He was once an amateur boxer.

Fighting under the name “Kid Crotchet,” Dean was reputedly a very good welterweight boxer. His record, was 24 wins and 6 losses in 30 bouts.

Dean was so broke in his early years, he and a friend would stage fights in their hotel room and charge people to watch. Supposedly, they would often fight until one of the combatants knocked the other one out.