Italian-born 1970s heavyweight contender John “Dino” Denis was, like all of us, shocked and saddened when news broke regarding the passing of the great George Foreman. Denis, who carved out a 45-5-2(20) career, fought “Big George” in October of 1976. Foreman was three fights, three wins into his comeback after having been stunned by Muhammad Ali in October of 1974.
Denis was a tough man and he managed to take some hefty punches from Foreman before being stopped in round five.
Here, Denis, in good health today, recalls the fight and he also pays tribute to Foreman.
Q: It’s so sad that George Foreman is now gone.
John Denis: “ Yes, it really is. I got the news that George had passed away and it was sad news. He was a great guy, a great champion. I really appreciated him letting me fight him back in 1976, that made my career. He was a great person, I really liked him. I met him a few times after our fight, he was a great guy. He was a devastating puncher with both hands, and I think he would probably have retired undefeated if he wasn’t so big of a man, and he got tired in the later rounds of a fight.
“I remember one time, he was at the Providence Civic Centre in Rhode Island, doing an autograph signing. I had brought my daughter, she was about five or six years old, and the line was about a mile long and I asked a guy who worked there if he would go to the front and tell George I was here. He did, and George waved me to come up. That saved me a couple of hours (laughs). That was nice, we shook hands and hugged each other. Like I said, he was a great fighter and a great friend of mine. I really respected him.”
Q: You gave George a good fight when you faced him.
J.D: “What happened was, I had just beaten Scott LeDoux, and that got me in the top-10, and I didn’t have any money, I wasn’t making any money and I wanted to fight for money. I told my management to get me a good payday, because I wanted to buy a house for my family. A couple of weeks later that asked me if I wanted to fight George Foreman. I asked for how much and they told me for $110,000. I said, ‘where do I sign!’ My close friends told me I wasn’t ready for a fight like that at that time, but I wanted to take a chance, and I did. I didn’t win the fight but I did the best I could. I turned professional to make money, not to have a great record. I had a good record, but I couldn’t take it to the bank and ask for a loan.
“You have to make sacrifices when you’re a fighter, for your family. It was kind of tough for me, having to train and having to work all day, at my day job. Boxing’s a really physical sport, but I did the best I could. It was a big thing in my career, boxing George Foreman. I also boxed Muhammad Ali twice, in exhibitions, one in 1972 and one in 1979. Those fights [against Foreman and Ali] were the highlight of my career. I had 47 amateur fights and I never really got hurt, and at 28-0 as I was going in with Foreman, I had never really been hurt. But against George, wow, he had me in trouble. I made a mistake [in the fight] and I paid for it. He really was devastating, with his left hand and his right. The only reason Ali beat him was because he got him tired. I was supposed to keep away from him for five or six rounds, but I had a lot of pride and I started mixing it up with him too early in the fight.”
Q: George certainly hit you with a lot of shots, but you didn’t go down. And the referee, he wouldn’t stop the fight, would he?
J.D: “Well, I had a good chin. I was never a good gym fighter, but I was a good ring fighter. I did the best I could under the circumstances. I’d had a few situations in training camp and some people were telling to pull out of the fight, but I didn’t want to. Like I said, I wanted the money to buy a house. It all paid off really, I had a great life, with a great family. There’s life after boxing. The Foreman fight, I had so much on my mind, I was worrying about what my strategy was going to be, and it was a lot of pressure for a young fighter.”
Q: George was very complimentary of you in the post-fight interview he gave in the ring. Foreman actually said that he himself had to be like you and prove that he can take it as well as dish it out in a fight.
J.D: “I think, George in coming back from the Ali loss……I think Ali just intimidated him and gave him doubts. Ali used that rope-a-dope and that stressed George out a bit. I actually think George, if he didn’t get tired, would have beaten anyone in the world. I think, for example, George would have destroyed Mike Tyson, like he did Joe Frazier. But Ali and Jimmy Young beat him by getting him tired. In our fight, my corner threw the towel in. Fighting George was such an honour for me. When I heard the news he’d passed away I was very sad about it. He was a great person and he helped a lot of people out. He had a great life. And I’ve got to tell you, I’ve got one of George’s grills! I paid $120 for it. George will always be my friend and he’ll always be a great champion in my eyes and in the eyes of so many other people.”
Q: You of course fought in a great era, and you faced some other big names in Gerry Cooney and Joe Bugner.
J.D: “I did, and I was so proud to be ranked ten in the world. At one time, Sylvester Stallone was interested in buying a piece of my contract, this was back in the ’70s. He wanted an Italian heavyweight, and I was born in Italy – that’s why they call me “Dino.” My manager Al Braverman, they signed contracts and everything, but the deal fell through. I was so sad about that, but what are you gonna do? Having someone like that on your side would have been a great thing. See, you have to have inspiration to go to the gym every day. It’s a tough physical thing, where you basically kill yourself and then you have to go to work. It was hard for me. Nowadays, they’ve got a strength coach, they’ve got a dietician, they get so much money a week just to train. But back then, I had to work and after a time I basically didn’t want to fight any more, I just did it for the money. And it showed in my performances. The Bugner fight, I was out of shape. I needed three months to get ready but they gave me three weeks. But I had a great time in England, I really did.”
Q: Finally, it was such a special moment when George Foreman regained the title by beating Michael Moorer. Did you watch the fight that night, back in November of 1994?
J.D: “Yes, I did. I was so happy for him. That was a great fight, he hid that right hand and it worked for him. I wanted George to win, even though he beat me. I was never mad at George, he made my career. All fighters should get along. It’s a game, it’s a tough game, boxing, but when you leave the ring you should be friends. That’s how I lived my life, at least. But George, he was a great man and he’s loved by so many people.”
