Coventry boxer Dean Pithie has a second chance to take the WBC International Super-Featherweight title in front of home-town support when he fights on 12 July.

And the bout will have an added edge, Pithie will be clashing with South African Andrew Matabola, the man who defeated him when he when last fought in February.

The fight will again be at the Coventry Sports Centre but the 25-year-old from Willenhall believes that this bout will be very different from the last clash when he was stopped in round eight.

He said:

"I know exactly what went wrong last time around and I have put that straight. It hurt a lot to be beaten in February and it took time to get over.

"I felt that for the majority of the last fight I was well on top and problems started when questions were asked of my stamina, so that is something I have worked on.

"We have enlisted the help of Spencer Oliver the former European Super Bantomweight Champion and he is helping me with some technical things as well as the stamina side.

"I have been getting up at 6am every morning and running over Hampstead Heath, and anyone who has tried it will know that will improve your fitness by itself."

Also fighting on the bill, which is sponsored by the Daily Star newspaper and will be shown live on Sky TV, are Coventry quartet Neil Simpson, Jim Twite and brothers Mark and Gareth Payne.

Twenty Eight-year-old Willenhall boxer Simpson is hoping to battle out a British Light- Heavyweight title eliminator, but so far promoters have failed to agree terms with opponent Tony Booth.

Simpson is desperate for the fight to go ahead and admits he does not have much time left to prove his ability.

He said:

"At my age I need to be getting close to title shots and I really hope that we can get the fight with Booth organised for 12 July.

"It will be the first time I have fought in Coventry and a great opportunity to show the people here what I can do, and hopefully I can go on to become the British champion fairly quickly."