Billy Dib and Joel Brunker ready for war tonight [VIDEO]
Roar Guru Three of Australia’s star featherweights, including IBF world champion Billy ‘The Kid’ Dib, will be in action tonight on a monster card in Sydney.
Dib is moving up weight to super featherweight for this non-title bout and faces Mexican Juan Antonio ‘El Mozo’ Rodriguez.
Undefeated featherweight Joel ‘Aussie’ Brunker takes on another Mexican in Edgar ‘Basuras’ Riovalle, while the card also features promising Australian super featherweight Paul ‘Showtime’ Fleming.
Fleming has 14 wins from 14 fights and is trained by Billy Hussein, Dib’s trainer.
This card has a genuine Australia vs Mexcio feel to it, and it will be second Mexican Dib has faced in a row after disposing of Eduardo Escobedo in Hobart in March.
Dib will also face another southpaw in the form of Rodriguez, who has a record of 21 wins (19 KOs) and three losses. Rodriguez should be a stepping stone for Dib on his mission for big fights in the US, but with that kind of knockout power Dib will need to be wary.
The Mexican also has a slight height advantage, but Dib will surely be boosted by a vocal and parochial home crowd.
Brunker has been talked about as a potential opponent for Dib in the future, but for now the fighter is set on claiming his own world title.
The 26-year is undefeated after 22 fights and in Riovalle has a rival who is more experienced and a year younger. Riovalle, who has lost to Dib’s opponent Rodriguez back in 2008, and to another Dib victim Jorge Lacierva back in 2010, has a record of 34 wins (24 KOs), 13 losses and one draw.
Australia is unusually blessed at the featherweight and super featherweight weights at the moment with Dib, Brunker, Fleming, undefeated IBO super featherweight champion Will Tomlinson and undefeated super featherweight Corey McConnell – it’s exciting times for Aussie boxing.
Tonight’s card, which is being shown on Fox Sports, also includes the likes of Tony Bates, Billel Dib and Joel Galea. It caps off the start of a big two months for the sweet science in Australia.
Anthony Mundine is at the first step of his five-fight US plan on Sunday against Bronco McKart. Danny Green tries his hand at light heavyweight on 25 July in Perth against Danny Santiago, while Lovemore Ndou and Gairy St Clair rumble in Southport on 10 August.
Then middleweights Sam Soliman and Giovanni Lorenzo will clash on 24 August in Geelong with the winner becoming the mandatory challenger for IBF champion Daniel Geale.
Will Tomlinson will defend his IBO belt against Irving Berry in Melbourne on 7 September and then, just to cap it off, will be the blockbuster of Geale fighting Felix Sturm in Germany on 1 September with two world titles on the line. It doesn’t get much better.
See footage of yesterday’s Dib/Brunker/Fleming weigh-in below.
Twitter: @johnnyddavidson
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