Physical Address
Suite 5, 181 High Street,
Willoughby North NSW 2068
Kambosos torched ahead of potential bout | 00:50
Australian boxing great Billy Dib has urged Liam Wilson to “keep the same energy” when he walks into the Queenslander’s dressing room this Saturday night (live from 7pm AEDT on Fox Sports and Kayo) – while George Kambosos has also fired back at suggestions his upcoming Sydney fight card will be cancelled due to a lack of interest.
Davis vs Roach | SUN 2 MARCH 12PM AEDT | Boxing superstar Gervonta Davis returns to defend his WBA Lightweight World Title against WBA Super Featherweight World Champion Lamont Roach at the Barclays Center, New York. | Order Now with Main Event on Kayo Sports >
Already a two-time world title contender, Wilson is planning to punch his way into a third championship showdown – or potentially, a domestic blockbuster against Kambosos — when he faces Youssef ‘Uwee’ Dib in a hyped Brisbane rematch this weekend.
However, before again throwing down against Dib – who he finished via a brutal KO in July last year — the 28-year-old Caboolture puncher has taken aim at both his rival’s older brother, Billy, and that former lightweight king dubbed ‘Ferocious’.
Speaking during a fiery Thursday press conference, Wilson promised to “crush” both Dib boys on Saturday night, before suggesting ticket sales for an upcoming Kambosos show were so bad there have been talks of cancelling the Qudos Bank Arena event.
Soon after however, Kambosos hit back on Twitter, saying of Wilson: “He can’t even count to 10, let alone worry about my 22,000 seat arena. He should worry about his 500 seat s***hole, that he can’t sell.
“It’s clout chasing time like usual. My event going fantastic with 23 days to go.”
Speaking with Fox Sports Australia on Friday, Billy Dib also revealed he had reached out directly to Wilson via text following his press conference comments, and told the fighter they would come face-to-face on fight night.
A former IBF featherweight champion, Billy Dib will be part of his brother’s team for the Brisbane headliner and has been charged with task of watching Wilson get his hands wrapped.
Despite his obvious bad blood with Wilson however, Dib stressed there would be no issues and added it was specifically why he had stayed away from this week’s press conference and weigh-ins, stating: “This is Uwee’s time, not mine”.
Dib added that he will only fly into Brisbane late on Friday night.
Undeniably though, the former world champ and Wilson share a longstanding rivalry, which boiled over again last July when the fighter dubbed ‘Mr Damage’ kayoed Uwee Dib in the eighth round of their ‘Fight Of The Year’ contender.
Immediately afterwards, Billy entered the ring and the pair then exchanged words, something Wilson appeared not to have forgotten this week when he accused him of having talked his brother into the rematch – and effectively getting kayoed again.
Asked about the feud on Friday, Dib said: “When Uwee first had his fight with Liam announced, it was all handshakes and well wishes.
“But as the fight got closer, tensions got higher, comments got thrown around, and then during the fight I did scream out a few things like ‘you’re a bum’.
“That was my emotions getting the better of me.
“But then when Liam got the job done, he stood over my and brother screamed something.
“I was offended by that.
“I got into the ring and just said it wasn’t called for.
“Said it wasn’t classy.
“I reminded him that he was a father, and that both their children were watching that fight.
“He said ‘well, I’m sorry but you owe me an apology’
“I said ‘why’.
“He said ‘you called me punchy’.
“So I said ‘well, you are punchy … I’m just speaking the truth’.
“I also messaged him after Thursday’s press conference saying ‘brah, I don’t know if you’re in your right mind, but you’re not fighting me, you’re fighting my brother’.
“I said ‘pull yourself together’.
“He keeps telling me he’s not punchy but that’s super punchy.
“You don’t even know who you’re fighting.”
And as for fight night?
“I’ll be in there watching Liam get his hands wrapped,” he said.
“So I told him ‘do me a favour and keep that same energy when you see me’.
“The way he keeps talking, it’s like he is going to do something to me.
“I have no idea why.
“No idea, whatsoever.
“I’m living in his head rent free at the moment.
“He walks around bragging about being a world title challenger.
“That’s nothing to be proud of.
“You’ve challenged for world titles twice and been knocked out twice.
“Why are you bragging about that?”
Should Wilson win again on Saturday, it is understood a number of big opportunities will be tossed to the title contender who remains the No.4 WBO super featherweight contender.
“Liam is sweet, he’s ready to go,” the fighter’s trainer Ben Harrington told Fox Sports Australia on Friday afternoon after both fighters made weight, with Wilson at 61.kg and Dib 61.2kg.
“There isn’t anything really to say.
“It’s just a matter of getting the job done.
“And the one thing Liam does better than anyone else I’ve ever seen, he has the ability to smell fear.
“Can smell when somebody isn’t about it.
“Even in sparring when he hits somebody, if he senses weakness he’s on them.
“It’s just the Alpha in him.
“And that’s the take I get from Liam in this camp.
“If the fight comes down to a battle of wills … well, good luck.”
Harrington also stressed the reason Wilson is announced as a two-time title challenger is because it’s true, with the Queenslander having been incredibly unlucky not to have triumphed against both Emanuel Navarette and Oscar Valdez.
“So nobody is calling him a champion,” he said.
“But remember Liam did go over to America and fight a three-division world champ in his own backyard.
“And that was after 14 fights.
“You can go on Boxrec and see what other fighters were doing at the same time.
“So nobody has to ask if Liam Wilson is about it.”
Meanwhile, Dib also insisted his brother was in outstanding shape for the rematch, having been training with not only Liam Paro, but also a couple of American sparring partners.
“Although I’ll be honest with you,” he shrugged, “I haven’t watched him train one day.
“Again, because this is his time, not mine.
“He doesn’t have to live up to me.
“But a few weeks ago, I was driving past the gym and just popped in to say hello.
“And when Uwee shook my hand, I was thinking ‘what the f*** is going on?’.
“His handshake felt as hard as rock.
“So I grabbed his arm, it was the same.
“I really believe Uwee can win this fight.
“He was on the way to winning the last one.”
