Gvozdyk on His Relationship with Teddy Atlas

Former light heavyweight champion Oleksandr Gvozdyk (20-2, 16 KOs) opened up about his relationship with his former trainer, Teddy Atlas.

– My relationship with Egis Klimas is good. With Teddy, we don't stay in touch. The last thing that happened—I sent him a message, and he read it. I just know what kind of person he is. He didn’t reply, and I didn’t expect him to.

That’s just how he is with his relationships. Either you’re like his child, or you’re his enemy. There’s no middle ground. When I told him I was going to spar with Canelo, he tried to discourage me.

Later, I just sent him a message of gratitude and all that. I also wrote that I understood this was probably the last time we would communicate, thanked him for everything, and said I was moving forward on my own. He read it and didn’t reply.

But now, I’ve heard that he’s even commenting on my upcoming fight and is betting on me. I don’t know. Well, that’s fine, I guess.

– Do you know what he’s up to now?

– I don’t think he’s working with fighters anymore. He has his podcast, which is doing quite well. He’s being invited by different people, including in the Arab world. He’s continuing his career as a boxing analyst, and I think he’s doing very well.

Gvozdyk became a world champion under Atlas’s guidance but also suffered his first career loss with Atlas in his corner, against Artur Beterbiev.