Exclusive: West Brom Rejection Fuels Shakan Pitters’ European Boxing Dream

Shakan Pitters has revealed how two heartbreaking episodes are inspiring him to become European light heavyweight champion.

Now based in Birmingham, having been born in nearby Solihull, the 35-year-old was forced to withdraw from last week’s bout against EBU holder Daniel Dos Santos after sustaining an injury during training. His promoters will now hope to rearrange that fight for later this year after the Frenchman’s decision not to defend against late replacement Brad Rea.

Pitters had also been set to face Dos Santos two months ago, before their clash was postponed due to irregularities on the Frenchman’s pre-fight medical report. 

During his preparations for that assignment, Pitters lost his father but elected to go ahead with the contest in order to try and honour Colin’s memory - crediting him with his interest in the sport.

But before lacing up the gloves, Pitters dreamed of becoming a footballer until West Bromwich Albion, the club he represented, decided to release him from their youth programme.

After speaking honestly and openly in February about his dad’s passing, Pitters explained how being discarded by coaches at The Hawthorns also helped fuel his ambition to become a high-calibre fighter.

“I spent seven years or so there,” he exclusively told SportsBoom.co.uk.

“I was always pretty tall and I was a striker, so I suppose you could compare me to Nikola Zigic a bit, even though he played for Birmingham."

“I enjoyed getting involved and even though I wasn’t the best, I was definitely good enough."

“I was a handful, because of my height, and it broke my heart when they got rid of me. That’s life though, I suppose and you’ve got to carry on. It’s swings and roundabouts.”

“I’ve never been back to West Brom,” Pitters continued. 

“It just hurt me too much. That’s what I wanted to be back then, a footballer. So when they decided I wasn’t going to be staying it really did hurt me. That’s why, whether it sounds bad or not, I just decided to forget about them as best I could.”

Pitters (20-2) actually grew up supporting Manchester United despite hailing from the West Midlands.

“I loved the Dwight Yorke and Andy Cole era,” he acknowledged. 

“Right from being young, that’s who I followed and I loved that period.”

But after being cut loose by Albion, his family’s background meant he was always destined to take up fighting.

RUNS IN THE FAMILY

“Dad was a good boxer, a well known one,” Pitters explained. “My brother was really good too. He boxed for England as an amateur and was much better than me."

“I wasn’t the greatest boxer in the world back then, to be honest. But I stuck at it and I’m glad that I did."

“Dad was always telling me the same stories, about the old days, around fights and even though he was always repeating them I enjoyed it and there was a point to them as well.”

Pitters, who has a relationship with Sheffield based GBM Sports, met Bahadur Karami when Dos Santos, a special forces veteran, was forced to step down. At the time, there were fears that Dos Santos might not be cleared to compete again but the anomaly which prompted the sport’s authorities to intervene was subsequently resolved to the satisfaction of the relevant medical and sanctioning bodies.

“Life is hard,” said Pitters, explaining his determined approach. “You sink or swim. The days go on. It’s not going to be the first loss, probably, I’ll have in my life. Mentally you have to prepare yourself."

"You only have one mum and one dad. I’ve got good older brothers and a good family around me. I’ll honour my dad.”