, and not even being allowed to train.

[OctoberRed]

Teddy Atlas is the opposite of his public image. It is absurd that such a bad guy has people believing that he is squeaky clean and out to clean up the sport. Wake up people you have been hoodwinked. This guy is as bad a guy as there is in the sport. Do your homework before you spout off what a cool dude he is. He is, was and always will be a thug who is one of the worst characters the sport has ever produced. As soon as the ESPN suits really realize what they have allowed in their midst, he will be gone. And then we will see him back where he began and where he belongs, carrying spit buckets, and not even being allowed to train.

If that's how you feel, then why the alias.....Chris....

[Sin City]

Teddy Atlas is the opposite of his public image. It is absurd that such a bad guy has people believing that he is squeaky clean and out to clean up the sport. Wake up people you have been hoodwinked. This guy is as bad a guy as there is in the sport. Do your homework before you spout off what a cool dude he is. He is, was and always will be a thug who is one of the worst characters the sport has ever produced. As soon as the ESPN suits really realize what they have allowed in their midst, he will be gone. And then we will see him back where he began and where he belongs, carrying spit buckets, and not even being allowed to train.

wow all the hate you just speawed and with no evidence!
how you gonna make a claim and not provide evidence or proof of him being such a horrible person? your a fool and a tool!

[edgarg]

I have different thoughts about Atlas, and, in fact I was not aware that he'd laid down plans to murder Donny LaLonde. Almost impossible to believe such brutality from someone one sees regularly on the screen. Like O.J. I suppose. His mixture of generosity and implacable enemity make him sound exactly like a Sicilian mafiosa. I disagree with the comment that he "tirelessly" tries to instruct boxers....I would say that he "tiresomely" tries to lecture boxers on their faults etc. Teddy never is content to say a thing in one or two ways. he insists on saying the same thing five or six ways, stumbling over and misusing the language to the extent that he should be charged with syntaxian assassination.
Another point that the writer made, was that he walked away from millions to be had by training Tyson. My understanding, (and I'd be happy to be corrected) was that he was a very junior assistant trainer, learning on the job, who'd quit boxing after 6-8 fights, and was an unpaid D'Amato assistant, when Tyson was a kid amateur. And that D'amato had fired him because he'd pulled a gun on Tyson. That his training reputation and skills were comparatively low at that time. Again, I'd be glad to know the true facts, which I'm not sure I'd get by reading Teddy's book. He provides a little colour to the ESPN progrwmmes, because although one knows that he'll endlessly say the same thing over and over, this often provides an unconsciously humourous aspect to what is actually a very grim business. "Unconsciously humourous", because Teddy actually takes himself VERY seriously.

[edgarg]

Add=on;; I believe that those few fights Teddy had were amateur, that he was never a pro. So his actual physical fighting experience was almost nil-except for street scuffles, perhaps knife fights, who knows. I always wondered about that scar. He's too public these days anyway to be anything but straight up and his Foundation must do a lotof good. Maybe this is his way to make up for things he didn't do so well when he was younger..