WHEN Billy Dib’s trainer was examining opponents for a possible world title fight, one man he feared was Mexican Jorge Lacierva. Not any more.
The St George boxer stuck to the game plan devised by trainer Billy Hussein, with Dib winning a unanimous decision to take out the IBF featherweight world title at the Sydney Olympic Park Sports Centre last Friday.
Yesterday, Dib ‘‘celebrated’’ by fasting, like all Muslims, on the first day of Ramadan — and pronounced that he would put up his world title in all his planned fights in the near future.
‘‘It was no problem for me really,’’ said Dib about his fast: ‘‘I did all my celebrating over the weekend with family and friends.
‘‘I’m just so happy to have won and I will show the IBF that I am a worthy champion, by fighting anyone my management team deems worthy of the belt.’’
Dib proved too young, too clever and too fast on his feet on Friday night for the Mexican mauler.
A large contingent of St George and Sutherland fight fans cheered him on. Dib, 25, bamboozled his opponent, who had shown by his last win that he was a worthy world title aspirant.
Instead of standing there and punching it out with Lacierva, 33, Hussein told Dib to move around the ring, work off his jab — and switch hit to confuse his opponent.
‘‘Billy didn’t need a slugfest,’’ said Hussein of Dib, who has won the majority of his last 10 fights
by knockout.
‘‘We reckoned he’d get the job done using his superior fitness, and not taking a risk against this guy.
‘‘Originally, I didn’t want Billy fighting him, because he was so dangerous ... but look what
Billy did!’’
Dib said that he had found the fight ‘‘comfortable’’.
‘‘It all worked for me. Everything we trained for paid off on the night,’’ he said.
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