Billy Dib has explained his reasons for sensationally rushing a chaotic Wednesday press conference to label Indigenous boxer Paul Fleming a “racist prick” — revealing how 10 years of emotion are behind the hyped all-Australian super featherweight fight.
During what was supposed to be an event to announce the November 30 showdown between Fleming and Billel Dib, things quickly descended into chaos at Panthers League Club in Sydney as the two fighters — and their teams — took aim at one another.
During the madness, former two-division world champion Billy Dib – who was in attendance to support cousin Billel – even rushed the stage to brand Fleming a “racist prick”.
Incredibly, all three fighters were once close friends and training partners.
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However, Wednesdays press conference began to unravel about a dozen minutes in when the undefeated Fleming, who aged 34 is making one last push for a world title, slammed Billel Dib for taunting him with “you sound like a spastic”.
“That’s derogatory, brother,” Fleming fired. “You don’t talk about people like that.
“You don’t say things like that.”
After a brief back and forth between the pair, Fleming then doubled down on Dib and his team for challenging him to this latest fight as he was leaving the ring after his most recent win.
“See that’s what these type of people, they rock up and they mob you outside of the ring,” the 2008 Olympian said.
At which point, a clearly riled Billel Dib asked what the super featherweight meant by “these type of people”?
“You,” Fleming shouted back. “You and your team.
“You mob people.
“You and your team mob people outside of the ring.”
At was then at this point Billy Dib rushed the stage, with Main Event’s Ben Damon and fight promoter Dean Lonergan forced to keep everyone separated and calm proceedings.
Lonergan then escorted Fleming from the stage to a private backroom.
After both camps were given time to cool down, Fleming and Billy Dib then met up, spoke at length and eventually hugged it out.
Asked afterwards what was said between the two, Dib revealed to Fox Sports Australia that he and Fleming have actually been friends since 2009, when the latter moved to Sydney to work with his team.
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“I was the one who picked Flemo up from the airport,” Dib said. “We lived together, were in the gym every day together, I actually credit him a lot for my own run to a world title.”
Dib also explained how Fleming became a daily support for him in 2015, when the former world champ tragically lost his first wife Sara to leukaemia.
“I remember being in the hospital when Sara was passing away, and Flemo was on the phone to me every day,” Dib revealed.
“So we’ve shared a lot of intimate time together.
“And that’s why I went up onto that stage and grabbed the microphone.
“I don’t want people thinking Flemo’s racist.
“The guy has a heart of gold.
“So when he said ‘youse’ … I just didn’t want him saying anything silly.”
Asked about calling his mate a “racist prick”, Dib continued: “It did sound racist.
“And a lot of people will be upset about what he said.
“But we’ve just spoken now, and he explained to me what he meant.
“So I don’t hold anything against Flemo. I know he wouldn’t mean that.”
Fleming, meanwhile, stressed there was quite obviously nothing racist in what he said during the press conference – and that he had simply taken aim at Billel Dib and his team.
The fighter added Billel Dib likely took umbrage with what he said to take the focus away from his own use of the word “spastic”.
“Billy and I, we’re close,” Fleming shrugged.
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“So I don’t understand all the animosity. But some people, they need to see a villain on the other side of the ring.
“And I guess I have to be that villain.
“Which doesn’t mean I have to sit there and cop it.
“But he (Billel) isn’t interesting unless he does something like that.
“Nobody cares about him.
“Obviously I was saying ‘youse’ as in your team.
“But I think why they had to make such a big deal about it, because Billel had just made that remark and said ‘you talk like a spastic’ … and I pulled him up on that.
“Maybe he felt upset because he’s educated, he’s an accountant, he’s been to university but he was called out by me. So he can make it into some bad blood thing.
“It is what it is.”
Currently, Dib is ranked within the Top 15 with both the IBF and WBA, while Fleming is ranked No.11 with the WBA and No.12 with the IBF.
“So I want to go after a world title,” Fleming said.
