Boxing analyst Teddy Atlas returns to the corner to help Timothy Bradley
From Teddy Atlas' perspective, he has never stopped teaching. And he has never stopped learning.
Usually, he's informing viewers who tune in to ESPN's boxing telecasts about why a certain fighter is performing well or why one isn't. But Atlas decided seven weeks ago that it was time to get back in the gym and impart his wisdom to one person — Timothy Bradley.
Atlas, who learned at Hall of Fame trainer Cus D'Amato's side and worked with Mike Tyson as a teenager, is trying to get another world champion — Bradley — to remain at the top and prolong the career of the 32-year-old World Boxing Organization welterweight champ.
Bradley (32-1-1, 12 knockouts) defends his title Saturday on HBO in the recently renovated Thomas & Mack Center against Brandon Rios.
Atlas' task? Simple. Allow Bradley to retain his belt without getting beat up.
"He's taken a lot of big shots in his last few fights," Atlas said. "He has come close to the edge of the cliff. Our main goal is to not get hit with those clean punches."
As a TV analyst, Atlas sees various styles and methods to train fighters. In Bradley's case, he has video of every round Bradley has fought during his professional career and notes of what Bradley did well in each of those rounds and when he was careless.
Bradley, who fired his longtime trainer, Joel Diaz, in late August, came away impressed when he saw Atlas' dossier on him.
"I'd never seen anything like it," Bradley said. "I mean, he knew more about me than I did. I had forgotten some of the rounds of some of those fights, but Teddy didn't.
"And what I really loved was how he explained everything to me. Not only did he show me what I did wrong, he showed me how to correct it."
Atlas, 59, said he wasn't going to get back into the gym to train just anyone. It took a couple of days with Bradley to convince him this was an undertaking worth his while.
His biggest concern? That Bradley, a veteran and someone who could be a Hall of Famer, would not be receptive to what Atlas was trying to teach him and that Atlas would be wasting his time. His last time in the gym training a fighter — Russian heavyweight Alexander Povetkin — started out well but ended in disappointment.
Povetkin, whom Atlas started working with in 2009 and helped guide to the World Boxing Association heavyweight title in 2011, reneged on his agreement with Atlas to come to the United States to train, and Atlas terminated the partnership in February 2012.
So it's understandable why Atlas might have had some hesitation before committing to work with Bradley.
"To tell you the truth, it's been better than I could have imagined," Atlas said. "He's really intelligent. I had someone eager to listen and intelligent enough to understand what was being taught.
"He was willing to put his ego aside and open himself up to some new ideas. He hasn't been a problem at all."
But Atlas said it's not just the teaching that was important in working with Bradley. It's having the fighter's trust.
"Trust is important in life. But it's especially important in a sport like boxing where you can walk out with less than when you came in," Atlas said. "This man (Bradley) is trusting me with his life, and that's a huge responsibility, one that I take very seriously. So I had to think long and hard about doing this. But after spending the last seven weeks with Tim, I can honestly say that trust is there. He trusts me, and I trust him."
Atlas wishes he had more time to prepare Bradley for Rios (33-2-1, 23 KOs). But he knows what Rios brings to the ring and thinks he and Bradley have a sound game plan.
"He's a tough S.O.B.," Atlas said of Rios. "He's a relentless guy who comes at you from the national anthem, and he has only one thing on mind — to break your will and get you to cooperate with him and fight him on his terms.
"Our job is to not cooperate with him. We've made some changes with Tim, and he's shown he can implement the changes in sparring. But none of this matters unless we do it on Nov. 7, and I'm confident he will."
Atlas, who started at ESPN in 1998, isn't leaving his analyst's job permanently. His arrangement with Bradley is for this fight only. But from Atlas' perspective, he's doing what he does anyway.
"My daughter said I've always been a teacher and that I was born to teach," he said. "She said if you can use your knowledge to make somebody better, you should use it. And that's why I'm here with Tim."
Contact reporter Steve Carp at scarp@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2913. Follow him on Twitter: @stevecarprj
