This Friday, former IBF featherweight champion Billy Dib (45-5, 26 KOs) steps up in weight to face Amir Khan at the King Abdullah Sports City in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. “This is a one-off fight at welterweight for me and Amir Khan is absolutely the right guy for me to fight,” proclaimed Dib. “Put it this way, you’d have to offer me a ridiculous amount, well into eight figures, to step into a ring with Manny Pacquiao. Your health is everything. But Amir Khan certainly isn’t Manny Pacquiao.
“Look, Amir definitely WAS a great champion, a proven warrior who’s made his mark on the game. He could be a future Hall of Famer. In time, I hope the boxing world will fully appreciate his skillset. But in the past few years there’s been a major decline, a lot of chinks have emerged. He’s no longer the fighter who schooled the likes of Devon Alexander and Marcos Maidana. Today, he’s fighting for different reasons….money!”
Effectively jumping up three weight categories to challenge Khan is no problem, Dib insists.
“When I landed in Saudi at the end of June, I was already in great shape,’ claims Dib. “For the first time in my boxing career, I’ve not needed to worry about my weight. I’ll be far stronger, more thickset and hopefully I’ll carry my speed up cos I’m quick, too. Everybody knows I’m a quality body puncher and I’ll be bringing even more strength and power. I’ll definitely test Khan. I really fancy my chances.’
“If I don’t bring my absolute A game, I’ll get exposed,’ he concedes. “Amir’s a super-fast starter and brings amazing hand speed but once my eye is gauged to that speed, I’ll sort out the game plan. Sometimes that speed works against Amir. The times he’s been kayoed, have been when he gets carried away and becomes reckless. I may not be a one punch ‘lights out’ fighter but I’ve certainly got the power to inflict damage.
“I expect it to be a stylish fight rather than a war. Amir’s the naturally bigger man so I’ll need to box out of my skin, like I did in the amateurs. I win because I’m the more intelligent fighter. In past fights, I’ve proved I can be a mover, a boxer, a puncher. I can diversify.
“The only way I win is to lay him out. I’m gonna ice him!”
Got 0 respect for Amir Khan taking this fight. If Khan was fighting the Japanese fighter that KO’d Dib in 3 rounds in Japan, I’d go for that, even if it was at 140 lbs (a weight Khan cannot make anymore). Even if the Japanese fighter agreed to a 145 lbs weigh in, I’d go for that. If Dib was fighting someone at 135 lbs, I’d go for that, maybe, even now. I’d go for Dib getting a 135 lbs title fight, or fighting the Puerto Rican fighter that got stopped again at 130.
Miura is retired
This whole idea of Khan fighting in Saudi Arabia is a frace. I don’t know if his purse has changed now that Dib is the opponent, but he was getting over $8 million to fight that Indian guy with an 11-3 record, with his third loss against a guy making his pro debut. The fight was supposed to be for the newly invented WBC Pearl Belt, which has no been withdrawn. I guess even the WBC decided that was just a little too ridiculous. Now Khan has choses Dib as an opponent? He’s definitely has a much more credible resume’ than Mr. India, but I haven’t really heard Dibs name mentioned in 5 years and that was at Featherweight! I don’t see Mr. Dib lasting more than 5 rounds, and if it does go 5 rounds, it’s because Khan is taking mercy on him.
khan should have no trouble with dib.
Billy Dib has some KOs since his loss to Miura. 5 wins against Thai journeymen. Aussie fighters love to pad their records against Thai journeymen. Now for Dib’s first 30 fights, he had two fights against Thai fighters, so you can’t claim that he padded his record with Thai journeymen then. But 5 of his last 8 fights have been against Thai fighters. NOW, if Dib was challenging IBF #1 140 lbs Thai fighter, Apinan Khongsong, I’d say okay, he was working towards IBF contention at 140 by fighting a bunch of Thai journeymen, but he isn’t fighting journeymen Thai fighters to lead to fighting a top dog Thai fighter, but, if somehow he stops Khan on cuts, by a bodyshot, or touches that chin just right, you never know, he may get to fight that #1 IBF 140 lbs Thai fighter in Australia and then see what happens. I saw Billy Dib crumble badly to Miura at 130, but I saw Khan crumble badly against Prescott and Danny Garcia. And if Dib is a big body punchers, I remember Canelo went overtime with right hands to Khan’s body before the right hand to the chin. Canelo only threw right hands to the body, no left hooks to the body, so that was punch Canelo thought could work on Khan. Dib is #94 in the IBO ratings for 130 lbs (Khan #8 in the IBO ratings at 147), so I don’t think Dib ever believed he was ever even a lightweight. He has 6 KOs since he moved up from 126 to 130.
Dib may well be commenting on himself. He is a ‘has been’ fighter who is stepping up in weight and simply fighting for the money. He will get iced in less than 5 rounds.
If he pass the third, there will be a celebration in his family and circle of friends
The match up is embarrassing, but aside of that, I think it will be Khan in 3.
i lot of people will be happy if Khan loses this. he has a big fan base because he is muslim but he has gradually alienated many fans. I was a fan early on and saw a handful of fights live. now i think he is a delusional cunt
This is just a money fight for Dib! Hope he wins but doubt it, Kahn in 2!.
Doubt that Dib is going to “ice” Khan. As safe an opponent as the guy he’s replacing. He made his bones as a featherweight. Khan will kill him. A very uninteresting fight.
8 million for bull shit, what a lucky guy Kahn is that he can keep conning people to pay him that kind of money to guy that gets koed every time he fights a real fighter
billy Did will win by KO ,, easy money 🙂
coming from the future. EL PRI >>.