Rear View Mirror: John Dino Denis

Rear View Mirror: A look back at the career of Italian-American Johnny D. Dino

GBN's Scottish, Donald C Stewart, takes a look into his rear view mirror at the career of New England heavyweight champion Johnny D. Dino

I was 7 in 1972, the year of the Munch Olympics and Mark Spitz, of the attack on Israeli athletes and whilst many suggest it was a more innocent time, it never felt like it. We had attacks in Ireland and there were concerns that these would spread onto the mainland.

It was also the year in which John Dino Denis, 45-5-2, 20 KOs turned pro. If ever there was a story of a just about and very nearly guy, this could well be it.

In 2019, just before the world shut down, Denis sat down with James Slater in an interview. In it, Denis told us of his amateur record where he” was 44-4. I was three years the New England Golden Gloves champion and the AAU champion. I lost to Duane Bobick, I think in 1970 or ’71. He was a good boxer.”

Not picked to go to the Olympics, on the 24th of June 1972 he tuned professional when he beat Henry Lawson on points over 6 rounds at the Rhode Island Auditorium. And so, in the midst of that turmoil a man in the UK about a decade later, made quite an impression on us in a fight that pitted him against one of “our own”, started on his professional journey.

An orthodox heavyweight from Massachusetts, Dion, as he became known, was an active fighter right up until a draw in Hollywood in 1990 when he hung up the gloves and finished his 52-fight career.

In between – well…here’s a tale…

Making your debut at the beginning of what was arguably, a golden time for heavyweight boxing in could have sent you “under the radar”. It can be argued that Denis is evidence of this phenomenon.

He was a tough man who fought all that were put in his pathway and many of them were names that went onto greatness whilst many were less memorable but in the tale of a man who straddled two decades in the ring, each type of opponent played their part in cementing his reputation.

It’s easy to see why he started to make a name for himself and a tremendous reputation. This was a guy who, in his first 4 years as a professional racked up 29 fights!

He lost none of them and only drew one!

It included beating Scott LeDoux in his very first year, on points, again on Rhode Island. Dino told Slater when interviewed that “The Ledoux fight, which was in the summertime in 1976, that was my first national TV fight. I won a decision over him and that got me ranked tenth in the world. I had just become a father at that time, and I had bought a house, and I told my manager I wanted a money fight. I had a family to support. Two weeks later I got a call asking if I wanted to fight George Foreman for $10,000. I said, ‘where do I sign!’ I wasn’t in shape for that fight, but I took it for the great money.”

It led, in 1976, to a fight against a legend of the ring, none other than Mr George Foreman. On the 15th of October 1976 in the Pembroke Pines, Florida, Denis faced Foreman. 

Denis was unable to get beyond the 4th round.

Overwhelmed by the power that Foreman possessed he was at least in the fight up until then proving he deserved to be there. He told Slater: “My plan was to move and get Foreman tired. I did okay for a couple of rounds before he caught me. But I had sprained my ankle the last day of sparring for the fight. I did the best I could. He was a great puncher with either hand, a great, great fighter. You know, if he never got tired in fights the way he did, being such a big guy, he’d have been an undefeated fighter.”

Whilst many saw a battling heavyweight lose to a more skilled fighter there is little doubt that a better set of matchmaking might have prepared him for a better pathway to a title at the elite level.

Mind you the 1970s were a time when politics in the sport were toddling along, rather than galloping at the pace we have now. They were not innocent, certainly far from simpler but it was a smaller set of options on the table. It could be argued that taking the opportunity when he did was the only real option open to him.

Foreman had been on his comeback trail but following that defeat Denis was on his own blazing return to the ring and boy did he embrace it.

In 1977 he faced Leroy Jones in San Antonio, losing on points over 8 rounds. It was another poor decision as he admitted later. He took the fight for the money. It was easy money for Jones, not Denis.

Two years later, in 1979 he was in against Gerry Cooney in Madison Square Gardens. Denis found that Cooney was on fire at the time and this time Denis failed to get to the 4th round as he did against Foreman, being stopped in the 3rd. Denis was in the top 15 heavyweights whilst Cooney was on his way up.

Again, he needed to rebuild and after 9 straight wins found himself across the ring from Donnie Long in 1982. It was supposed to be the 10th win for him but ended up being his next loss; it became a prophetic one.

Denis fell from the rankings after that.

It was then he came across the pond and managed to find himself in a headline bill when he took on Joe Bugner in 1983.

Declaring that, due to his Italian heritage, and with Bugner Hungarian/English that this would be an eliminator for the European title, Denis made a splash outside of the ring. He was widely quoted at the time as saying, “It would be a challenge and an honour to be European champion. I've always wanted to fight in Italy.”

He got some buy in from the promotor of his fight, Frank Warren, who called it an “unofficial final eliminator” for a shot at Frenchman Lucien Rodriguez's European title.

Once again Denis was fighting someone on the comeback trail as Bugner was on a mission to take Larry Holmes' world crown, having come out of retirement to so do. Bugner was the guy who had been in with the best, Ali, twice in 1973 and in 1975.

Bugner has always been underrated, even by his own fans, but he was to stop Denis in the 3rd round. Denis was now facing the wrong end of his career.

Briefly, in 1983 he retired but came back for 2 fights in 1990 against less than stellar opposition – between them they had fought 6 times and only won once before facing Denis! Denis won one and drew the other – an undefeated comeback!?

With the Foreman, Cooney and Bugner contests as highlights of his career it could be argued he was overshadowed by others but lit up the ring, nonetheless. In 1976 he had managed to get to the dizzy heights of being ranked 6th in the world but any higher was put paid to by that loss to Foreman.

His highest accolade could be argued to be the only belt he won, the New England heavyweight title, which he won in 1980 stopping Al Brooks in the 3rd in Massachusetts. His legacy though, in a sport that takes two of quality to tango, he was a very good dance partner.