by James Slater: Australian super-featherweight contender, Billy “The Kid” Dib kept his unbeaten record on the under-card of the terrific Joel Casamayor-Michael Katsidis fight on Saturday night in California. Dib, still a youngster at age 22, won a harder then expected ten round split decision over the 24-year-old Vargas, 11-4(1) of Santa Ana, California. The scores were as follows; 95-94 twice for Dib and 95-94 for Vargas..
With the win Dib improved his pro record to 18-0(9) and he also remains in the frame for a world title shot. This crack at a world championship is scheduled (according to BoxRec.com) to come against the undefeated Venezuelan Jorge Linares, who currently holds the WBC featherweight belt. Such a fight would mean that Dib would have to drop down from his current weight of super-featherweight, but the bout is tentatively set for May the 3rd, as chief support to the Oscar De La Hoya-Steve Forbes clash.
Linares, 25-0(16) is the same age as Dib, yet is already an established world champion. Linares won the vacant WBC title with a tenth round TKO victory over the experienced Oscar Larios in July of last year. Since then he has made one successful retention, an eighth round KO win over another Mexican, in Gamaliel Diaz, this past December. On that kind of form, Linares will surely be made the betting favourite in a fight with the still largely untested Dib.
Both Dib and Linares are orthodox fighters, and both stand at roughly the same height, with the world champion standing one half of an inch the taller man at 5’8.” Dib is a hungry young fighter, but he is no big puncher – with his last five fights having gone the distance. Linares, on the other hand, can bang more than a little, as his 16 KO wins prove. Also, factor in how Linares has beaten men the quality of Larios, along with the tough Diaz, who won a fight with the now reigning IBF featherweight boss Robert “The Ghost” Guerrero back in late 2005, and you have a very tough challenge ahead for the still green Dib.
Venezuelan Linares, who now lives in Tokyo, has boxed most of his fights in Japan, yet he won his last two fights, the biggest of his career, while travelling to The USA and Mexico, respectively. Dib, who has also boxed most of his career in his home country, has now boxed his last five in the U.S, and will surely be looking ahead to a fight with Linares in California.
Both men come to fight and should they indeed meet on May 3rd an action bout is all but guaranteed.