Q & A with Billy "The Kid" Dib World rated Featherweight Billy “The Kid” Dib 30-1(18) hails from Sydney, though is of Lebanese decent. He enjoyed a successful amateur career, before injury prevented him representing Australia at the 2004 Olympics. It was at this point Dib traveled to Sheffield, England to train with his hero Nassem Hamed. Hamed liked what he saw and encouraged his young protégé to turn professional. Having quickly rattled off nineteen wins over the next four years he got his title shot when he went up against Steve Luevano. It was to be Dib’s only career loss to date, going down to a decision. Still only 25, Dib has rebounded well since going 9-0(7) with 1 No Contest. An impressive performance Saturday against Ricky Sismundo 18-5(7) could propel him back into the world scene. The young veteran believes he’s learnt from the Luevano loss, along with sparring in America and is nearing a second opportunity. Currently he’s ranked WBA 12 & IBF 4. Hello Billy, welcome to 15rounds.com Anson Wainwright – Firstly you will be fighting Ricky Sismundo this weekend. What are your thoughts on this fight and what are you looking for from this fight? Billy Dib – This is going to be a match in which I will be able to showcase my skills and put in a good performance against a dangerous opponent for the people of Perth, especially since it is my first fight out West. I will be looking to stick to the game plan and am definitely aiming for a knockout. Anson Wainwright – What are you plans for 2011? Are you targeting anyone in particular? Billy Dib – 2011 is going to be the year where I finally break out and become the force in the Featherweight division that I am capable of being. Our main target for this year is Chris John and his WBA title but first I will have to put in an impressive performance against Ricky Sismundo. There are, however, some really good things coming in 2011 for us so I urge the fans to keep an eye out for me in what’s going to be a major year for Team BTK. Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your team? Who is your manager, trainer & promoter? Also what gym do you regularly train at? Have you left Australia for sparring, if so who have you sparred with and how did it go? Billy Dib – I have a great team behind me and am very thankful to have them. My manager is Michael K who also manages rising Australian star, Garth Wood. My trainer is the master coach Billy Hussein, who I truly believe is one of the best trainers in the world. I am a free agent at the moment but I’m working with great, young promoters such as Ty Colman as well as having a great relationship with Grange Old School Boxing. I train at my own gym in which is located in Lakemba. I travelled to the US to spar with some talented fighters in Jesse Magdaleno, Diego Magdaleno and Celestino Caballero. This was very beneficial as I had the chance to test my skills. Anson Wainwright – You’ve won 9 straight since you fought for the WBO Featherweight title against Steve Luevano in 2008. How do you think you have improved since you had that fight with Luevano? What can you tell us about that fight? Was it just a bit soon for you etc? Billy Dib – I definitely feel as though I have improved under the guidance of Billy Hussein as we have added dimensions to my skill-set which I did not focus on before this fight. The fight with Luevano obviously did not go according to plan and I lost to a better fighter only on that night. There are no excuses for the performance but I know in my heart that I will not pass up another opportunity such as that one again. Anson Wainwright – The Featherweight division is talent packed with the likes of Juanma Lopez, Yuriorkis Gamboa, Chris John etc what are your thoughts on the division in general? Billy Dib – It really is a division littered with a lot of great fighters. It is also a division in which I believe I can be among the elite once given my chance to prove my worth. I will be looking to prove that by working my way to the top already having a number 4 spot in the IBF. My team and I will be pushing for fights to put us in a place to be able to challenge and beat these champions. Anson Wainwright – Your last 3 fights have taken place above the 126 Featherweight limit, are you looking for fights at 130? Billy Dib – I am looking for fights anywhere between 126 and 130 as long as they are high calibre fights which will help to improve my standing in world boxing. Anson Wainwright – Can you tell us about your amateur career and what happened to prevent you representing Australia in the 2004 Olympics? Also what titles did you win and what was your final record? Billy Dib – I had a very enjoyable and distinguished amateur career in which I represented Australia all over the world. I was unable to represent Australia in the 2004 Olympics due to a motorbike accident which hampered my performance at the trials. I won numerous state, national and Golden Gloves titles, compiling a record of 113 fights for 98 wins. Anson Wainwright – After not going to the Olympics you came to Britain and went to train with Nassem Hamed. what can you tell us about that experience? Billy Dib – That was definitely an experience which changed my life. Training with my hero in boxing was something that felt simply like a dream. From there a bond was forged between me and Naz and we have become like brothers. Naz also encouraged me to turn professional after watching a few of my fight tapes, telling me that my style would be better suited to the professional ranks and I did just that. Anson Wainwright – In 2006 you were given the chance to train with Mike Tyson, how did that come about and what was it like? Billy Dib – Jeff Fenech decided to take me over to the US to meet and train with Mike Tyson as a 21st Birthday present. It was a great experience training alongside one of the greatest fighters of all time in Mike Tyson. While over there I met with the legendary Sugar Shane Mosley who took me under his wing. We shared many training camps together, shared the ring together in sparring many a time. He is a great mentor and friend of mine. Anson Wainwright – When your not Boxing what do you like to do with your time? What are your hobbies & Interests? Billy Dib – I like to spend time with my family and friends when I am away from boxing. I enjoy wakeboarding and shooting some hoops. I enjoy watching Rugby League, Basketball and Soccer, supporting St George Illawarra in Rugby League, LA Lakers in Basketball and Manchester United in Soccer. Anson Wainwright – Finally do you have a message for your fans? Billy Dib – My fans can stay updated with the latest and greatest on my Twitter page, Facebook page and my website at billythekid.com.au. Thanks for all the wonderful support. Thanks for your time Billy, keep up the good work. Anson Wainwright 15rounds.com Extend your reach New Straits Times May 17, 2010 New Straits Times 05-17-2010 Extend your reach Edition: Main/Lifestyle Section: Tech & U Column: Top picks Memo: Tech IN conjunction with World Telecommunications Day today, here are mobile tools that help us to connect and communicate better, for work and play 1. Sony Ericsson Satio Get set for entertainment beyond your dreams. The Satio combines the latest technology and style with a 12.1 megapixel camera. With this phone, you can talk with pictures. Tap directly into your favourite music and films using the unique touch panels. Use the responsive touchscreen camera feature to focus and snap your photos. Besides that, pre-loaded apps like Facebook, Picasa Web album, YouTube, Google Map and WorldMate extend your connectivity and social networking reach. 2. Toshiba TG01 A Toshiba phone? Surprised? Toshiba, a well-known player in the notebook market, is now making inroads into the mobile phone segment. The Windows TG01 phone features impressive functions like cinematic screen, 3-D games, music on the go and gesture operation. What’s gesture operation? It’s a sensor-based feature that allows you to simply shake the phone to take a call or tilt it to move between apps. Cool huh? htctouchpronow.net htc touch pro 3. Samsung Monte Without doubt, Samsung has proven its worth in the mobile arena. Its design is getting better by the day. This is a beauty with lots of features. With a direct click to social networking services, multi instant messenger, Wi-Fi and 3G, this is the phone you will want to flash around while hanging out with friends. 4. 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