By Jamie Pandaram
BILLY HUSSEIN never wanted to train Billy Dib. Too much ego, he thought, not a team player.
It was only at the insistence of his brother Hussein Hussein, a former world title challenger, that Billy Hussein relented in late 2008.
Loosening his belt ... Billy Dib, front right, celebrates his win last week against Jorge Lacierva at a family barbecue yesterday in Greenacre.Credit: Wolter Peeters
And there they were in Dib's corner last Friday night as the 25-year-old became only the third Australian to win a world featherweight title, emulating Jeff Fenech and Johnny Famechon.
The IBF featherweight championship belt was won after a phone call in November 2008, following Dib's first and only loss in his 33-fight professional career, for which he suffered savage criticism for his performance and the humiliation of being dropped by his then promoters, Golden Boy.
''He gave my brother Hussey a call. I think he was too embarrassed to ask me to train him,'' Billy Hussein recalls. ''I didn't want to train him at the time because of the way his attitude was. He wanted that one-on-one attention. We were a close team that were always together. Billy was used to training on his own, he was always, 'Me, me, me.' That wasn't what we were about.
''I did it for my brother's sake, I didn't do it for Billy because at the time I thought he's cocky, he's with Golden Boy.
''Billy has always been his own man and called his own shots. I don't work like that. I have a team that calls the shots for the fighter, because fighters are too emotional and think they can beat anybody.
''I walked in there the first day and we did some pad work, and I was impressed but I didn't want to show it. So I said, 'Billy, we've got a lot of work to do.'''
The first time Hussein encountered Dib in the ring, he trained against him in an amateur bout - and won. Then in Dib's final amateur fight, Hussein trained another boxer to defeat him. So who better to train Dib than a man who knew the ways to defeat him?
They quickly forged a close bond, but only after Dib realised that Hussein had a long-term plan for him. In the early days, all Dib could think about was returning to the US to make amends for his defeat to Steven Luevano.
Hussein says, ''He's cried to me so many times over the phone. 'I need to get out of Australia, I'm missing the boat, nobody knows me any more, I need to be in America.' I told him, 'No, you don't. Be patient, brother. You're going to conquer the world, just trust me … patience, patience, patience.'
''And to his credit he believed in me. And every day he was learning more about his body, about what he had to do in the ring.''
In those tearful phone calls, the trust was built; in the moments of doubt, confidence restored; and in the gym, a plan hatched and perfected to make Dib a certified world champion.
Since teaming with the Hussein brothers, Dib's record is 11 wins (one no contest) with eight knockouts, culminating in the unanimous points defeat of Mexico's Jorge Lacierva, 33, by wide margins of 119-109, 118-109 and 115-112.
Dib (32-1, 19KO) says, ''Each round that went by I knew I was winning, I was doing exactly as Billy asked, and he wasn't asking me to do any more. I could constantly hear Billy calling out to me, 'He can't hit you, he's too slow. You're young, he's old.' And that was getting to him, he was swearing at me.''
Hussein adds, ''Other fighters can't train for Billy Dib any more, because he is always different. The last few fights he has been aggressive, knocking out all his opponents.
''Lacierva was that flat-footed he thought Billy was going to attack him. We didn't run away, we boxed smart … I wanted to win the title without getting hit.
''Billy got hit once in that fight, and that was enough for us to get hit.''
Hussein Hussein says, ''The first thing you want to do when you get hit is hit back. A good fighter says, 'Okay, I got hit, let's stop him from building any momentum and get back to our game plan. Get back to footwork, get back on the jab, boom boom.'''
Dib's family hosted a traditional Lebanese barbecue with relatives and friends yesterday at their Greenacre home - a last meal of sorts given Ramadan fasting begins today.
There was no alcohol, no outrageous celebrations, just a satisfied, muted gathering acknowledging not only the success of Billy Dib but his entire family.
Billy Hussein says, ''He is a very humble kid and he's going to stay humble. Because boxing is not everything. One day you're going to retire, and if you only start to become humble then, people won't want to know you.
''We've shed tears together, we've slept in the same bed, there are moments he has been frustrated with the sport. It's a hard relationship, it's not just trainer and boxer. And I don't want it to be just trainer and boxer. It is family.''