Bob Goodman

Robert Goodman (June 8, 1939 – March 5, 2023) was an American boxing matchmaker, publicist, and promoter. He is a member of the International Boxing Hall of Fame since 2009, the Florida Boxing Hall of Fame (2009) and the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame since 1990, and recipient of the prestigious Boxing Writers Association of America's James J. Walker Memorial Award for Long and Meritorious Service to Boxing in 1980. He was the son of Murray Goodman, also in the International Boxing Hall of Fame, New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame and Walker Award recipient. Bob Goodman also served as vice president and Matchmaker for Madison Square Garden from 1985 to 1994. They are the only father-son to have received all of those honors. Goodman also spent twenty-five years with Don King Productions serving in many capacities – Vice President, Boxing Operations, Matchmaker, and Director of Public Relations. Goodman was also the President of his own company, Garden State Boxing, where they promoted many world champions. Early years Goodman was born and raised in the Bronx, New York. He was always told that he was conceived at Grossinger's, a famed Catskill Mountain resort that was the training home of many great champions, including Barney Ross, Rocky Marciano, Ken Norton, Roberto Duran, and Larry Holmes. However it was in another Catskill resort – The Evans, where he got hooked on boxing for good, when he stayed with France's Marcel Cerdan in 1948. “It was amazing,” said Goodman. “We didn’t even speak the same language, but he spoke with his eyes and gestures. I used to get up to run with him. It was there and then that I became a “boxing junkie”.