Dallas Goedert’s punch fired up the Eagles and his South Philly friend — undefeated heavyweight Sonny Conto
Goedert has a close relationship with Conto, who's 11-0 and occasionally trains with the tight end who has incorporated boxing into his regimen.
Dallas Goedert made sure to maintain his distance.
In October, the Eagles tight end had witnessed undefeated South Philadelphia heavyweight Sonny “The Bronco” Conto post his ninth knockout victory. Goedert — plus teammates Darius Slay and Avonte Maddox — joined Conto to celebrate with him in his dressing room.
Goedert took mental notes as Conto recalled specific moments from the abbreviated bout. As Conto spoke, he punched the air, mimicking his own movements from what had just gone down inside the ring.
“To hear his mentality, hear what he was thinking the whole fight,” Goedert said. “When he knew he had him, when he threw that one jab, he felt him stumbling, and he was in the ring still [bleeping] throwing. I know how amped up I am after a game. I can only imagine how I’d be after a fight.”
He added jokingly: “I was making sure I wasn’t too close to him so he didn’t accidentally do a move on me.”
During his offseason, Goedert, 28, will occasionally train with Conto, 26, who boasts an 11-0 record. Goedert considers his boxing-specific training as a large contributor to his movements on the football field. A majority of their sessions will emphasize endurance through grueling rounds of various forms of cardio, spanning from speed bags to boxer-skip jump roping.
The fun part for Goedert, though, is when he steps into the ring and laces up his boxing gloves. Goedert always keeps his professional football career in mind, so he won’t ever actually spar with an opponent who offers back. But he still finds value in hitting moving human targets and also fixed punching bags.
“There’s a whole bunch of different instances why boxing helps me as a football player,” Goedert said. “Obviously throwing a stiff-arm, but the cardio and mindset of a boxer, that’s the most intriguing part. It’s endless rounds. You’re punching this for 90 seconds, you’re jogging for 90 seconds, you’re jabbing for another 90 seconds — it’s just nonstop. The mentality they have to, No. 1, be conditioned enough; No. 2, to be hit in the face and keep moving forward; and No. 3, when they’re dead tired, it doesn’t matter, you have to protect yourself.
“I think learning their mindset and what makes them so hungry to be able to do it without a team is super difficult.”
Goedert’s boxing expertise was on full display during the Eagles’ 38-7 victory over the Giants in the NFC divisional round. On the team’s opening drive, Goedert hauled in a short pass from Jalen Hurts. After he tucked the ball with his left hand, Goedert turned upfield, and he noticed Giants cornerback Adoree’ Jackson in his way. Goedert then cocked back his right arm, closed his fist, and delivered a stiff-arm haymaker to Jackson’s chin.
The blow knocked Jackson out of Goedert’s way and ignited the Eagles’ sideline.
“He’s trying to punish somebody,” Hurts said. “He’s not trying to spare no man.”
» READ MORE: Dallas Goedert’s punch sets the tone in Eagles’ knockout of Giants, and other observations
A few plays later, Goedert caught another pass from Hurts with his nondominant hand, and he rumbled into the end zone to give the Eagles an early lead they would never surrender.
Across the street at Xfinity Live!, Conto nearly blacked out after watching Goedert’s stiff-arm on the big screen, surrounded by thousands of Eagles fans.
“To be honest, Goeddy is a big boy,” Conto said of his friend, who is listed at 6-foot-5, 256 pounds. “He could be a heavyweight himself. He is a heavyweight! His physicality and the energy he brings, you can tell when he catches it and he’s driving forward, he’s always ready to stiff-arm any dude and bring that energy. That’s my boy. I think he’s the best tight end in the league.”
Said Slay: “That boy [Jackson] caught a right hook! I loved it. I absolutely loved it. I said, “Daaaamn! OK, Dallas. You must’ve not liked him. He must’ve said nothing negative about you.’ ‘Cause he knocked his ass out!”
Maddox, Goedert’s former roommate, added: “Oh my God — that wasn’t no stiff-arm. He smacked that man in the face! So he smacked him in the face, then he blew him up on the sideline. And then he routes the dude up again, makes him fall, catches a pass with his left hand, and spins out of everyone’s way and scores. I was so excited. Every time Dallas does something, I’m probably the first one over there to congratulate him. I know how hard he works, and he really doesn’t get the recognition he deserves. I love watching him when he’s doing things like that to show the league he’s [a top] tight end.”
Since being selected in the second round of the 2018 draft, Goedert has evolved into one of the league’s best at his position. He waited patiently in Zach Ertz’s shadow for several years, but since taking over the starting role in 2021, Goedert has blossomed. Over the past two seasons, he has compiled 111 catches, 1,532 receiving yards, and seven touchdowns. He has aided Hurts specifically with his threat to make contested catches across the middle of the field and also with his ability to pick up yards in bunches after the catch.
“I love guiding, helping, and showing him things,” Conto said of Goedert. “It’s motivating. You see your boy out there in front of 70,000 fans at the Linc, how he sets that tone, it’s really motivating. I cherish our relationship. He means a lot to me. It means the world to me having the support from all them guys — Slay, Haason Reddick, Avonte, Dallas. All those guys are great guys.”
Over the past several years, Conto has developed relationships with multiple Eagles thanks to their profiles as professional athletes in the city. Similar to Goedert, Slay finds many benefits — mostly mental — from watching Conto work.
“Just the dedication and hard work,” Slay said. “My position and his position kind of go together a little bit. Because it’s mano a mano. Mentally, you have to go out there and win. You don’t know what the receiver is going to do. There’s no help. With Sonny, all he got is a cutman and his trainer. For me, all I’ve got is a safety and a D-line that might help with pressure. So it’s the same thing. We always talked to each other about being focused and locked in.”
» READ MORE: Rising South Philly boxer Sonny Conto hears the Rocky comparisons — and he’s embracing them
Looking ahead, Conto is hoping to schedule his next bout in the near future. For now, Conto is enjoying watching his hometown team.
“For real, I’m trying to do this Eagles thing man, we’ve got to make it to the Super Bowl,” Conto said.
Said Goedert: “Our relationship is special. It’s been a lot of fun getting to know Sonny, seeing him keep climbing. He’s just a complete Philly dude. For him to be the Eagles fan that he is, me throwing a punch, it’s pretty sweet that he noticed it and knew the significance behind my effort.”