Billy Dib – Australia’s Next World Champion
Interview by Jasveer Singh Gill
Once touted by Prince Naseem Hamed as the world’s hottest boxing prospect, Australian Billy Dib has gone somewhat of the radar since his only loss in 2008.
At the age of 22 Dib was given his opportunity to fight for a world title but in Steve Luevano he fought a wily veteran that knew how to out-point the more aggressive youngster. At the time Golden Boy were promoting Dib as the next big-thing at featherweight but the loss saw them cut their ties.
Far from letting that opportunity deter him though, Dib has gone on to rack up 10 wins since than and has now fought himself back into title contention, fighting for the IBF featherweight title against Jorge Lacierva in July this year.
Dib took a break from his world title fight preparations to speak with us here at www.boxing-articles.com to discuss his raise back to the top, his controversial fight against Kenichi Yamaguchi and his relationship with superstars Shane Mosley and Prince Naseem Hamed.
You are coming off your 10th straight win in March since your loss to Steve Luevano.
How do you think you have improved since that fight?
A lot has definitely changed since the fight with Luevano. There were a few issues that needed to be addressed and with the help of my trainer Billy Hussein and my whole team I have addressed each issue. I feel like I am a more complete fighter than the Billy Dib who stepped in to the ring with Luevano and I will continue to show that.
Your next bout will be your second shot at winning a world title. How do you feel about this opportunity?
It has all finally come together after a lot of hard work and I will be facing Jorge Lacierva for the IBF Featherweight title. My focus is completely on the task at hand and that task is beating Lacierva to realise my dream.
Around your weight class are some top notch fighters, such as Yurikios Gamboa and Juanma Lopez, both touted in the pound-for-pound top 10. How do you see yourself matching up with these guys? When do you think you’d be ready to take on one of these world title holders?
The featherweight division is definitely littered with some amazing talent, and the two guys you’ve mentioned are a part of that. I definitely feel that I can match it with those guys but like I said earlier, my focus is completely on winning the IBF title and that means getting through Lacierva first
You have not fought out of Australia since 2008. When are you planning on fighting abroad again?
Fighting in the United States has definitely been a viable option in recent times and I plan on getting myself on the big stages of the boxing world once I do what I need to do and win the IBF world title in Australia.
Up until the Luevano fight you were being promoted by Golden Boy promotions but after the loss they haven’t promoted any more of your fights since. What happened with that?
The relationship with Golden Boy Promotions has been unbelievable and hopefully after this bout I will continue to work with them
There was a lot of controversy surrounding your fight with Kenichi Yamaguchi. Give us your version of events>
The night was fuelled with a lot of emotion and a few things went wrong but my team and I have moved on since then and here I am now, fighting for the IBF Featherweight title in my next fight
Throughout your career you have gone about training with the very best in the sport, such as Naseem Hamed and Shane Mosley. What was it like training with them? Did you ever spar with either of them?
Training with the who’s who of boxing such as Naseem Hamed and Shane Mosley is definitely an experience I will always cherish. I did get to spar with them and forged a close relationship with both of them
Have you ever thought about moving your training camps to another country?
Things are going in the right direction and I have a great trainer in Billy Hussein who is in my opinion, one of the best trainers in the world so it has not crossed my mind.
What aspects of your game are you looking to improve, if anything?
There are always things to improve and my trainer and I work very hard to ensure that I do keep improving on all aspects of my game.
You are known as an aggressive fighter. Do you go into every fight looking for the stoppage?
I see myself as a boxer first and foremost, but I do believe my power has improved a whole lot thanks to the help of Billy Hussein and my strength and conditioning coach, Haitham Arifaki from Maximum Fitness. I don’t necessarily go out looking for the stoppage but if the opportunity presents itself, I am more than willing to go for it.
Despite your amateur success Australia did not pick you for their Olympic squad and you declined an invite from Lebanon. What kind of impact do you think not going to the Olympics has had on your career?
Going to the Olympics was always a dream for me but it didn’t come to fruition. I don’t believe that not going to the Olympics has had much of an impact on my career, even though it would have been an awesome experience.
Australia is going through a good period of boxing with the likes of Danny Green and Michael Katsidis fighting at an elite level now. Do you think more Australian boxers will come through to an elite level
I do believe that more Australian boxers will do their part to put Australia back on the map in the boxing world and it’s definitely an exciting time for Australian boxing.
Your origins lay in Lebanon and you are Muslim. Does your faith have any affect on your career?
It has definitely had a positive effect on my boxing career, as I have lived a clean lifestyle and this has helped me in many ways.
You are quite big at your weight, can you see yourself moving up a division?
It is definitely one of my goals to become a multi-weight champion but I am focused on conquering the Featherweight division at this point in time.
Floyd Mayweather vs Manny Pacquaio is the fight that everyone wants to see but it does not look close to happening which is only to the detriment of boxing. Give us your take on the situation.
I believe that the fight will eventually happen as they are both great fighters and the amount of money that is involved cannot be overlooked. I think they will sort out the issues that are stopping the fight from being made in due time.
The MMA vs Boxing debate has been raging for a while because of the popularity of the UFC. What do you think about MMA?
I am not really a fan of the MMA, and I believe that boxing will always be the number one sport in the world
Big promotions such as yours (Golden Boy) and Top Rank are now actively promoting exciting fighters such as yourself, Pacquaio and others. Recently Mosley was very negative in his last fight vs Pacquaio, making it a dull affair. Do you think boxers have a duty to entertain fans
I do believe that boxers have an obligation to entertain the fans who give their hard-earned to support us.
Tell us who you think are the best three boxers of all time.
Muhammad Ali, Sugar Ray Robinson and Bernard Hopkins.
If everything goes perfectly, where will you be in terms of your career by 2012?
God-willing, I will be the IBF Featherweight Champion of the world and then my team will worry about taking steps to ensure my career is going in the right direction.
[...] Billy Dib – Australia's Next World Champion | Boxing Articles At the time Golden Boy were promoting Dib as the next big-thing at featherweight but the loss saw them cut their ties. Far from letting that opportunity deter him though, Dib has gone on to rack up 10 wins since than and has now fought Dib took a break from his world title fight preparations to speak with us here at to discuss his raise back to the top his controversial fight against Kenichi Yamaguchi and his relationship with [...]