# Mike Agassi

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Armenian and Iranian boxer (1930–2021)

Mike Agassi Born Emanoul Aghassian (1930-12-25)December 25, 1930 Salmas, Pahlavi Kingdom of Iran Died September 24, 2021(2021-09-24) (aged 90) Las Vegas, Nevada, U.S. Occupations Boxer, tennis coach Spouse Elizabeth Dudley ​ (m. 1959)​ Children 4, including Andre

**Emmanuel** "**Mike**" **Agassi** (born **Emanoul Aghassian**; December 25, 1930 – September 24, 2021) was an amateur [boxer](/source/Boxing), [casino](/source/Casino) worker, [tennis](/source/Tennis) coach, and the father and coach of American tennis player [Andre Agassi](/source/Andre_Agassi). He was born in [Iran](/source/Iran) which he represented at the [1948](/source/1948_Summer_Olympics) and [1952 Summer Olympics](/source/1952_Summer_Olympics). After moving to the [United States](/source/United_States) and becoming an American citizen, he won the [Chicago Golden Gloves](/source/Chicago_Golden_Gloves) three times.

## Biography

Agassi was born in [Salmas](/source/Salmas), then part of the [Imperial State of Iran](/source/Pahlavi_Iran), to [Armenian](/source/Armenians) parents David and Noonia. His father was a carpentry business owner from [Kiev](/source/Kiev), then part of the [Russian Empire](/source/Russian_Empire), who moved to [Tehran](/source/Tehran), Iran's capital, during the [Russian Revolution](/source/Russian_Revolution). His mother was from [Ottoman Armenia](/source/Ottoman_Armenia) and met his father during a family visit to Tehran, and decided to stay with him.[1] He was raised in a Christian household in Tehran.[2] One of his ancestors had changed his surname from Aghassian to Agassi to avoid [Turkish persecution](/source/Armenian_genocide).[3]

Agassi was first exposed to [tennis](/source/Tennis) by American and British servicemen. He represented Iran as a boxer in the [1948](/source/1948_Summer_Olympics) and [1952 Summer Olympics](/source/1952_Summer_Olympics), losing in the first round both times.[4] His trainer was the retired Polish-German boxer [Hans Ziglarski](/source/Hans_Ziglarski).[5]

He followed his brother Samuel to [Chicago](/source/Chicago) in 1952,[3][6] and changed his name to "Mike Agassi". Less than a month after graduating from [Roosevelt University](/source/Roosevelt_University), he met Elizabeth Dudley through a common friend. They married at a [Methodist](/source/Methodist) church in Chicago's [North Side](/source/Community_areas_in_Chicago) on August 19, 1959.[7] When a friend offered Agassi a job at the [Tropicana Hotel](/source/Tropicana_Las_Vegas), the couple moved to [Las Vegas](/source/Las_Vegas%2C_Nevada) with their two-year-old daughter Rita and eight-day-old son Phillip in October 1962;[8] daughter Tamara (Tami) was born in 1967 and Andre in 1970.

Agassi described Rita, Phillip, and Tami as "[guinea pigs](/source/Guinea_pigs)" in the development of the methods he used to mold Andre into a world-class player. In 1984, Rita, having rebelled against her father's 5,000-balls-a-day-[regimen](/source/Regimen), married [Pancho Gonzales](/source/Pancho_Gonzales). In his autobiography *Open*, Andre recalled Mike and [Steffi Graf](/source/Steffi_Graf)'s father Peter nearly coming to blows arguing over whether Andre or Steffi had the superior [backhand](/source/Backhand) technique when Mike showed Peter the machine he built to fire tennis balls at Andre and his siblings.[9]

Mike Agassi's autobiography *The Agassi Story* was published in 2004.[10] He died on September 24, 2021, at the age of 90, in Las Vegas.[11][12]

## 1948 Olympic results

Below is the record of Emmanuel Agassi, an Iranian bantamweight boxer, who competed at the 1948 London Olympics:

- Round of 32: Lost to Alvaro Vicente (Spain) on points

## See also

- [Boxing at the 1952 Summer Olympics](/source/Boxing_at_the_1952_Summer_Olympics)

- [Boxing at the 1948 Summer Olympics](/source/Boxing_at_the_1948_Summer_Olympics)

## References

1. **[^](#cite_ref-1)** Cobello, Dominic; Agassi, Mike (2004). [*The Agassi Story*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_TCPrdw-O-cC). Toronto: [ECW Press](/source/ECW_Press). pp. 12–14. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-55022-656-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55022-656-8). Retrieved October 22, 2012.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** ["How To Be Good"](https://www.theguardian.com/observer/osm/story/0,,1896736,00.html). *The Guardian*. September 3, 2006. Retrieved January 26, 2014.

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-armenianweekly_3-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-armenianweekly_3-1) Nahigian, Frank (April 14, 2010). ["Only in America? An Interview with Mike Agassi"](http://www.armenianweekly.com/2010/04/14/only-in-america-an-interview-with-mike-agassi/). The Armenian Weekly. Retrieved September 9, 2014.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** [Emanoul Aghasi](https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ag/emanoul-aghasi-1.html) [Archived](https://web.archive.org/web/20121111081615/http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ag/emanoul-aghasi-1.html) November 11, 2012, at the [Wayback Machine](/source/Wayback_Machine) at Sports-Reference.com ["Iran Olympic Tradition"](https://web.archive.org/web/20091103132653/http://www.nbcolympics.com/countries/country=IRI/olympictradition/index.html). *NBCOlympics.com*. NBC Universal. 2008. Archived from [the original](http://www.nbcolympics.com/countries/country=IRI/olympictradition/index.html) on November 3, 2009. Retrieved May 23, 2009.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-CobelloAgassi2008_5-0)** Dominic Cobello; Mike Agassi; Kate Shoup Welsh (October 2008). [*The Agassi Story*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_TCPrdw-O-cC&pg=PA28). ECW Press. pp. 28–. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-55490-362-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-55490-362-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-greatath_6-0)** Jensen, Jeffry (2002) [1992]. Dawson, Dawn P (ed.). [*Great Athletes*](https://archive.org/details/greatathletes0000unse/page/17). Vol. 1 (Revised ed.). Salem Press. p. [17](https://archive.org/details/greatathletes0000unse/page/17). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-58765-008-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-58765-008-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** Cobello, Dominic; Agassi, Mike (2004). [*The Agassi Story*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_TCPrdw-O-cC). Toronto: [ECW Press](/source/ECW_Press). p. 64. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-55022-656-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55022-656-8). Retrieved May 17, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Cobello, Dominic; Agassi, Mike (2004). [*The Agassi Story*](https://books.google.com/books?id=_TCPrdw-O-cC). Toronto: [ECW Press](/source/ECW_Press). p. 69. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-55022-656-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-55022-656-8). Retrieved May 18, 2017.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** ["Peter Graf Obituary" (December 4, 2013)](https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/10497614/Peter-Graf-obituary.html) *[The Daily Telegraph](/source/The_Daily_Telegraph)*; retrieved May 18, 2017

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Agassi, Mike; Cobello, Dominic; Welsh, Kate Shoup (2004). [*The Agassi Story*](https://books.google.com/books?id=5ownmQEACAAJ). ECW Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-1-55022-656-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-1-55022-656-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-LVRJ-Obit_11-0)** Katsilometes, John (September 29, 2021). ["Mike Agassi, father of Andre Agassi, dies in Las Vegas"](https://www.reviewjournal.com/entertainment/entertainment-columns/kats/mike-agassi-father-of-andre-agassi-dies-in-las-vegas-2449513/). *Las Vegas Review-Journal*. Retrieved October 2, 2021.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-TennisNow-Obit_12-0)** ["Mike Agassi, Andre's Dad, Dies at Age 90"](https://www.tennisnow.com/Blogs/NET-POSTS/September-2021-(1)/Mike-Agassi,-Andre-s-Dad,-Dies-at-Age-90.aspx). *www.tennisnow.com*. Retrieved October 2, 2021.

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