BoxRec

I am curious to know if Atlas has ever come across a fighter
that he was not disappointed with or who did not let him down
in the ring or gym ?

I was a Atlas fan, and after reading his bio and listening to him
in interviews numerous times, he has the attitude it seems
that he is perfect in his coaching and the fighters let him down..

It seems alot of trainers love to share in victory...yet distance them
selves in defeat.

We won....

He lost...

I think after reading his bio , he had some nice things to say about Chris Reid who has sadly passed away.
I seem to recall that he was fond of the "Shamrock Express".

I shared a dining room with Atlas when he came over to commentate here last year. Noticed two things during that short time:

1) He's put on a lot of weight

2) He NEVER smiles.

bennie wrote:I shared a dining room with Atlas when he came over to commentate here last year. Noticed two things during that short time:

1) He's put on a lot of weight

2) He NEVER smiles.

Thats sad. He has had a sad life, and things must still hurt him.
But he should enjoy his place in our sport.

Great trainer. It was criminal the way they shunted him for standing up to a young Tyson, & for daring to treat him as he did any other fighter. The discipline Atlas could've instilled in Tyson was sorely missed in the year or so preceding the defeat to Douglas. People talk about Rooney all the time, but Atlas was a big loss.

He is a fine technical trainer but seems to have ego problems and internal demons.

His entire schtick is built around berating Tyson and if it werent for having trained Tyson for a couple of years as an amateur nobody would know who he is. He should be giving Tyson a percentage of everything he earns to this day. Talk about making the most out of what little you have.

klompton wrote:His entire schtick is built around berating Tyson and if it werent for having trained Tyson for a couple of years as an amateur nobody would know who he is. He should be giving Tyson a percentage of everything he earns to this day. Talk about making the most out of what little you have.

Utter rubbish.

Goodnight, Irene wrote:

klompton wrote:His entire schtick is built around berating Tyson and if it werent for having trained Tyson for a couple of years as an amateur nobody would know who he is. He should be giving Tyson a percentage of everything he earns to this day. Talk about making the most out of what little you have.

Utter rubbish.

I thought Atlas trained Tyson only when Tyson was an amateur. Maybe somebody can correct me, but every fight I've seen with Tyson before Tyson won the title had Rooney in the corner.

That said, Atlas has had his share of champions: Michael Moorer, Barry MGuigan, and Simon Brown are names that come to mind.

I always personally felt Atlas was a bit flamboyant in his corner style (this coming from a guy who once threatened to whack a fighter with a water bottle if he didn't start fighting), but Atlas seemed to get results - so it worked for him.

This argument has been raised here a few times, but pulling a gun on a
15 yo kid is pretty low, even if that kid goes onto become the HW champion.

Atlas clearly made his name of Tyson's success. Would it be Tyson's fault
if he never achieved anything outside of the amateurs ? I bet Atlas would
use the "he should have stayed with me and he would have become champ"
routine.

Michael Moorer was a pretty well developed fighter having been in the Kronk
gym for so many years. He did what he did with Moorer, but contray to what
Atlas did in that corner, Moorer still beat a near shot Holyfield.

Atlas was a guy I liked and thought was a damned talent when I was younger,
but of late I am really critical in my opinon of him, ironically this was after i
read his bio i really started to think like this.

"I thought Atlas trained Tyson only when Tyson was an amateur. Maybe somebody can correct me, but every fight I've seen with Tyson before Tyson won the title had Rooney in the corner.

That said, Atlas has had his share of champions: Michael Moorer, Barry MGuigan, and Simon Brown are names that come to mind.

I always personally felt Atlas was a bit flamboyant in his corner style (this coming from a guy who once threatened to whack a fighter with a water bottle if he didn't start fighting), but Atlas seemed to get results - so it worked for him." - Ray

This is true, but Atlas brought with him the type of discipline which has innumerable benefits to a burgeoning young fighter. Think --- which one asset was Tyson in most need of, from his early days, right through to the tail end of his career? You guessed it. D'Amato cultivated Tyson's poor discipline by putting up with his appalling behaviour, which Atlas dared challenge.

Tyson would've been better off with Atlas staying, but D'Amato wouldn't have anyone threaten his golden goose (even if that goose needed a kick in the ass, at times).

bullshit. Rooney brought both discipline and respect. Respect is something Atlas cant get from fighters without trying to fight them himself. Hes suffering from a bad case of napolean complex and as for the fighters listed as being his what fighter did he ever develop that hadnt already been developed by someone else. Rooney clearly developed and improved Tyson into a compact, defensively sound offense machine. The amateur films when he was still with Atlas show he was nothing more than a raw walk in, wild banger. Atlas is so overrated its ridiculous. Thats why he is constantly getting into physical altercations with his fighters, he wishes he could have been one and never could. He threatened Tyson with a gun, admits he packed a gun a went looking to kill Donny LaLonde (again a gun, real brave), hes gotten into fist fights with Kirk Johnson, Michael Moorer, and another lower weight fighter who he once trained whose name slips my mind. The guy was considerably smaller than Atlas. He tried to attack Foreman. So he wants to preach about honor and ethics and all this other tripe. Give me a break. The guy is a walking joke. Slobbering all over the camera as he pontificates about things he can only dream of having done. Like I said, he owes Tyson a hefty percentage of everything he earns.

"bullshit. Rooney brought both discipline and respect. Respect is something Atlas cant get from fighters without trying to fight them himself. Hes suffering from a bad case of napolean complex and as for the fighters listed as being his what fighter did he ever develop that hadnt already been developed by someone else..."

Michael Moorer, for one, was headed off the rails before Atlas cleaned up his act. His gym form was atrocious prior to Atlas' intervention. Atlas brought a calming influence & a focus to Moorer's game the much more vaunted Manny Steward had lost grip of. Moorer loved Atlas for it (his words).

"...Rooney clearly developed and improved Tyson into a compact, defensively sound offense machine. The amateur films when he was still with Atlas show he was nothing more than a raw walk in, wild banger..."

This is preposterous. You're implying Tyson as an amateur would've stayed that way indefinitely, were it not for Rooney's sole instruction? Rooney did a terrific job, & no one has stated otherwise, but let's be clear --- fighters develope with age & experience. It's laughable to say Atlas isn't competent because the Tyson of 1986-90 was a better fighter than the man in his amateur days.

"...Atlas is so overrated its ridiculous. Thats why he is constantly getting into physical altercations with his fighters, he wishes he could have been one and never could. He threatened Tyson with a gun, admits he packed a gun a went looking to kill Donny LaLonde (again a gun, real brave), hes gotten into fist fights with Kirk Johnson, Michael Moorer, and another lower weight fighter who he once trained whose name slips my mind. The guy was considerably smaller than Atlas. He tried to attack Foreman. So he wants to preach about honor and ethics and all this other tripe. Give me a break. The guy is a walking joke. Slobbering all over the camera as he pontificates about things he can only dream of having done. Like I said, he owes Tyson a hefty percentage of everything he earns..."

Tell the full story about the serious Tyson-Atlas confrontation, or don't tell it at all. Here's your chance to be forthright, or I'll tell it. Do the same with Atlas' time as a fighter himself, since you were equally selective, there.

A walking joke --- with multiple world champions in his stable at various times. Hilarious. I'll bet Teddy was laughing

Goodnight, Irene wrote:"I thought Atlas trained Tyson only when Tyson was an amateur. Maybe somebody can correct me, but every fight I've seen with Tyson before Tyson won the title had Rooney in the corner.

That said, Atlas has had his share of champions: Michael Moorer, Barry MGuigan, and Simon Brown are names that come to mind.

I always personally felt Atlas was a bit flamboyant in his corner style (this coming from a guy who once threatened to whack a fighter with a water bottle if he didn't start fighting), but Atlas seemed to get results - so it worked for him." - Ray

This is true, but Atlas brought with him the type of discipline which has innumerable benefits to a burgeoning young fighter. Think --- which one asset was Tyson in most need of, from his early days, right through to the tail end of his career? You guessed it. D'Amato cultivated Tyson's poor discipline by putting up with his appalling behaviour, which Atlas dared challenge.

Tyson would've been better off with Atlas staying, but D'Amato wouldn't have anyone threaten his golden goose (even if that goose needed a kick in the ass, at times).

Jim Jacobs seemed to bring a discipline and focus to Tyson that was lacking after Jacobs died. I've often wondered how far Tyson might have gone had Jacobs not died - but that's probably a discussion for another thread.

Atlas trained one world champion during a championship win and that was Moorer. A calming influence? Have you seen his histrionics in the corner during that fight? Is that what you call a calming influence? I dont think Ive ever seen Atlas calm. You have to be kidding me. Are you related to him or something? HAHAHA! How many of the guys Atlas trained left under good terms or will even speak to him today? It would be one thing if the Tyson incident (of which Atlas' version of events is the only one out there btw) were an isolated occurence but he ALWAYS leaves under similar circumstances, gee, do you think the problem might be with Atlas, since he is the common denominator?

I can see what goes on in the corner is all you know of Atlas. He asks a lot of his charges, in an era where few trainers do. This is a large part of the problem.

He seemed to resent and dislike Donny Lalonde who from many other accounts
is suppose to a pretty nice and genuine guy, mullet with standing.

Atlas did seem to have good success with Willem Dafoe...

Robinson wrote:This argument has been raised here a few times, but pulling a gun on a
15 yo kid is pretty low, even if that kid goes onto become the HW champion.

Come on Kym, this was hardly a Saint. Mike had already robbed old women by then, and also had allegedly tried to rape Atlas's sister in-law. If true, I'd use the thing inconsequential of age!

I am not saying as to whether Tyson was a saint or not.

He did not come from the best circumstances, and he
also did some bad things that he chose to do...

BUT.... pulling a loaded hand gun on to a 15yo kid in
your care is low.

Smacking him, beating him up, berating him. Even
threatening him with a base ball bat is alot better
than threatening to shoot him....

But Tyson was nothing without Atlas apparently.

Like I said before, if Tyson was the only incident then it would be one thing. Instead Atlas has gotten physical with almost all of his fighters and left on bad terms with almost all. Including admitting to planning to kill Lalonde. But hes a saint right Irene...

Who said Tyson was nothing without Atlas, Robinson?

Who said Atlas is a saint, Klompton?

No doubt an astute case of, "reading between the lines," yeah?

My defense of Atlas has been appreciably more conservative than your derision of him in particular, Klomp. Don't make me out to be the man of extremist views, here.

GI

I was being sarcastic ;)

I did like Atlas a fair bit for some time, I just have become less
a fan of his since reading his bio and more on the man...more on
his actions and his boasts.

Robinson wrote:I am not saying as to whether Tyson was a saint or not.

He did not come from the best circumstances, and he
also did some bad things that he chose to do...

BUT.... pulling a loaded hand gun on to a 15yo kid in
your care is low.

Smacking him, beating him up, berating him. Even
threatening him with a base ball bat is alot better
than threatening to shoot him....

But Tyson was nothing without Atlas apparently.

I don't know if Tyson really tried to rape his sister in law but if he did I don't think there was any thing wrong with Atlas pulling the gun on him I wouldn't even find anything wrong with Atlas shooting him.

But, hey that's just my opinion. 8)

Ive never heard that Tyson tried raping her. I have just read that he
said sexual remarks to her. Or one person claimed that he grabbed her
ass. In eitehr case it is far from 'attempted rape'.

Do either of those incidents require a grown man to pull a revolver
on a 15yo in their care ?

Robinson wrote:Ive never heard that Tyson tried raping her. I have just read that he
said sexual remarks to her. Or one person claimed that he grabbed her
ass. In eitehr case it is far from 'attempted rape'.

Do either of those incidents require a grown man to pull a revolver
on a 15yo in their care ?

No thats no reason to pull a gun on anyone.