Born in Queens, NY.
Goodman became enthralled with boxing after seeing his first live fight, the 1977 bout between Muhammad Ali and Earnie Shavers at Madison Square Garden. Six years later, at age 15, he secured a summer job at Top Rank’s New York City office, working for publicist Irving Rudd, for whom he clipped newspaper articles and ran messages around the city, and matchmaker Teddy Brenner. He soon began attending fights on the East Coast with Brenner and fellow Top Rank matchmaker Bruce Trampler. Apprenticing under the two legendary matchmakers, he would follow in their footsteps and made matches for the Orleans Hotel in Las Vegas and Gary Shaw’s promotional company. When Top Rank relocated to Las Vegas, Goodman followed and over the course of a nearly 40-year career built a reputation as one of the most knowledgeable and respected matchmakers in the sport. Along with Trampler, Goodman continues to scout amateur and professional prospects for Top Rank and then expertly match them to maximize exposure and experience.
Highly regarded throughout the industry, Goodman has won numerous “Matchmaker of the Year” awards from the NABF.