Atlas

<p>Of all the people who have affected by my life and influence the choices I've made none has been more important than my father.</p><p>So begins the autobiography of legendary boxing trainer and commentator Teddy Atlas who grew from the rebellious son of a doctor to a man who embraces and lives by his father's values and code.</p><p>In this gritty spellbinding tale Atlas recounts his fascinating life -- as a juvenile delinquent on the streets of Staten Island; as a boxer and Golden Gloves champion under the tutelage of famed trainer Cus D'Amato; as a companion to the dangerous unpredictable Sammy the Bull Gravano up until the day Gravano turned rat and brought down crime boss John Gotti; and as a trainer of champions and contenders among them fourteen-year-old Mike Tyson and heavyweight Michael Moorer whom he led to the crown with a win over Evander Holyfield.</p><p>Equally engrossing are Teddy Atlas's accounts of training dancer and choreographer Twyla Tharp for her successful comeback at age forty-two; his work with actor Willem Dafoe preparing him for his role as a concentration camp boxer in the film <em>Triumph of the Spirit</em>; his journey to Poland to choreograph the film's boxing scenes; and his own performance in movies such as <em>Play It to the Bone</em>. In sharing his stories Atlas reveals the philosophy by which he lives.</p><p>Like Teddy Atlas -- inimitable tough honest and wise -- this book inspires. It is about so much more than boxing. It is a story of overcoming hardships of compassion for those in need of tremendous personal integrity and of personal and professional triumph.</p>