Shot in arm for WA boxing

JONATHAN COOK, The West Australian March 12, 2011, 11:34 am
Billy Hussein and Billy Dib

Simon Santi/WA News © Billy Hussein and Billy Dib

Sydney trainer Billy Hussein will invite some of Australia's biggest boxing names to the Perth gym he has set up just eight months after his previous WA boxing experience was soured by Paul Briggs' farcical loss to Danny Green.

Hussein, who was Briggs' trainer for the July fight which ended in embarrassment for his charge when the bout was stopped after only 29 seconds, will open the doors to the Gloveworkz Boxing Fitness Gym tomorrow.

The move into WA boxing represents a new chapter for Hussein, who admitted the WA Professional Combat Sports Commission inquiry into the Briggs-Green fight, which cost his charge $75,000, had been a setback.

"What happened with Paul Briggs is sad for boxing and the most regrettable thing I've been involved in but I don't think I did anything wrong," Hussein said.

"It was a small setback and we want to move forward now. I'm excited about this." Although boxing fitness classes will be run at Hussein's Myaree facility, he also aims to lure some of the sport's top fighters to the gym to finetune their preparations instead of choosing camps in America and Asia.

"We want to make this the home for our training camps," said Hussein, who will continue to work out of Sydney while former WA boxer Justin Footit takes care of business in Perth.

"We want to be in Australia where the food, the environment, the people, and the culture is better. But we want to take them out of Sydney and away from any distractions and bring them to Perth.

"This will be the base training camp for Garth Wood and Billy Dib, plus any other fighters who want to come to Perth. My gym is open to them, people like Anthony Mundine and Michael Katsidis."

Dib, whose only loss was to Steven Luevano for the World Boxing Organisation featherweight title in 2008, cast an eye over the facility yesterday and will fight in Perth for the first time as a professional at the WA Italian Club tonight.

The 25-year-old, who has 30 wins (18 knockouts), will take on Filipino Ricky Sismundo on a program that will feature WA boxers Robbie Bryant and Daniel Dawson, as well as Beijing Olympian Paul Fleming.

Bryant takes on Samoa's Togasilimai Letoa for the Pan Asian Boxing Association middleweight title, light-middleweight Dawson faces Arnel Tinampay and Fleming, in his ninth professional fight, takes on Joan de Guia, of the Philippines.

In other bouts, light-heavyweight David Letizia takes on John Boyd and Ricardo Monteleone faces Mark Lonergan.

Dib will use his fight as a stepping stone towards a showdown with world featherweight champion Chris John.

"I don't cut any corners and I know that boxing is one punch and 10 seconds away from disaster, so I don't take any risks," Dib said.


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