By Joey Mills – Dean Pithie is a unique native of the city of Coventry. He remains the only man from the city to fight for a professional boxing world championship, an achievement that has just enjoyed its ninth anniversary.
Pithie was defeated when his moment in the sun came, but it was not without valour. And it is this valour that has kept “The Pitbull” in the hearts and minds of local residents to this day. “Everyone knows who I am.” says Pithie. “Just now I’ve been in town, I had a coffee in Starbucks and people were saying “There’s Dean Pithie there! He beat Naseem Hamed!”
It is this fight with British great “Prince” Naseem Hamed that stands out as Pithie’s greatest in-ring accomplishment, as he elaborates; “I fought Prince Naseem in the schoolboy semi-finals and then I boxed him in the ABA (Amateur Boxing Association) semi-finals. He beat me in the schoolboys then I battered him in the ABA’s.” Pithie would go on to become the ABA senior featherweight champion, a feat he deems as his finest in a boxing ring.
Defeating the future world featherweight champion is not the only notch on Pithie’s belt, with the Commonwealth, WBO Intercontinental and WBA International championships jockeying for position on the decorated pugilists mantle. But the most distinctive facet of Dean Pithie’s career, is surely his world title challenge.
On the 28th October 2000, Dean Pithie faced off against the International Boxing Organisation Featherweight champion of the world, Affif Djelti. Pithie has high praise for the man that opposed him that evening, stating; “He’s never done anything wrong in his life, he was a good champion. A really good champion.”
The action unfolded live on Sky Sports, as well as in front of a baying Skydome in Coventry. Dean takes partial credit for the sell-out house at the arena, “I’ve got a lot of friends in this town, all my good mates. Loads of my good mates came down.” Sadly despite the fairytale conditions, it was not to be as the brave “Pitbull” was knocked out by body shots in the sixth round.
“I was winning the fight until I got stopped. I don’t think it was the right time to stop the fight but he did wind me with a body shot. I should have got up from it. I definitely should have got up from that.”
Six years removed from his retirement, the Willenhall man is far from a forgotten man in the sport of boxing. In fact, those at the very top know him well. “I was in Magaluf and Ricky Hatton was there with his brother Matthew. (His father) Ray Hatton was there as well. Ricky just came up and jumped on my back and shouted ‘you alright Pitbull?’ It was madness, splendid.”
Dean Pithie gave the residents of Coventry a splendid ride during his career, and the city loves him for it even to this day.