Teddy Atlas was born to a well-respected doctor in a wealthy part of Staten Island. Most kids like him end up going to an Ivy League school to become some sort of white collar professional. Teddy? Teddy dropped out of high school, went to jail, and ended up becoming a trainer to 18 world champion boxers, including heavyweight champion Michael Moore, who defeated Evander Holyfield for the title in 1994.

Today on the show I talk to Teddy about how and why he took the path he did in life. Teddy explains how he ended up boxing under legendary trainer Cus D'Amato, and how Cus guided Teddy towards becoming a trainer himself. Teddy then shares stories of training kids in the Catskills, taking them to unsanctioned amateur fights in the Bronx, and the lessons he learned from boxing and his father about personal responsibility, managing fear, overcoming resistance, and what it means to be a man.

Resources/People/Articles Mentioned in Podcast

Teddy's book, Atlas
On Taking a Punch
Cus D'Amato
Kevin Rooney
The 14 Best Boxing Movies
A Manly History of the Sweet Science
Rocky Marciano's Fight for Perfection In a Crooked World
A Man's Search for Meaning Inside the Ring
AoM's Boxing for Beginners series
AoM's Boxing Basics
The Power of Mentoring
The Rise and Fall of the American Heavyweight Boxer

The Mystery of Katrina Montgomery

Dateline NBC

Justin Merriman's Letters to Katrina Montgomery

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