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Teddy Atlas, a world-renowned boxing trainer who once helped a teenage Mike Tyson develop into a proficient fighter, recently showed how to counter a counter puncher.
The 66-year-old made an example out of Arthur Beterbiev and Joe Smith Jr., who fought for the WBO Light Heavyweight Title last month. The bout ended early on after Beterbiev dominated Smith with his superb timing and counterpunching ability. The Russian won via second-round stoppage and is now the Unified Light Heavyweight Champion.
During an episode of his podcast The Fight with Teddy Atlas, the American trainer identified two things Smith could have done to avoid getting smashed by Beterbiev.
One way is by throwing jabs consistently at a safe distance, and the other by faking the jab and countering Beterbiev’s right hand. Atlas explained the second option in detail, saying:
“He knew that Beterbiev was looking to counter with the right hand, fake the jab. Feint it, wait for the right hand to come and then slip it, bam! Then counter him. Counter the counter puncher. Counter him with your left hook. If he did that, he might not get blown out there.”
Watch Tyson’s former trainer give pointers on how to counter the counter puncher:
What happened to Mike Tyson and Teddy Atlas?
Mike Tyson and Teddy Atlas once worked together under the same team. Atlas trained as an amateur boxer with Hall of Fame trainer Cus D'Amato’s Catskill Boxing Club. As an assistant to D'Amato, his duties included assisting in the training of then a teenage protégé Tyson.
However, Atlas reportedly left the camp in 1982 following an altercation with the 15-year-old Tyson after the latter inappropriately put his hands on an 11-year-old female relative of Atlas'.
The trainer put a .38 caliber handgun in Tyson's ear and told him to never touch his family again, or he would kill him if he did. The altercation led to Atlas' dismissal from the Catskill Boxing Club.
Watch Teddy Atlas talk about his altercation with a young Mike Tyson in 1982:
