Billy Dib held the IBF featherweight title from 2011 to 2013, and the IBO super-featherweight title in 2008.
19 Facts About Billy Dib
1.
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Billy Dib has suffered from chronic asthma since birth, and he spent the first six months of his life in an incubator fighting the ailment.
3.
Billy Dib took up boxing at the age of 12 to try to overcome the condition.
4.
Billy Dib's parents had emigrated to Australia from Lebanon, and owned a small greengrocer store in Engadine, where he grew up.
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Billy Dib subsequently turned down an offer to join Lebanon's Olympic team, arguing that he had been representing Australia and would not feel right if drawn against an Australian in the tournament as Australia was his, and his family's home.
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Billy Dib won, and subsequently went on to win the next 20 bouts, not losing until October 2008, against Steven Luevano.
7.
Billy Dib traveled to the United States in 2006, after being offered the opportunity to train with Mike Tyson.
8.
On 30 July 2008, Billy Dib faced South African Zolani Marali for the IBO super featherweight title.
9.
Billy Dib fought against Steven Luevano, the WBO featherweight champion, on 18 October 2008.
10.
Billy Dib was unsuccessful, losing to Luevano in a unanimous points decision.
11.
On Wednesday, 11 March 2009, at the Campbelltown Cube in Sydney, Billy Dib returned to the ring in a spectacular performance, beating 22-year-old local Campbelltown fighter undefeated Davey Browne Jnr via an 8th round technical decision after Browne was cut above both eyes.
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Questions regarding the decision were raised after the fight, with some expressing the belief that the punch constituted a foul, and thus Yamaguchi should either have been given time to recover, the fight declared a no-contest, or Billy Dib should have been disqualified.
13.
On 19 November 2011, Billy Dib made the first defense of his title, knocking out Italian challenger Alberto Servidei in 2:38 of the first round from a left hook to the body.
14.
Billy Dib made his second title defense against Eduardo Escobedo on 7 March 2012 in retaining his title with a seventh-round TKO, his aggressive body attack broke down Escobedo who did not come out for round seven.
15.
Billy Dib lost the title to Evgeny Gradovich on 1 March 2013.
16.
On 3 August 2018, Billy Dib fought Tevin Farmer for the vacant IBF super featherweight championship.
17.
Billy Dib has fought three times since his come back, twice in 2019, once in 2021.
18.
Billy Dib is brothers to professional boxer, Youssef, and New South Wales Labor MP, Jihad.
19.
In 2022, Billy Dib competed on the reality competition series The Challenge: Australia.