Dan Goosen: Gone but Not Forgotten – A Look Back
By Lou Eisen
He was universally respected in the boxing world, which is indeed a rare occurrence in any era. He was extremely well-liked and admired by executives at HBO, Showtime and ESPN as well as other top notch promoters. That is why there was such an outpouring of grief and shock in the boxing world boxing world this past week over the recent death of boxing promoter/manager and talent scout, Dan Goossen at the age of 64. Goossen had a short but brutal fight with liver cancer, which in the end he was unable to beat.
Goossen was a truly beloved figure in pro boxing, and one of the most colorful, warm, generous and successful promoters of the last 40 years. Goossen passed away surrounded by his large family, on Monday, Sept. 30, only three days shy of what would have been his 65 birthday.
Goossen was born on Oct. third, 1949 in Los Angeles. His father Al Goossen was a well-known and widely respected and highly decorated police officer who gained notoriety by working on the infamous Black Dahlia murder case. Goossen learned discipline and mental toughness from his father and put it to very good use when he started off in the boxing world. He would often arrive at his office very early each morning so as to get a head start on his competition. His work ethic was very admirable and brought him much success and admiration throughout the punch for pay ranks.
At a time when many top promoters were looking to cut corners in the 1980’s and 1990’s so as to maximize their personal financial gains, Goossen loved making deals and recruiting young, talented fighters into the pro game. He spared no expenses when it came time to supplying his fighters with top quality sparring partners, gym time and top of the line physical fitness equipment.
Goossen employed sports dieticians (a revolutionary idea back then) to design diets specifically tailored to each of his fighters in order to maximize their energy levels during fights. Goossen was known for his flashy clothes and very funny self-deprecating sense of humor, which always served to put even his harshest critics completely at ease. successfully with Oscar De La Hoya at Golden Boy Promotions, the mercurial Lou DiBella Entertainment, Top Rank’s Bob Arum, Showtime and HBO. In the past, Goossen promoted Mike Tyson, James Toney, Paul Williams, Shane Mosley, Chris Arreola, David Tua, Josesito Lopez, Joel Casamayor, Glen Johnson, David Reid and Bernard Hopkins, as well as a host of other elite fighters.
Goossen was also a dear friend of and outspoken advocate for disgraced baseball player Pete Rose. Goossen was very loyal to all of his friends, especially Rose, and actively and adamantly campaigned for Rose to be allowed into Cooperstown. Goossen felt very strongly that since Rose came clean and admitted his guilt when it came to betting on baseball games, that he should have been reinstated by Fay Vincent or Bud Selig. Goossen also managed bodyguard-turned- actor, Mr. T during the height of his fame.
Goossen’s most successful recent client, Andre Ward, the Oakland-based WBC/WBA reigning and defending world super middleweight champion, said he was “deeply saddened” to hear the news of Goossen’s passing even though their relationship had significantly deteriorated. Goossen had been Ward’s promoter of record since Ward captured the gold medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, Greece. It was Goossen who smartly entered Ward into Showtime’s round robin tournament to determine who was the best super middleweight fighter in the world. In fact, Goossen helped create the Super Six Super Middleweight tournament with Showtime. Ward surprised everyone but himself and Goossen by easily winning the tournament without losing a single fight, let alone a single round!
Goossen came from an impoverished background and worked very, very hard in pro boxing, starting out at the very bottom of the sport then slowly working his way up the ladder one rung at a time until he reached the top with his Ten Goose Boxing promotional company. Goossen had nine siblings, most of who were involved in the company at one time or another. Ten Goose Boxing became a fixture on the pro boxing scene, earning a great reputation for spotting, delivering and nurturing young talent.
Goossen’s first world champion was the outstanding southpaw middleweight titlist Michael “Second To” Nunn. Hall of Fame trainer Angelo Dundee trained Nunn. On a warm, steamy night in Las Vegas at Caesars Palace, July 28, 1988, Nunn knocked out Frank Tate in nine rounds to capture the IBF world middleweight title. After losing the title by way of knockout almost four years later, to James “Lights Out” Toney on May 10, 1991, Nunn bounced back to capture the WBA’s world super middleweight title by scoring a close split decision victory over Panama’s Victor Cordoba. He had proven that Goossen’s continued faith in him and his boxing talents was well placed.
After Nunn’s stunning success, came two incredibly talented brothers and future world champions, Gabriel and Rafael Ruelas, who originally hailed from Mexico. Goossen was known for giving young, talented fighters (especially those of color) a chance at the big time and for carefully and wisely guiding and nurturing the careers of many outstanding, young fighters from preliminary boxers into world champions, such as the aforementioned Ruelas brothers.
Rafael (W53, KO42, L4, D0), the younger of the two brothers captured the IBF lightweight world title from Freddie Pendleton on Feb. 1994. Gabriel Ruelas (W49, KO24, L0) captured the WBC world super featherweight world title on Sept. 17, 1994 from Jesse James Leija by way of a unanimous 12 round decision. The Ruelas brothers were well trained by Goossen’s brother Joe, a gifted boxing trainer who knew how to properly motivate his fighters.
Goossen formed 10 Goose Company with his late brother Greg, a former Major League Baseball player. Together they launched the careers of many outstanding top-flight fighters such as Nunn and “Terrible” Terry Norris. Through Goossen’s keen eye and nimble mind, he took both Nunn and Norris and then Ward all the way to undisputed world titles.
Perhaps Goossen’s most exciting fighter was the former WBC/WBO super featherweight and lightweight world champion, Diego Corrales (W40, KO33, L5,) D0) whose death from a motorcycle accident in 2007 is still keenly felt in boxing circles to this day. The always courageous Corrales’s miraculous come from behind knockout victory in round ten over Jose Luis Castillo in their first fight is still widely considered today to be one if not the most exciting boxing matches of all-time. With Goossen’s unmatched promotional genius behind him, Corrales fulfilled a lifelong dream by capturing the IBF world super featherweight title by scoring a decisive seventh round TKO victory over the rugged defending champion, Roberto Garcia.
The death of Corrales at a young age from a motorcycle accident hit Goossen and everyone else in the sport very hard. Along with manager and promoter Gary Shaw, Goossen worked hard to ensure that the family and children of Diego Corrales were always well taken care of. This tells you a lot about the integrity, compassion and character of Goossen. For Goossen, a man who cared deeply about all athletes, a commitment to any boxer was a lifetime contract that went far beyond their fighting days. It is that attitude that made him such a beloved figure in the sport. He was always in a good mood and usually had a wide smile and warm hug for everyone he met.
Goossen will be greatly missed and mourned for being a fresh ray of sunshine in the boxing firmament. His loving wife, Debbie and their four sons, Rex, Max, Craig and Chris as well as two grandchildren survive Goossen. Goossen is also survived by his large extended family, consisting of brothers Pat, Mike, Larry, Joe, and Tom; and his sisters Ellorie and Sandra. Pro boxing will undoubtedly survive. However, the fun Goossen brought to the sport is now, sadly, gone forever.