Teddy Atlas believes one boxing comeback is better than all the rest.
In his impressive coaching career, the American has demonstrated an excellent understanding of the sweet science.
While Atlas once got in a heated confrontation with George Foreman, don’t let that fool you, when it comes to his knowledge of the game, there are very few who can rival him.
With that in mind, the 68-year-old is the perfect person to provide his take on the best come-from-behind victory in the history of the sport.
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Teddy Atlas says Mike Weaver knocking out John Tate is the greatest comeback of all time
On March 31, 1980, Mike Weaver knocked out John Tate to win the WBA heavyweight world title at the Stokely Athletic Center in Knoxville, Tennessee, USA.
His remarkable 15th-round stoppage is embedded in the mind of Teddy Atlas, who thinks it’s the greatest comeback performance ever.
In an episode of his podcast ‘The Fight’, the trainer exclaimed: “John Tate, he had been developed into the heavyweight champion, and he was fighting Mike Weaver.
“Mike Weaver was ‘Hercules’, that was his nickname. He looked like Hercules; he was like an Adonis. He was muscle. But he had a great left hook, too.
“He had a record that was very deceiving; he was 21-9 and against ‘Big’ John Tate, who was an Olympian, he (Tate) is winning every round. And in the 15th round, Mike Weaver hits him with a perfect left hook. This is a real-life ‘Rocky’ moment.
“You talk about just a graphic knockout. He fell as soon as he got hit by that left hook, he fell forward, his head hit the shoulder of Weaver, and as Weaver moved away, the rest of the body of John Tate fell forward and crashed on the canvas. That’s when you know somebody’s out cold, when they fall face-first.”
‘Sylvester Stallone was annoyed’… Al Bernstein tells crazy tale of why he couldn’t do Rocky II before filming Rocky V
While Weaver got to live out his own ‘real-life Rocky moment’, there’s something special about being on set for the films.
Al Bernstein got that experience in Rocky V.
However, the Hall of Fame broadcaster was initially meant to feature in the second installment of the franchise.