Boxing trainer, boxing analyst, boxing expert, boxing historian……Yes Teddy Atlas is all of the above as mentioned but he is most proud of his humanitarian work through his foundation…..Dr. Theodore Atlas Foundation….that has helped thousands of needy people. That is the reason I call this man my hero. Please welcome Teddy back into the doghouse.
David Tyler – Teddy, your thoughts about the upcoming bout between Manny Pacquiao and Antonio Margarito?
Teddy Atlas – I understand why Pacquiao is a six to one favorite. His speed is so overwhelming….when you compare the two guys from a hand and foot speed standpoint….there is such a disparity with a big advantage for Pacquiao. Pacquiao also has a big advantage in confidence from all his recent fights over the last few years…..the way he has gone from one position to another….from one level to another….from one category to another…..he has continued to win and develop along the way. He is a fighter that has more dimensions…..he punches with both hands…..has developed a strong right hand punch….he is putting punches together where he used to look for one big shot…..he can stand and punch….he can also box and counter……so all the development has added to his confidence. With that confidence in the areas I just described, technically and developmentally, I understand him being a six to one favorite. Margarito has not been active…..he showed some of his flaws in the Mosley fight….and the people that set the odds probably said….wow if he had trouble with the speed and power of Mosley, how is he going to handle that of Pacquiao? That’s a good question and probably the reason that Pacquiao is a six to one favorite. Having said all of that, Pacquiao might have his eye off the ball just a little….he is a congressman in his country and his promoter is making him do promotional work for Senator Harry Reid and other activities that could divert his focus on the upcoming fight. These are extra distractions that Pacquiao has been dealing with in past fights and up to now has handled them well. I still think he grabs a lot of strength from being the center of attention and such a focal point in his country where so many people look up to him….so many people believe in him…..so many people depend on him in the Philippines to give them life, hope, and the belief that anybody can accomplish anything even when you come from horrible beginnings….and there are a lot of people that are very poor in that country. So I think in that way, Pacquiao is a real symbol of achievement and hope for his fellow countrymen. I think that this intangible charges him and gives him strength that so many people follow him and depend on him to continue to give them that kind of faith. I think these factors are an important mix in this fight. However, on Margarito’s side is the power of redemption. He now has the chance to redeem himself from the demons of the Mosley fight and the suspension that followed in the wake of that fight. He truly is the bigger stronger guy. I have always said from the beginning…..De La Hoya, Hatton, Cotto,….these were not bigger stronger guys. The perception was there and people wanted to believe the perception but they really were not bigger stronger guys. De La Hoya started at 130 pounds and no matter how big he grew, he still had the skeleton of a smaller guy. At the time of the Pacquiao fight he was a shot fighter that should not have dehydrated himself down to 147 pounds…..he was a fighter who was mentally flawed and compromised when it came to big fights…..he never performed well for the most part in the biggest moments of his life…..he always seemed to find ways to come up short. Then we move on to the Ricky Hatton fight…..he was not a puncher……he was not a bigger guy……a fighter with plenty of holes in his style that could be filled with somebody with fast hands. Moving to Cotto……he was damaged goods going into the bout with Pacquiao……Cotto was a guy that kept himself at 140 pounds even though he probably didn’t belong at that weight……probably starved himself to stay at that weight and he eventually paid the
