In the last chance saloon, Billy Dib hopes to rise again

Copyright: Lonsdale London

* MAYWEATHER-PACQUIAO PREVIEW/ANALYSIS

Billy 'The Kid’ Dib may have just arrived at the last chance saloon.

If he fails in his opportunity at a world title on Friday night, who knows if he'll get another.

That may make him a desperate man, but he shouldn't be.

Desperation is what has cost him in the past.

Dib has a huge heart and that sometimes is his problem. He uses it more than his head on occasion.

At the end of the day it isn't the toughest fighter who reins supreme, it's often the smartest.

Previously in Dib's opportunities at a world title he has been too desperate to impress.

Many wrote him off after his comprehensive points defeat at the hands of Steven Leuvano in 2008. 

The loss saw him dropped by Golden Boy Promotions and forced back home to Australia and the drawing board.

To his credit, he did the work, made the changes and took the long road back to the top.

The IBF Featherweight World Title signaled his return to the big stage in July 2011.

He was snapped up by SMS Promotions, with Curtis ’50 Cent’ Jackson calling the shots.

The US market is notoriously tough to break and Billy had been granted a second opportunity at it.

A big world title defence against Evgeny Gradovich, beamed around the globe on ESPN, and Dib wanted to make up for lost time.

He wanted to show he was an action packed fighter made for the USA that would get TV sets and turnstiles spinning. He traded shots with Gradovich willingly, only to lose the title.

He showed us his heart and his underappreciated chin and won admirers, but at the end of the day he lost the fight and his title, because he went away from his strengths.

Dib’s best asset is his speed, silky boxing skills and his ringmanship. He used angles well and is hard to hit, yet in the Gradovich fights he was more focused on putting on a show by trading bombs.

Hearing Dib speak in the lead up to this fight it's good to hear he's learnt those lessons. He’s returned home, worked on his skills and waited for the next opportunity at redemption.

It's a credit to his team for getting this fight as I think it's a very winnable one.

That's not to say it will be easy.

Takashi Miura has lost just once in six years, twice in his entire career.

He’s heavy handed and can finish a fight within the distance, which he’s managed in over 65% of his fights.

Miura is also quite good technically, and he’s a southpaw, making him an awkward opponent for Dib.

The champion has just fought once outside Japan in his career, highlighting his comfort on home soil.

Dib’s shot at the title will be available all around Australia on free-to-air television. It’s an opportunity many fighters will be envious of. It is the first world title fight on Channel 9 in 25 years and harks back to the days of a man close to Dib, Jeff Fenech.

It was Fenech who made himself a household name back in 1985 when we won the IBF World Bantamweight Title against Japanese fighter, Satoshi Shingaki, as an underdog.

Dib has the same opportunity against another Japanese champion on Friday evening in Tokyo.

Dib also has the opportunity to do something Fenech never did, claim the WBC Super Featherweight Title, after Fenech was robbed of the green belt following a controversial draw against Azumah Nelson in 1991.

Dib has the chance to right the wrong and finally bring it back to Australia for his close friend.

Going to Japan and getting a decision will be difficult and Dib will have to be at his best. He will have to dominate the fight and win close to every round. 

He’s the underdog, but some will say it’s been that way his entire career. 

Many write him off, expecting him to fall short. 

But often fighters at the last chance saloon bring their very best, and in the land of the rising sun, Billy Dib may yet rise again.

The Fight of the Century: MAYWEATHER-PACQUIAO PREVIEW

Floyd Mayweather meets Manny Pacquiao at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas on Sunday (EST time) in the ‘Fight of the Century’, with the mantle of the best fighter on the planet up for grabs.

Personal vendettas, legal troubles, contractual disputes and the sizeable ego’s of all involved have been overcome. The pair will finally go toe to toe in front of the world.

I’ve written over 30 articles on this fight over the journey and now that it is finally here it’s hard to find something that hasn’t already been said.

All along I’ve tipped a Mayweather victory and I will not waiver from that ahead of the fight. I just believe he is a superior fighter.

He’s yet to taste defeat in 47 fights and he has been in there with the very best.

His resume reads like a list of a Hall of Fame class. Corrales, Gatti, Judah, De La Hoya, Hatton, Marquez, Mosley, Cotto, Alvarez. It is some record.  

Many fighters have been touted as the one to stop ‘Money’ Mayweather, but up until now no one has managed to find a way. It’s hard to find a Mayweather fight in recent years that wasn’t mostly one sided, with a split decision win over Oscar De La Hoya the only exception. 

Cotto and Maidana put him under pressure to an extent, but his victories over Hatton, Marquez, Mosley and Alvarez were comprehensive.

    

Some say his biggest weakness is against pressure fighters, others say he struggles with southpaws.  Well, Manny Pacquiao is both, but it doesn’t guarantee him victory.

Pacquiao is expected to bring an all action style. But so did Cotto, Marquez and Alvarez. Mayweather was too slick for all of them.

Mayweather recently defeated Marcos Maidana, a relentlessly come forward fighter, often at his detriment.  Maidana certainly brought the pressure, but Mayweather never lost his composure. He let rounds slip, and fell behind on the scorecard, but as soon as Maidana tired, he picked him to pieces.

Whilst Mayweather is coming off back to back wins over Maidana, Pacquiao is coming off a one sided win over Chris Algieri. So one sided that Pacquiao scored six knockdowns over the 12 rounds. 

He looked very good, but was it really a test.

Pacquiao has knock out power in both hands and we’ve seen him flick the switch on some of the sport’s biggest names. Knockout is his best chance of victory, but he needs to be careful himself. 

Whilst Mayweather is undefeated, Pacquiao has lost three times in his career. The Filipino suffered back to back losses in 2012, which shows there are chinks in his armour.

He loves to let his hands go, but as a result he can be a little reckless. We saw him knocked out at the hands of Juan Manuel Marquez in that fashion. Mayweather doesn’t regularly end a fight early, but he’ll latch onto even the slightest opening. Pacquiao needs to pick his moments and establish his jab before looking for the big shots.

It’s Pacquiao’s fights with Marquez that are the most telling and give us the best indication of what can trouble the Filipino. The pair has met four times across their careers, the fights almost all close and controversial decisions.

Marquez has power and uses angles well, he gives as good as he gets, and has shown us that Pacquiao can struggle when he is not able to force the pressure as he likes and when beaten to the punch.

Mayweather has never been knocked out in his 47 fight career, and has only ever been knocked down on one occasion, a flash knockdown against Carlos Hernandez back in 2001. It was the only round Mayweather lost that night.

In more recent times, we’ve seen him rocked by Shane Mosley in the opening round of their fight in 2010. This time, Mayweather didn’t go down, but similarly he won ever ensuing round of the fight.

Knockout may be Pacquiao’s best method of victory, and he is certainly capable, but finding Mayweather’s chin is another story entirely.    

I expect Mayweather to fight, as he normally does, on the outside. He’ll use his defensive skills to keep the Filipino at range and counter punch. He won’t risk coming forward and into the clutches of Pacquiao.   

Mayweather must match the intensity of Pacquiao early. Pacquiao likes to dictate and Mayweather can’t allow that to happen right off the bat. Mayweather can’t start slow like he did in the first fight with Maidana. He was caught behind early on the scorecards and only managed to wrestle control back in the back end of the fight. Pacquiao won’t afford him the same luxury.

Mayweather must bank rounds early and not let it slip. He finishes well and always comes homes stronger in the final rounds. On the flip side Pacquiao will look to start fast and seize control. He'll look for a big punch early. 

If he wins the early rounds that will force Mayweather to chance his arm as the fight progresses. This is exactly what the Filipino wants. It means Floyd has to let his hands go and press the fight and that brings a knockout into the equation.

This could be a fight for the ages and I hope it lives up to the hype. Styles make fights and this one will hopefully be a fight we remember for a long time.

Pacquiao is the biggest test Mayweather has had in his career. But I think its a test he passes, just. 

PREDICTION: MAYWEATHER by decision

Even on its biggest night, boxing makes the same mistakes

It is the fight that is meant to save Boxing, and as one of its biggest fans, I hope it does, but the fact the public have been priced out of witnessing the ‘fight of the century’, shows everything currently wrong with the sport.

What a way to reward fight fans for their patience. Increase pay-per-view costs and ensure that the general public can’t even find their way into the arena to witness it.

We’re a week or so out from fight night and you still can’t buy a ticket, even if you could afford it.  

Sure if I was in the position to hand over $250,000 for a ringside seat, I would, but let’s face it, writing about the sport I love hasn’t exactly made me that rich.

Instead I’ve been the guy watching every Mayweather and Pacquiao fight over the last 10 years.

Yes, every one.

 I witnessed the great nights - Cotto, Canelo and Marquez, to the not so great - Ortiz, Rios and Algieri.

I’ve seen it all, as have millions around the world.

I’m glad they’re finally squaring off, but honestly the fight should have happened years ago.

The only reason it didn’t, was greed.

No one was willing to put everything on the line to see who was the better man and boxing lost in the process.

Instead we had two men, claiming to be the best, fighting boxers generally under the same promotional stable as themselves. 

Pacquiao almost exclusively with Top Rank and Mayweather almost exclusively with Golden Boy.

 Whilst they were both winning, we kept paying to see it, hoping the gripping narrative would one day lead into a battle for the ages.

But then it didn’t.

Instead, both sides were content to continue fighting guys that at times weren’t in the same weight division, let alone the same calibre.  

Ageing fighters were trumpeted as a real threat and countless others ready to shock the world.

Sure we had some good fights, but others left a bitter taste.

That’s not how it was done in days gone by.

Ali-Frazier wasn’t about getting rich. It was about two men lacing the gloves and finding out who was the best. Sure, both were handsomely paid in the process, but a want to reign supreme ran through the veins of both men.

Mayweather-Pacquiao isn’t happening because both men finally found a sense of ambition, its happening because there were simply no other options.

Mayweather is still undefeated at 47-0 and has cast aside all the greats. De La Hoya, Mosley, Marquez, Cotto, even the next great hope in Canelo, plus Maidana, Guerrero and Ortiz, all world champions.

Next in line for a fight was probably Amir Khan, had Pacquiao not agreed terms.

But Khan has lost two of his last six fights. He’s flashy, yet his chin is questionable. He needs to topple a big name before he lands his big shot.

The boxing public aren’t ready to give it to him either. He lost out to Marcos Maidana in a twitter popularity poll when Mayweather was deciding his most recent opponent.

Pacquiao has also beaten the greats. De La Hoya, Mosley, Cotto, Marquez, plus throw in Bradley, Margarito and Marco Antonio Barrera, all big names.

But recently the Filipino has been giving us the short straw. 

Fights with Brandon Rios and Chris Algieri resembled PR exercises in the hope of restoring the Pacquiao brand to its former heights. He won both easily, knocking Algieri down six times in his most recent.

In the meantime Mixed Martial Arts has exploded, spearheaded by the UFC.

There’s no denying MMA has picked up many a disillusioned boxing fan, as well as those who kept the faith, but are now happy to pay to watch both, like myself.

The man pulling the strings, Dana White, a big boxing fan, knows how to sell a fight.

The UFC offers the best against the best. No questions asked.

Sure, when you’ve got nearly every star in the MMA business under your stable, it’s easy to do, but the formula is still relatively simple.

Give the fans what they want.

Dana White is described by some as a promotional genius, but he simply services the fans needs.  

“We didn’t buy this (UFC) to make billions of dollars. We saw something in this sport and in the fighters that we thought was incredible. We thought if we got it to the mainstream people would enjoy it,” says White.  

Such a trait isn’t unique to fans of Mixed Martial Arts. It is also the fundamental appeal of boxing. 

Some say Mayweather-Pacquiao is the biggest fight of all, yet it will be held in a 16,000 seat arena.

Sure it’s supply and demand in business, but there’s something not quite right in limiting the supply and then charging over 100 times what you have previously, in a sport where you’re lucky fans are still around.

Nearly every set of eyes on the planet will be glued to Mayweather-Pacquiao on May 2. But what boxing needs to be concerned about is what happens next.

Who are the new stars that you will look to in the future?

Who will pick up the baton when Mayweather and Pacquiao call it a day?

Wouldn’t it be a great opportunity to sell these future stars to the billions of fans watching, particularly those watching your sport for the first time?

You’d think so. But look at the undercard and tell me if you think it’s worthy.

Both men are expected to make over $100 million for this fight, and fair play to them.

They’ll walk out rich men, win or lose, as will the managers, promoters, TV companies and many at the pointy end of the sport.

But once again it’s the fans that are asked to dig that little bit deeper.

Even on its grandest night, Boxing is still punching itself in the face.

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