Gold Coast boxer Billel Dib declares ‘I will probably hurt him’ as bout with Brisbane rival Liam Wilson looms

Gold Coast boxer Billel Dib usually prays for the health of his opponent before each fight - not this time, he says.

GOLD Coast boxer Billel Dib usually prays for the health of his opponent and his own ­before every fight.

But if he gets his wish and management locks in a fight against upcoming professional Liam Wilson, the 24-year-old Brisbane fighter won’t be part of Dib’s pre-fight rituals.

World-ranked super featherweight Dib, 31, has not fought since September 2019, when he defeated Carlo Magali for the World Boxing Association Oceania title. The win took Dib’s record to 24 wins, 11 by knockout and three losses.

He had four fights cancelled in the past year due to COVID including several opportunities in the United Kingdom and the United States and his WBA ranking has slipped to 15. With overseas travel still limited, Dib is turning his attention to a domestic fight in Australia until restrictions ease and Wilson is the logical match-up.

Popular boxing stats website boxrec lists Wilson as the No. 1 Australian super-featherweight with Dib at 2, while another Gold Coast fighter Bruno Tarimo is at 3.

Wilson has made a blazing start to his professional career after representing Australia at the Gold Coast Commonwealth Games in 2018, with an undefeated record from eight fights with six knockouts, five of which came in the first three rounds.

The first salvos have already been thrown on social media and Dib says he simply doesn’t like Wilson or his team for some of the “rubbish” they have spoken about him.

“I don’t respect him (Wilson) as a human. If it happens it happens and I’ll teach him a lesson.

“I’ll probably hurt him. I’ve never wanted to hurt someone in the ring ever.

“I usually pray for my opponent before the fight, pray for my opponent and myself.” said Dib, a Muslim. “Just for our health. If I fight him, I won’t be praying for him.”

Boxer Liam Wilson (left) lays a blow to Mauro Perouene in an undercard fight ahead of the 'The Reckoning - Horn vs Zerafa 2' middle weight clash between Jeff Horn and Michael Zerafa at the Brisbane Convention and Exhibition Centre in Brisbane, Wednesday, December 18, 2019. (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Dib, who has his own accountancy business on the Gold Coast, leaves for Sydney shortly to start a seven-week training camp with trainer Billy Hussein. While on the Gold Coast he trains with Ashley Buck and has previously trained with Angelo Hyder at Kingscliff.

He would also love to get a bout scheduled for late March or early April as his fight window then closes for another month during Ramadan.

While many pro boxers struggled to get fights in 2020, Wilson managed three appearances and each one left little doubt of his enormous potential with three quick stoppages.

Wilson’s crisp accuracy and power are brutal, but Dib is unimpressed.

“To be honest if it wasn’t for COVID I wouldn’t even be entertaining the idea of fighting him,” he said.

“Not to come across as arrogant, but he’s not on my radar. He’s only beginning his career and I think his team putting him in the ring with me is just inexperience on their part.

“They put him in the ring with me, his career is over before it’s even started. I just look at it like it’s a ‘stay-active fight’ while I’m in Australia before I head back overseas. I don’t look at Liam like he’s too much of a threat. I know the kid can fight but he’s young. He’s inexperienced and I’ll show him things he has never seen before.”