Books

Boxing’s Flamboyant Showman from Brooklyn to Vegas and Beyond is more than a story about boxing. It is about his trials and tribulations from stunning success to heartbreaking agony. It takes us through the career of Dennis Rappaport as he developed his entrepreneurial skills at the early age of seven. His interest in boxing eventually led to a career in the business end of the sport, taking Gerry Cooney to a shot at the heavyweight title in one of the most highly-publicized boxing events in history. In an autobiographical manner, the book explores his heritage, family, and formative years growing up in Brooklyn, going into his illustrious career as a boxing manager and promoter. Dennis enlightens readers to the good, the bad, and the ugly sides of the boxing business. Individual chapters are also devoted to stories of some of the notable boxers Dennis managed and promoted over the years, including five world heavyweight champions, as well as champions and top contenders in other weight divisions. Finally, readers will get the inside scoop and truth as Dennis discusses the world of boxing today and what he foresees as the future of the sport.

We delve into Dennis’s colorful life inside and outside of boxing, where he had more ups and downs than the Coney Island Cyclone. Who else do you know that once made headlines with an offer to buy the NY Yankees? Independent and aside from all the outside pressures, Dennis never caved in. In 1982 he orchestrated the biggest revenue-producing boxing event, unprecedented in history at the time, when he catapulted Gerry Cooney to challenge heavyweight champion, Larry Holmes in an extravaganza that was larger and more hyped than the Super Bowl that year.

 In the world of boxing management, Dennis Rappaport was the one man who the unmistakably recognizable and vocal promoter, Don King could not bully. With his flair, flamboyance, and masterful showmanship, Dennis stole the thunder from the wild-haired promoter. The bombastic Brooklyn native outmaneuvered King at the negotiating table in a most grandiose manner and scored an astronomical payday for Gerry Cooney.

Dennis’s mastery at marketing generated tons of publicity and exposure for the fighters he managed and promoted.

When managing Cooney (who is of Irish background) he brought a leprechaun into the ring to put a hex on Cooney’s opponents!

When Madison Square Garden reneged on a deal for a bout with middleweight, Ronnie Harris, he threatened to and proceeded to bring a gorilla to Madison Square Garden, saying that if they couldn’t find an opponent for Harris, he’d fight the gorilla.

He attempted to break into Rahway State Prison in efforts to get light-heavyweight, Bobby Cassidy a bout with an inmate, James Scott, who was boxing from behind the prison walls.

He took the New York State Athletic Commission to Queens Supreme Court, after Ronnie Harris, a Black man who Dennis claimed was Jewish, decided to wear a yarmulke in the ring. Dennis won the case and Ronnie got to wear his skull cap. The entire spectacle generated tons of publicity. That’s what Dennis Rappaport was about!

Along with his partner Mike Jones, they were called The Wacko Twins resulting from the pranks he pulled. Then, after recognizing their brilliance, there was Bob Waters of Newsday, who referred to them as The Gold Dust Twins.

He was called many things, good and bad, but there is one thing no one could ever call him … BORING! That word is light years away from the universe of Dennis Rappaport.

When a Rappaport-managed fighter was scheduled for a bout at New York’s Madison Square Garden, spectators must have thought they were attending Ringling Bros. Barnum & Bailey Circus!

 He turned boxing into more than just a fight in a way that the Super Bowl became more than just a football game.

In the deceptive business of professional boxing, it is rare to come across a manager with a more humanistic approach toward a boxer than Dennis Rappaport. Historically, a professional boxer always placed a great deal of trust and confidence in his manager. Most managers were only concerned with how much money they can earn from a fighter. Along came Dennis Rappaport, with the street smarts, negotiating skills, guts, and decency, as he entered the world of boxing management.

With determination, intelligence, and toughness, he never had to “sell out” or succumb to pressure from unscrupulous individuals or groups. Dennis made money for the fighters under his care and went toe-to-toe with some of the sleaziest operators in the business as he fought to ensure his fighters not only got extraordinary deals without having to sell their souls to the manipulative forces.

Dennis cared about the well-being of his fighters and treated them as family members. When it came to looking out for them during and after their careers in the ring, Dennis was, and still is their go-to-guy. Loyalty is high up there in his values. If he received a call from someone in need, he would not hesitate to jump on a plane, wire money, or stay on the phone with that individual.

For his contributions to the sport, Dennis Rappaport, along with other notables, including Howard Cosell, and Rocky Graziano, was inducted into the New York State Boxing Hall of Fame in 2016.