The Brief Career of Dino "Casino" Berkowitz

Dean Allan Watt was born on January 20, 1957 in Mount Holly, New Jersey to Raymond Watt and Beryl Berkowitz Watt. Dean came from a big family with five siblings. In his early twenties, he became a barber and hairstylist. He worked hard and eventually owned multiple salons.

Around this time, Watt added boxing to his busy schedule. He was trained by Joe Tete, a decorated bodybuilder and boxing coach. They worked out of the Moorsetown Gym in New Jersey, a hotbed for fighters in the area at the time. Watt assumed his mother's maiden name, Berkowitz, for his boxing career. Dean was an avid gambler and loved to make the hour drive southeast to Atlantic City, so his nom de box was Dino "Casino" Berkowitz.

"He just wanted to be a fighter," Coach Tete told The Jewish Boxing Blog. "He never had any amateur fights, just a lot of guts and some training."

Berkowitz turned pro on June 26, 1983 at the age of 27. Fighting just above the lightweight limit, he faced fellow debutant Joey Whitfield at the Cherry Hill Inn in Cherry Hill, New Jersey. A writer at the Courier-Post was unimpressed. "Believe it or not," the scribe wrote, "a Mount Holly hairdresser named Dean Allan Watt will make his pro debut on the bill, fighting under the moniker Dino 'Casino' Berkowitz. C'mon, give me a break." Whitfield didn't give Berkowitz a break and stopped him in the third round.

Casino Berkowitz next fought on October 9, 1984 on a card promoted by Don Elbaum. He took on Charlie Briscoe of Philadelphia at the Tropicana Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. Berkowitz knocked out Briscoe at the end of the first round. He was in tough in his next fight on November 20 at the same venue. Casino's opponent was Johnny Bizzarro Jr. of Youngstown, Ohio. Bizzarro was only 1-1 at the time but would go on to have a very good career. He stopped Berkowitz fifty seconds into the second round.

Berkowitz floored by Bizzarro

Berkowitz retired from the ring with a record of 1-2, all three fights ending early. "I love that guy. He was a real character," Coach Tete remembered. "He was a tough guy, a good guy, and had a great following." Dino loved the beach and was always spotted with a tan. He lived in Florida for a time, but moved back to New Jersey where he always made it a point to visit the casinos in Atlantic City.

On November 20, 1995 Dean Watt died under tragic circumstances. He was just 38 years old.

Sources

Interview with Joe Tete.

Marder, Phill. "Rossman Readies for 'step two' in his attempt to regain the title." Courier-Post. Jun. 11, 1983. Pg. 9.

Snyder, Craig. The Boxers of Youngstown, Ohio. 2018.

Watt, David. "Dean Allan Watt." Find a Grave.