Teddy Atlas is a boxing trainer, commentator and host of a successful podcast called The Fight.

Theodore A. “Teddy” Atlas is an American boxing trainer and analyst who worked for ESPN for more than two decades. Raised in an affluent region of Staten Island, New York, Atlas grew up in a wealthy area with his father a doctor and his mother a former Miss America pageant contestant.

He was brought up with his mother's Irish Catholic faith at the fore although it did not have a positive impact on Atlas, who had a troubled youth.

Kicked out of school and arrested a couple of times growing up, trouble was never too far away. Atlas' wake-up call came after getting slashed in the face during a street fight in New York, which required over 400 stitches to repair on the left side of his face.

The scar is still visible to this day and is a gentle reminder to Atlas of how lucky he is to have been able to turn his misspent days around.

Atlas fought as an amateur and had some success, winning a Golden Gloves title at 135-pounds under Hall of Fame trainer Cus D'Amato. However, it would be a brief career that did not see Atlas turn professional because of a back injury he sustained.

Atlas would continue to work with D'Amato as an understudy for a couple of years at Catskill Boxing Club until 1982, where he was fired for putting a gun against a 15-year-old Mike Tyson's head.

Atlas tasted his first success as a trainer in his own right with Michael Moorer, who defeated Evander Holyfield to become heavyweight world champion. The last fighter Atlas trained was former light heavyweight titlist Oleksandr Gvozdyk, who lost in a unification bout against Artur Beterbiev.

Teddy Atlas and Mike Tyson

Atlas held a .38 calibre gun to the head of Tyson and warned he would kill him if he touched his 11-year-old cousin again. Tyson admitted to touching the girl's buttocks.

Speaking to the Sun, Atlas revealed the incident cost him $30million after originally being offered 5% of Tyson's future earnings.

He said: "I'm human, look he made $400million in his career, my percentage would have earned me $40million, would I have liked that? Yes, did I dwell on that and think about it? No.

"There was no thought about that because that wasn't the reality, they did what they did and I did what I did."

The pair buried the hatchet 33 years on after Tyson apologised to Atlas at a boxing event

Stable of fighters

After hitting the deck in the second-round, Atlas said the following: "You go in there and you start backing this guy up and you start doing what we trained to do. Otherwise don't come back to this f*cking corner."

"Double M" would go on to deliver the best performance of his career to dethrone Holyfield via majority-decision to win the WBA and IBF titles.

During his time as a trainer, Atlas also had great successes in the corner with the likes of Timothy Bradley, Barry McGuigan, Donny Lalonde, Alexander Povetkin and Wilfred Benitez. Atlas trained Benitez towards the latter end of his career and revealed he was the best orthodox fighter he had ever worked with from the 18 world champions he had coached.

Teddy Atlas Media and Awards

Atlas has lent his knowledge to commentating and during the last two decades with ESPN but departed in 2020 with his contract not being renewed. Atlas fronts The Fight, a highly popular podcast which features some of the biggest names in combat sports, including Ryan Garcia and Jorge Masvidal.

In 2005 he was inducted into the World Boxing Hall of Fame followed by the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame nine years later. He has also been recognised for his contribution to commentating and boxing analysis. In 2001, he won the Boxing Writers Association of America 'Sam Taub Excellence in Broadcast Journalism Award'.

Personal life

Atlas is married to Elaine, who together have two children named Teddy III and Nicole. His father, Dr. Theodore Atlas was a well-respected humanitarian in Staten Island who performed a free tonsillectomies procedure for children whose families could not afford health care.

Following his passing, Teddy formed the Dr. Theodore A. Atlas Foundation in honour of his father - a charitable organisation run by Atlas which helps people in need.