Teddy Atlas still stands as one of the most prominent and highly respected figures in boxing.
The accomplished commentator and coach has worked with a number of top fighters throughout his career, including the likes of a young Mike Tyson, Timothy Bradley and Oleksandr Gvodzyk.
Atlas’ has tremendous knowledge of the sport, but unlike so many, he does not rank the legendary Muhammad Ali as the greatest heavyweight of all time.
Speaking on The Fight, which is his own YouTube channel, he spoke fondly of the memorable showdown between Max Schmelling and Joe Louis, before naming the latter as the greatest ever in his opinion.
“On the verge of World War II, with Hitler the mad man trying to create a master race and take over the world and you’ve got Joe Louis fighting somebody who Hitler has popped up as the image of the Nazi regime, the superior race and all that c**p, and the world world is watching.
The President of the United States calls up Louis and says you’ve got to win for the good guys. Talk about pressure. It’s at the Yankee Stadium outdoors, you got the whole world watching. Oh my goodness where is there more pressure?
And how does Louis respond? He destroys him, he annihilates him, he knocks him out in one brutal round of torrential rain, brutal force, determination and focus, to the body, to the head. Joe Lewis, he earned the right for me to call him the greatest heavyweight of all time.”
Louis, who was known as ‘The Brown Bomber’ lost just 3 times during his 69 fight professional campaign. He successfully defended his heavyweight title 25 times, an astonishing record which still stands today.
