Jamie Pittman facts for kids

Jamie Michael Pittman, born on 18 July 1981, is an Australian Indigenous boxer. He competed in the middleweight division. Jamie was known as Mr. Business in the boxing world.

He represented Australia at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Before becoming a professional boxer, he had a great amateur record with 150 wins and 37 losses from 187 fights. As a professional, he had 25 fights, winning 22 of them, with 11 knockouts, and losing only three.

In November 2021, Jamie Pittman was chosen to be the National Coach for Boxing Australia. In April 2024, he stepped down from this role and also from the Australian Olympic Committee's Indigenous Advisory Committee due to serious code of conduct breaches. He admitted to these issues and apologized for them.

Jamie Pittman's Amateur Boxing Journey

Jamie Pittman started boxing when he was ten years old. He used it as a way to recover after an accident where he fell through a window and needed many stitches in his arm. For most of his sports career, he trained at the Newcastle PCYC in Newcastle, New South Wales.

He later joined the boxing team at the Australian Institute of Sport in Canberra. Jamie tried to qualify for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. However, his match was stopped because of a controversial decision. He got a cut under his eye, which doctors thought was caused by a punch from his opponent.

Representing Australia at Major Games

Jamie Pittman proudly represented Australia at the 2002 Commonwealth Games. He won his first fight against Hassan Mraba Mzonge from Tanzania. But he lost his next fight, the quarterfinal, to Jean Pascal from Canada.

In 2003, Jamie won a gold medal at the Commonwealth Championships. He won three fights in three days, beating Eamonn O'Kane from Northern Ireland in the final.

He then qualified for the men's middleweight division at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. After missing out on the Sydney Olympics, he worked hard to earn a spot on the Australian team. He achieved this by finishing first in the AIBA Oceania Qualification Tournament in Tonga. In Athens, Jamie had a very close first match against Lukas Wilaschek from Germany, losing by just one point (24–23).

Jamie Pittman's Professional Boxing Career

After the Olympics, Jamie Pittman became a professional boxer in 2005. People saw him as a promising young boxer because of his unique style and strong punches. By August 2014, he had a professional record of 22 wins (8 by knockout) and three losses in 25 fights.

At the height of his professional career, Jamie defended his PABA and WBA Asia Pacific middleweight titles. He built an impressive record of 15 wins and no losses. Three years after starting his professional career, he moved up to the super middleweight division.

Challenging for a World Title

On 5 April 2008, Jamie Pittman fought Felix Sturm in Germany. Sturm was the three-time defending WBA super middleweight champion. Jamie started the fight well, winning the first two rounds according to the judges. He continued to land quick punches. However, Sturm hit him hard, causing a severe cut above Jamie's right eye.

In the fifth round, Sturm took control of the fight and knocked Jamie down with a body shot. In the seventh round, with only 36 seconds left, Jamie was knocked down again by a series of punches. The referee stopped the fight, and Sturm won. This was Jamie Pittman's first professional loss.

Bouncing Back from Defeats

After his first loss, Jamie Pittman won three more fights, improving his record to 18 wins and 1 loss. In early 2010, he faced another tough challenge. He was knocked out by Joseph Kwadjo from Ghana in the seventh round. This fight was for the IBF Australasian super middleweight title.

In 2011, Jamie lost his PABA super middleweight title to fellow Australian boxer Serge Yannick in the second round of their match in Hobart, Tasmania. Two years later, in 2013, Jamie got back to his winning ways. He defeated Zac Awad in the eighth round of their match at the Sydney Entertainment Centre. This win helped him reclaim the PABA super middleweight title, bringing his professional record to 22 wins and 3 losses (with 8 knockouts).

Coaching Career and Contributions

After his professional fighting career, Jamie Pittman focused on coaching. He worked with both top-level and professional athletes on the Central Coast (New South Wales). Some of the athletes he coached include Kaye Scott and Tyson Lantry.

He is currently the National Regional Development Coach for Boxing Australia. He also leads the search for new talent and helps them develop. Jamie's coaching experience includes being an Assistant Coach for Australia at the AIBA World Junior Championships in Russia in 2015. He was also an Assistant Coach at the AIBA Youth World Boxing Championships, where Australia won a gold and a bronze medal. Jamie has coached at two UFC tournaments. In 2019, he was named the National Futures Coach for Boxing Australia.