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This is the autobiography of Teddy Atlas, boxing pundit, current trainer of Timothy Bradley, but best known for:
1. Being one of the 3 main trainers of the young Mike Tyson (alongside Kevin Rooney, and under the tutelage in turn of Cus D'Amato.)
2. Being the man who put a gun to Mike Tyson's head, when Tyson behaved inappropriately towards Atlas' niece.
3. Giving a legendary pep talk in the ring to Michael Moorer, who went on to win the World Heavyweight championship.
I had picked up this book after watching a video of the fantastic boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, the best of my lifetime, winning the light heavyweight championship in a thrilling fight with a devastating knockout over Donny Lalonde. I read up on Lalonde and found that Teddy Atlas had told in this book that, having been dumped as Lalonde's trainer before the Leonard fight, Atlas got a gun and went to Lalonde's house with the intention of murdering him. (Being dropped for that fight cost Atlas his fee of $600,000, or 10% of Lalonde's purse.)
But it was in my kindle list, alongside 4 or 5 other books I wanted to read more. I had lost my appetite for reading it. I thought "I'll make a start on it, otherwise it will be yet another book I've bought and not read. So glad I did. One of the best books I have ever read. Couldn't put it down. The thing with Atlas is he has had a VERY colourful life, and talks you through it, from being imprisoned in Rikers as a young criminal himself, to training Tyson and Moorer, to training Mafioso/Don John Gotti's enforcer Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
But I think the reason the book is so good, is that Atlas didn't come from a rough area, he came from a middle class area because his father was a doctor. An fascinating, obsessive doctor. Who put work and duty before love or parenting. Leading Atlas to rebel and get involved with the hoods in the nearest projects. The thing is, his father's intelligence still transferred to Atlas DNA and hence this book is a hell of lot better written than most sporting biographies.
1. Being one of the 3 main trainers of the young Mike Tyson (alongside Kevin Rooney, and under the tutelage in turn of Cus D'Amato.)
2. Being the man who put a gun to Mike Tyson's head, when Tyson behaved inappropriately towards Atlas' niece.
3. Giving a legendary pep talk in the ring to Michael Moorer, who went on to win the World Heavyweight championship.
I had picked up this book after watching a video of the fantastic boxer Sugar Ray Leonard, the best of my lifetime, winning the light heavyweight championship in a thrilling fight with a devastating knockout over Donny Lalonde. I read up on Lalonde and found that Teddy Atlas had told in this book that, having been dumped as Lalonde's trainer before the Leonard fight, Atlas got a gun and went to Lalonde's house with the intention of murdering him. (Being dropped for that fight cost Atlas his fee of $600,000, or 10% of Lalonde's purse.)
But it was in my kindle list, alongside 4 or 5 other books I wanted to read more. I had lost my appetite for reading it. I thought "I'll make a start on it, otherwise it will be yet another book I've bought and not read. So glad I did. One of the best books I have ever read. Couldn't put it down. The thing with Atlas is he has had a VERY colourful life, and talks you through it, from being imprisoned in Rikers as a young criminal himself, to training Tyson and Moorer, to training Mafioso/Don John Gotti's enforcer Sammy "The Bull" Gravano.
But I think the reason the book is so good, is that Atlas didn't come from a rough area, he came from a middle class area because his father was a doctor. An fascinating, obsessive doctor. Who put work and duty before love or parenting. Leading Atlas to rebel and get involved with the hoods in the nearest projects. The thing is, his father's intelligence still transferred to Atlas DNA and hence this book is a hell of lot better written than most sporting biographies.
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