“Means Nothing If You Don’t Have…”: Teddy Atlas Recalls the Most Important Lesson Late Cus D’Amato Taught Him

Growing up in an affluent neighborhood on Staten Island, Teddy Atlas had a privileged background with a dedicated doctor father and a mother who was a model and former Miss Staten Island. Still, Atlas took a troubled path. Dropping out of school as a young teenager, Atlas became entangled in criminal activities, leading to multiple arrests. In his risky life, Atlas also received his face scar because of his knife.

Eventually, he ended up serving time behind bars at Rikers Island for his involvement in an armed robbery. Recognizing the need for intervention, Atlas’ father took action, paying to send the troubled teenager to Catskill, New York. There, he found guidance and mentorship under the wing of Hall of Fame boxing trainer Cus D’Amato. Recently, he also received a valuable lesson that the trainer taught him.

Teddy Atlas talks about the crucial learning from Cus D’Amato

At the tender age of 18, Teddy Atlas harbored aspirations of venturing into professional boxing. It was fueled by his victory in the 135-pound Golden Gloves tournament. However, the promising trajectory of his boxing career was abruptly halted by a nagging back injury. This forced Atlas to reassess his future options. At that time, D’Amato urged him to become a boxing trainer.

In his recent appearance on the Lex Fridman Podcast, Atlas revealed, “He said you have an ability to teach. He said knowledge means nothing, he said see these Britannica, he had Britannica encyclopedia the whole set in our library. He said you see these? Yeah I see them.” Furthermore, he continued, “All the knowledge of the world is in these. Alright. Means nothing if you don’t have somebody to convey it, to people, otherwise it just sits on a bookshelf it looks good.” Then, D’Amato talked about how Atlas was born to be a teacher and should spread his knowledge further.

Atlas took D’Amato’s advice quite seriously and began training fighters. He also assisted the legendary trainer in helping the protege Mike Tyson. However, he deviated his path from the Catskill Boxing gym after his altercation with Tyson.

Atlas’s infamous altercation with Mike Tyson

In a contentious episode, Teddy Atlas accused 15-year-old Mike Tyson of inappropriate behavior towards his 11-year-old niece. This incident nearly altered the course of boxing history. Reacting to this perceived transgression, Atlas took matters into his own hands the following day. He concealed himself in a bush and ambushed Tyson.

Holding a .38 caliber handgun to Tyson’s ear, Atlas issued a stern threat and fired a shot, deliberately missing the young Tyson’s face. It emphasized the seriousness of his warning. The confrontation led to Atlas leaving the Catskill gym. For the trainer, integrity prevailed over financial gains for Atlas.

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However, the two seemingly reconciled a decade ago, when Tyson apologized face-to-face at a boxing event at Turning Stone Casino. So, there are chances both have moved on from their past. Ever since Tyson became a changed man after his retirement. What are your thoughts about this? Let us know in the comments section.

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