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Youssef Dib is fighting for far more than a win on his record when he takes on Ibrahim Balla on Friday.
He’s also fighting for the family he still has in Palestine, and the plight of millions of others that have left him heartbroken so many times over the past two months.
Dib – younger brother of former world champion Billy – takes on Balla on the undercard to the Sam Goodman-Zhong Liu and Liam Wilson-Jackson England double header at The Star.
A win will edge him closer to contending for the IBF lightweight world title, but his immediate thoughts were with his aunty.
“My mother is Palestinian, so this is something that sits really, really deeply in my heart,” the 20-0 Dib told this masthead.
“Mum moved around 42 years ago because her family was forced out of their homes in Palestine.
“They had to emigrate to Lebanon, which is where my dad met my mum before they moved here.
“But my mum’s sister still lives there.
“It’s really rough, man. She doesn’t live in Gaza, she lives on the outskirts, but it’s not just the people in Gaza suffering.
“It’s everywhere. They’re discriminated against.
“Every time I see a video or something, it sits really deeply in my heart.”
Known as ‘Uwee’, Dib and his older brother have been outspoken supporters of the Palestinian people since the start of the Israel-Hamas war in October.
Speaking a day after the ICC banned Australian batsman Usman Khawaja for wearing shoes that supported the people of Gaza, Dib said he hoped more prominent people will start speaking up.
“It’s a humanitarian crisis what’s happening over there, and I think more people should speak up about it,” he said. “People are afraid to use their voices.
“I’m not. My brother’s not.
“I couldn’t care if someone came up to me and said I’m wrong for speaking up. I know I’m not wrong. It’s not right what’s happening.”
Dib wore a keffiyeh to show his support during Thursday’s weigh-ins, where he engaged in a heated face-off with Balla on the stage after they both made weight.
Dib says he will continue using his platform to speak out.
“I want to give people a reason to feel hope,” he said. “If what I’m doing on this side of the world can give that to them, and show I’ve got love and support for them, that’s an amazing thing.
“By winning, I’ll increase my platform, then once I have that, I’m going to be one of the biggest speakers for them. It’s the least I can do.
“The world deserves peace, Gazans deserve peace, Palestinians deserve peace. They deserve the same rights that everyone else does.
“A ceasefire shouldn’t have happened yesterday, it should’ve happened a long time ago. The people that are stopping a ceasefire happening have no good bone in their body.”
Currently ranked 10th with the IBF, Dib hopes a win over Balla on Friday will put him in prime position for a possible domestic super-fight with George Kambosos.
Kambosos is close to locking in a fight with Vasiliy Lomachenko for the IBF lightweight title recently vacated by Devin Haney.
If Kambosos can pull off another heroic upset and beat Lomachenko, Dib will agitate for a long-awaited bout with him.
“I called him out a long time ago, believe me,” Dib said. “It’s not just now that he’s won world titles. I’ve been chasing him for a long time.
“But that fight doesn’t happen without me getting through Ibrahim Balla on Friday night. That’s the most important thing.
“But, you do have to think long term. You do have to dream and believe. So that would be a big fight in Australia and it’s one I know I can win.”
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