Teddy Atlas has been around the sport of boxing for around five decades, focusing on coaching after some amateur fights.
He was an early part of Mike Tyson’s career, led Michael Moorer to the world heavyweight title and worked with big-punching Shannon Briggs.
Atlas is now an active analyst and regularly offers his views on the current heavyweight scene – a stalwart of which is one Deontay Wilder. Speaking on his podcast following the American’s points loss to Joseph Parker in late 2023, Atlas said he never knew how to fight.
“He didn’t know how to fight. He never really got taught, or at least he didn’t learn the things that you need to learn to be more than a big banger. And they gave him the right guys and he banged them out, he had trouble with Ortiz and he got to Ortiz late.”
“It was not indicative of how he good he was, it was just guys that he could hit and he knocked them out. But when he fought that he couldn’t knock out, like Fury and Parker now, some of those shortcomings really came to the surface.”
Atlas then said the knockout artist from Alabama was ‘exposed.’
“You used the right word, that he got exposed. I think he got exposed, but he’s been exposed before – if he can’t hit you he’s got a problem. He’s got plenty of heart and he behaves like a fighter, he’s got good enough speed and a good chin, but when you have a plan, and you know how to fight, and you know how to avoid his right hand, you’re gonna win.
“You have an automatic W against him. It’s not easy, you’ve got to go through twelve rounds of walking through minefields and not getting blown up.
“He’s 38-years-old and he was in those wars with Fury, where he got knocked out in those last two fights. He got dropped, got off the floor, showed the heart of a warrior. He dropped Fury in the last one but he wound up being knocked out.
“He took huge punishment in those fights. And you know what? You leave the ring minus some of yourself. I don’t think he’s fully got back everything he lost in those Fury fights.”
Wilder went on to lose to Zhilei Zhang by knockout in his next bout, leaving many to call for him to retire at 38-years-old. Atlas, speaking to Seconds Out, said that should be celebrated.
“Everyone’s time comes in whatever you do. Sooner or later, for anything there comes a time, that’s a part of life. Is it sad? The man has made millions of dollars, Al Hayman did a good job with him, he won a bronze at the olympics, he’s been a champion of the world, he said himself that boxing has been good to him, it’s given him an opportunity to take care of that family and he’s earned the right not to go off into the sunset. I think his career should be celebrated.”
