Teddy Atlas's career ending injury

[MGG]

That is correct, Atlas got scarred from a knife fight. Read the article/bio a few years back.

[hollister]

" I was a kid driving with a buddy of mine and we were cut off by another car, and then we cut them off. It was like a game of chicken. It got to the point where we all got out of our cars and we were ready to fight. I thought there were just two people in the car, not realizing there were five or six. We were fighting all these guys, or at least I thought we were. I found out later that my friend was on the roof of the car, leaving me to go against these guys. I was able to drop a couple of them, and this one person Ð I can't say "man" because no man would act this way Ð pulls out a knife and cuts me across my face. "




Atlas won the Golden Gloves title in the 139 lb. weight division, knocking out every opponent he faced.

But Atlas had hurt his back pretty badly playing football and during a rematch with one of the opponents he faced in the Gloves, his back seized up. And even though Atlas won by knockout in the third round, he absorbed a lot of punishment. D'Amato knew what was happening and he approached Atlas in the locker room after the fight.

"You ain't fightin' no more," D'Amato said.

Not sure if he was joking, Atlas nervously asked him, "What are you talkin' about Cus?"

D'Amato knew and admired Atlas' heart. He knew Atlas would never quit unless he forced him to. He also knew he was the only man who could.

"You heard me Atlas!said Amato. I said you ain't fightin' no more! You're gonna be a trainer."

"A trainer?" Atlas asked. "C'mon Cus I don't know nothin' about bein' no trainer."

"That's right Atlas, you don't know nothin'!" D'Amato said. "I'm gonna teach ya'. Because youre a born teacher."

Atlas could have gone to another trainer, but in his mind that would have been a violation of the code and an insult to D'Amato.

He was retired. At 19.

Appreciate your post man, I've always been curious about that.

[The Fix]

" I was a kid driving with a buddy of mine and we were cut off by another car, and then we cut them off. It was like a game of chicken. It got to the point where we all got out of our cars and we were ready to fight. I thought there were just two people in the car, not realizing there were five or six. We were fighting all these guys, or at least I thought we were. I found out later that my friend was on the roof of the car, leaving me to go against these guys. I was able to drop a couple of them, and this one person Ð I can't say "man" because no man would act this way Ð pulls out a knife and cuts me across my face. "


Atlas won the Golden Gloves title in the 139 lb. weight division, knocking out every opponent he faced.

But Atlas had hurt his back pretty badly playing football and during a rematch with one of the opponents he faced in the Gloves, his back seized up. And even though Atlas won by knockout in the third round, he absorbed a lot of punishment. D'Amato knew what was happening and he approached Atlas in the locker room after the fight.

"You ain't fightin' no more," D'Amato said.

Not sure if he was joking, Atlas nervously asked him, "What are you talkin' about Cus?"

D'Amato knew and admired Atlas' heart. He knew Atlas would never quit unless he forced him to. He also knew he was the only man who could.

"You heard me Atlas!said Amato. I said you ain't fightin' no more! You're gonna be a trainer."

"A trainer?" Atlas asked. "C'mon Cus I don't know nothin' about bein' no trainer."

"That's right Atlas, you don't know nothin'!" D'Amato said. "I'm gonna teach ya'. Because youre a born teacher."

Atlas could have gone to another trainer, but in his mind that would have been a violation of the code and an insult to D'Amato.

He was retired. At 19.

thanks man.pretty interesting

[Slipx]

as you can see the scar is on a bad spot, if he were to catch a good right hook that connected properly, it could split his face

[Slipx]

"Well, I've been trainin' these two guys…….

"Atlas, you son of a gun!" D'Amato interrupted. "I told you you was a trainer! Where you been workin'?"

"In a park." Atlas replied.

A park! What the hell are you doin' in a park?" D'Amato said.

"Yeah. Well, you see the thing is," Atlas continued, "I can't just abandon these guys, 'cause otherwise it makes me look like I'm full of ****."

"Bring 'em wit ya'" D'Amato replied.

Atlas embraced his new role with a passion. D'Amato was right; Atlas was born to teach. He loved the gym. He formed a charter called the Catskill Boxing Club. He trained the pros during the day and the kids - who now flocked to the gym - at night. He worked 14 to 16 hours a day; seven days a week, just like his father. Only now he was the doctor and the fighters were his patients. He especially enjoyed the kids.

One such kid was named Gary Young. He was about 11 and he wanted to learn how to box. He came to see Atlas and Teddy noticed that when he spoke he kept his hand over his mouth and Atlas couldn't understand a word he said, but he listened anyway. During the conversation the young boy moved his hand slightly, revealing a horrible hair-lip disfigurement. Atlas said nothing. When the boy finished whatever he was trying to say Atlas said, "Come back tomorrow at six o'clock."

Atlas worked with the boy on his knees on the floor. "Yeah, I kept the kids on the floor for a long time ya' know, 'cause they were afraid and not developed yet. I used to wear out the knees in my dungarees, which was a problem 'cause Cus wasn't payin' me nothin'."

As he worked with Gary, Atlas began to be able to understand what the boy was saying when he spoke. And as Gary's self confidence grew, his speech became clearer, and people could understand him. One of the rules for the kids at the gym was that they had to pass all their subjects in school to be allowed to participate, and the kids very dutifully brought their report cards in for inspection. When D'Amato read Gary's report card, which Atlas had already seen, he was very proud of his young protégé'. A teacher had written a comment on the bottom that read. "Please keep up the speech lessons!" "Hey Atlas!" D'Amato screamed across the gym. "Boxing's supposed to make people not be able to talk. What the hell are ya doin'?"

Mane Moore was a kid about ten years old who weighed around 75 pounds. He would come to the gym every day and every time Atlas would try to get him in the ring he would cry and run into a room across the hall. Ironically it was a courtroom. "Yeah, it was kinda nice to be able to walk outta there when I was done talkin' to him." Atlas told me. The other kids tipped Atlas off that a bully with the street name of "Goo" was terrorizing Mane and stealing his lunch money every day. The next day when Mane ran into the courtroom Atlas followed him again. Mane idolized Atlas.

"You know,” Atlas told the young boy. "I used to be afraid too."

"You were afraid?" Mane replied.

"Yeah, I was." Atlas said. "I don't like to talk about it, but I was."

"What happened?" Mane asked him.

"Well some guy used to take my lunch money." Atlas said as Mane's eyes got as wide as saucers.

"Somebody took your lunch money. What did you do?" The boy asked.

"Well, I finally realized that if I stood up to him it could only hurt for a few minutes and I was tired of it hurting all the time." Atlas explained.

"What happened?" Mane asked.

Atlas laughed and said, "I'm not really sure, but when it was over his feet were sticking out of a garbage pail."

Atlas had given the boy permission to be frightened. He had taken away his shame. Now he had to teach him to fight.

Atlas finally got Mane into the ring without crying. First one round, then two, and then three. But he wasn't really fighting; he would just hold.

Atlas had started bringing the kids to the South Bronx on Friday nights in a beat up old station wagon he would borrow, to fight in smokers run by a man named Nelson Cuevas. He had developed a special spot in his heart for Mane and brought him along. But he had to be very careful to find just the right opponent for this fragile little boy. That opponent was Raul Rivera, who was scared to death too. After the two boys spent three rounds hugging each other without ever throwing a punch, Cuevas told Atlas, "Thank God I'll never see that again!"

"Yeah, you will, next week," Atlas replied.

Teddy matched Mane and Raul week after week and the boys gradually started throwing jabs and then punches. Cuevas used that time as an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

Atlas then invited Cuevas to bring his crew up to the Catskills for a smoker that Atlas would sponsor. Atlas went to the boys club where all the kids hung out and gave the director twenty free tickets with one condition. "Goo" had to come.

When "Goo" arrived with his gang Atlas called him over.

"Whaddya want?" "Goo" asked Atlas.

"You got any spare trunks over there?" Atlas asked one of his kids.

The kid picked up on what was happening right away. "Yeah Teddy, right here."

The kid threw over a purple pair of trunks and Atlas tossed them to "Goo."

"Here try these on." Atlas told him.

"For what?" "Goo" said.

"Whaddya mean for what? To box." Atlas replied.

"I ain't boxin.'" "Goo" responded.

Atlas smiled at him. "Sure you are. You're gonna fight Mane. I hear you're pretty tough."

Atlas took a very long time opening a glove in front of "Goo" and his gang.

"You ready Mane?" He asked.

"Yeah Teddy, I'm ready." Mane replied. And he was.

Atlas held the glove toward "Goo's" left hand. "Slip your hand in there and see if it fits," he said.

Exposed for what he was, "Goo" bowed his head and said, "I ain't boxin'."

But Atlas felt sorry for the boy. He walked over to where the boy had gone to sit alone and put his arm around him.

"You know you can come to the gym too." Atlas told him.

"You'd let me?" The boy asked.

"Sure I'd let you, but you gotta do right." Atlas told him.

"What's right?" "Goo" asked.

Atlas smiled at the boy and said. "You already know that."

"Teddy! Teddy! Guess what?” An excited Mane asked Atlas as he rushed into the gym on his lunch break from school, smiling from ear to ear.

"What is it Mane? What are you doing here?" Atlas asked.

"Goo" asked me to sit at his table." The young boy said.

Mane Moore became a Junior Olympic Champion.

[TheRealDunnagan]

slipx you are the man!

thanks!

[trinidadpr87]

"Well, I've been trainin' these two guys…….

"Atlas, you son of a gun!" D'Amato interrupted. "I told you you was a trainer! Where you been workin'?"

"In a park." Atlas replied.

A park! What the hell are you doin' in a park?" D'Amato said.

"Yeah. Well, you see the thing is," Atlas continued, "I can't just abandon these guys, 'cause otherwise it makes me look like I'm full of ****."

"Bring 'em wit ya'" D'Amato replied.

Atlas embraced his new role with a passion. D'Amato was right; Atlas was born to teach. He loved the gym. He formed a charter called the Catskill Boxing Club. He trained the pros during the day and the kids - who now flocked to the gym - at night. He worked 14 to 16 hours a day; seven days a week, just like his father. Only now he was the doctor and the fighters were his patients. He especially enjoyed the kids.

One such kid was named Gary Young. He was about 11 and he wanted to learn how to box. He came to see Atlas and Teddy noticed that when he spoke he kept his hand over his mouth and Atlas couldn't understand a word he said, but he listened anyway. During the conversation the young boy moved his hand slightly, revealing a horrible hair-lip disfigurement. Atlas said nothing. When the boy finished whatever he was trying to say Atlas said, "Come back tomorrow at six o'clock."

Atlas worked with the boy on his knees on the floor. "Yeah, I kept the kids on the floor for a long time ya' know, 'cause they were afraid and not developed yet. I used to wear out the knees in my dungarees, which was a problem 'cause Cus wasn't payin' me nothin'."

As he worked with Gary, Atlas began to be able to understand what the boy was saying when he spoke. And as Gary's self confidence grew, his speech became clearer, and people could understand him. One of the rules for the kids at the gym was that they had to pass all their subjects in school to be allowed to participate, and the kids very dutifully brought their report cards in for inspection. When D'Amato read Gary's report card, which Atlas had already seen, he was very proud of his young protégé'. A teacher had written a comment on the bottom that read. "Please keep up the speech lessons!" "Hey Atlas!" D'Amato screamed across the gym. "Boxing's supposed to make people not be able to talk. What the hell are ya doin'?"

Mane Moore was a kid about ten years old who weighed around 75 pounds. He would come to the gym every day and every time Atlas would try to get him in the ring he would cry and run into a room across the hall. Ironically it was a courtroom. "Yeah, it was kinda nice to be able to walk outta there when I was done talkin' to him." Atlas told me. The other kids tipped Atlas off that a bully with the street name of "Goo" was terrorizing Mane and stealing his lunch money every day. The next day when Mane ran into the courtroom Atlas followed him again. Mane idolized Atlas.

"You know,” Atlas told the young boy. "I used to be afraid too."

"You were afraid?" Mane replied.

"Yeah, I was." Atlas said. "I don't like to talk about it, but I was."

"What happened?" Mane asked him.

"Well some guy used to take my lunch money." Atlas said as Mane's eyes got as wide as saucers.

"Somebody took your lunch money. What did you do?" The boy asked.

"Well, I finally realized that if I stood up to him it could only hurt for a few minutes and I was tired of it hurting all the time." Atlas explained.

"What happened?" Mane asked.

Atlas laughed and said, "I'm not really sure, but when it was over his feet were sticking out of a garbage pail."

Atlas had given the boy permission to be frightened. He had taken away his shame. Now he had to teach him to fight.

Atlas finally got Mane into the ring without crying. First one round, then two, and then three. But he wasn't really fighting; he would just hold.

Atlas had started bringing the kids to the South Bronx on Friday nights in a beat up old station wagon he would borrow, to fight in smokers run by a man named Nelson Cuevas. He had developed a special spot in his heart for Mane and brought him along. But he had to be very careful to find just the right opponent for this fragile little boy. That opponent was Raul Rivera, who was scared to death too. After the two boys spent three rounds hugging each other without ever throwing a punch, Cuevas told Atlas, "Thank God I'll never see that again!"

"Yeah, you will, next week," Atlas replied.

Teddy matched Mane and Raul week after week and the boys gradually started throwing jabs and then punches. Cuevas used that time as an opportunity to go to the bathroom.

Atlas then invited Cuevas to bring his crew up to the Catskills for a smoker that Atlas would sponsor. Atlas went to the boys club where all the kids hung out and gave the director twenty free tickets with one condition. "Goo" had to come.

When "Goo" arrived with his gang Atlas called him over.

"Whaddya want?" "Goo" asked Atlas.

"You got any spare trunks over there?" Atlas asked one of his kids.

The kid picked up on what was happening right away. "Yeah Teddy, right here."

The kid threw over a purple pair of trunks and Atlas tossed them to "Goo."

"Here try these on." Atlas told him.

"For what?" "Goo" said.

"Whaddya mean for what? To box." Atlas replied.

"I ain't boxin.'" "Goo" responded.

Atlas smiled at him. "Sure you are. You're gonna fight Mane. I hear you're pretty tough."

Atlas took a very long time opening a glove in front of "Goo" and his gang.

"You ready Mane?" He asked.

"Yeah Teddy, I'm ready." Mane replied. And he was.

Atlas held the glove toward "Goo's" left hand. "Slip your hand in there and see if it fits," he said.

Exposed for what he was, "Goo" bowed his head and said, "I ain't boxin'."

But Atlas felt sorry for the boy. He walked over to where the boy had gone to sit alone and put his arm around him.

"You know you can come to the gym too." Atlas told him.

"You'd let me?" The boy asked.

"Sure I'd let you, but you gotta do right." Atlas told him.

"What's right?" "Goo" asked.

Atlas smiled at the boy and said. "You already know that."

"Teddy! Teddy! Guess what?” An excited Mane asked Atlas as he rushed into the gym on his lunch break from school, smiling from ear to ear.

"What is it Mane? What are you doing here?" Atlas asked.

"Goo" asked me to sit at his table." The young boy said.

Mane Moore became a Junior Olympic Champion.

What a great guy.

[MikeHunt]

" I was a kid driving with a buddy of mine and we were cut off by another car, and then we cut them off. It was like a game of chicken. It got to the point where we all got out of our cars and we were ready to fight. I thought there were just two people in the car, not realizing there were five or six. We were fighting all these guys, or at least I thought we were. I found out later that my friend was on the roof of the car, leaving me to go against these guys. I was able to drop a couple of them, and this one person Ð I can't say "man" because no man would act this way Ð pulls out a knife and cuts me across my face. "


Atlas won the Golden Gloves title in the 139 lb. weight division, knocking out every opponent he faced.

But Atlas had hurt his back pretty badly playing football and during a rematch with one of the opponents he faced in the Gloves, his back seized up. And even though Atlas won by knockout in the third round, he absorbed a lot of punishment. D'Amato knew what was happening and he approached Atlas in the locker room after the fight.

"You ain't fightin' no more," D'Amato said.

Not sure if he was joking, Atlas nervously asked him, "What are you talkin' about Cus?"

D'Amato knew and admired Atlas' heart. He knew Atlas would never quit unless he forced him to. He also knew he was the only man who could.

"You heard me Atlas!said Amato. I said you ain't fightin' no more! You're gonna be a trainer."

"A trainer?" Atlas asked. "C'mon Cus I don't know nothin' about bein' no trainer."

"That's right Atlas, you don't know nothin'!" D'Amato said. "I'm gonna teach ya'. Because youre a born teacher."

Atlas could have gone to another trainer, but in his mind that would have been a violation of the code and an insult to D'Amato.

He was retired. At 19.

It's just too mice and neat........Could this be a Cliff Clavin?

[The Phantom Menace]

That scar on his face looks like it could open at any time.

[+= El Jefe=+]

interview

Here is an interview
he gave to straight jab.com

http://straightjab.com/archives/audi...yatlas-real.rm