WEBVTT - Billy Dib on His Toughest Fight: Cancer 0:00:00.280 --> 0:00:03.400 We'd like to acknowledge the traditional custodians of the land 0:00:03.480 --> 0:00:06.800 on which this podcast was produced, the Galligle people of 0:00:06.880 --> 0:00:10.400 the orination. We pay our respects to Elder's past and present. 0:00:12.000 --> 0:00:15.280 It's twenty twenty three and we're bedside in a Sydney 0:00:15.280 --> 0:00:20.120 hospital with Billy Dibb. The world champion boxer is facing 0:00:20.160 --> 0:00:25.920 his toughest fight yet cancer. He's in unbearable pain and 0:00:26.000 --> 0:00:30.080 thinks this could be the end of him. He pulls 0:00:30.080 --> 0:00:33.760 out his phone and starts recording videos for his young son, 0:00:34.840 --> 0:00:39.000 a special message for each milestone he won't be there for. 0:00:40.479 --> 0:00:44.040 He diligently puts them all in a folder and prepares 0:00:44.080 --> 0:00:48.600 instructions for his wife on how to find them. Billy 0:00:48.680 --> 0:00:52.840 knows all too well what could happen next. He watched 0:00:52.880 --> 0:00:56.760 his first wife go through this less than a decade ago, 0:00:56.880 --> 0:01:02.520 tragically losing her battle. It takes all of Billy's strength 0:01:02.680 --> 0:01:07.280 and courage to continue this enormous fight outside of the ring. 0:01:09.840 --> 0:01:14.200 I'm at Middleton and this is head game. Today a 0:01:14.400 --> 0:01:24.759 Billy did masterclass on overcoming adversity with faith, family and friendship. Now, 0:01:24.840 --> 0:01:31.000 Billy is the former IBO super featherweight champion and the 0:01:31.200 --> 0:01:35.119 IBF featherweight champion, and I say, former mate, you're looking 0:01:35.120 --> 0:01:37.720 in great shape. Maybe you should go back and get 0:01:37.760 --> 0:01:41.119 those belts. You know, I'm looking at you. You're looking well, mate, 0:01:41.160 --> 0:01:43.800 You're looking You're looking fresh. How you're feeling. 0:01:44.120 --> 0:01:45.640 I feel good, man, I feel really good. 0:01:45.680 --> 0:01:45.880 You know. 0:01:46.000 --> 0:01:49.640 It's good to be alive. I feel fit, I feel 0:01:49.680 --> 0:01:53.120 strong and man, it's just good to be healthy. Yeah. 0:01:53.560 --> 0:01:56.440 You know what this is the gratitude, especially once you've 0:01:56.920 --> 0:02:01.040 had a career like you've had yours and you just 0:02:01.240 --> 0:02:03.840 won an award recently, didn't you? I did, man, So 0:02:03.920 --> 0:02:06.720 before we go into your childhood and go what award 0:02:06.760 --> 0:02:07.160 did you win? 0:02:07.320 --> 0:02:13.320 So recently? I overcame cancer and then I decided that 0:02:13.400 --> 0:02:15.360 I wanted to leave boxing on my own terms. I 0:02:15.400 --> 0:02:17.440 never wanted cancer to be the reason why I retired 0:02:17.440 --> 0:02:20.320 from boxing, so I decided to have a comeback fight 0:02:20.480 --> 0:02:23.119 and I won that comeback fight in Germany. And then 0:02:23.160 --> 0:02:27.880 His Excellency and the team at the Ring Magazine contacted 0:02:27.880 --> 0:02:29.720 me and said, look, we would like to invite you 0:02:29.760 --> 0:02:33.120 to London for the Ring Magazine ceremony and I was 0:02:33.160 --> 0:02:36.519 given a comeback story of the Year in front of 0:02:36.560 --> 0:02:39.400 all the greatest champions, you know, to finally receive your 0:02:39.400 --> 0:02:42.440 flowers on such a big platform and in a big stage, 0:02:42.480 --> 0:02:43.800 it was just unbelievable. 0:02:43.800 --> 0:02:44.360 It's huge. 0:02:44.720 --> 0:02:48.000 It's like the longest standing boxing magazine in history. So 0:02:48.160 --> 0:02:51.280 you know, his excellency border Off Oscar the lawyer, you know, 0:02:51.360 --> 0:02:54.240 so to be at this event, you had Canela Alvaze, 0:02:54.280 --> 0:02:56.440 you had aj you had Usik, you had all of 0:02:56.480 --> 0:02:59.200 these great champions there and I was given this award 0:02:59.200 --> 0:03:01.440 in front of all of them, and I was given 0:03:01.480 --> 0:03:05.280 a standing ovation, which was unbelievable because you know, obviously 0:03:05.320 --> 0:03:07.680 a lot of people respect the fact that I overcame canceled. 0:03:08.200 --> 0:03:12.640 Billy. Honestly, there's a reason why you got that award, 0:03:12.639 --> 0:03:15.160 and we're going to dig deep into that right now 0:03:15.200 --> 0:03:19.000 because your story is fascinating. But let's dig into your 0:03:19.360 --> 0:03:22.160 your childhood. Where were you born, Billy, and where did 0:03:22.200 --> 0:03:22.640 you grow up? 0:03:22.760 --> 0:03:26.760 Yeah, so I was born in Australia. I grew up 0:03:26.800 --> 0:03:30.760 in the Suthern tire of Ingadein, which is a predominantly 0:03:30.760 --> 0:03:35.920 white area. And I grew up with five brothers and 0:03:35.960 --> 0:03:39.080 a sister, you know, in an area that basically wasn't 0:03:39.120 --> 0:03:42.680 kind to us, and was that because we come from 0:03:42.720 --> 0:03:46.160 an Arab descent. My father is Lebanese, my mother is Palestinian, 0:03:46.760 --> 0:03:49.120 and we look the way we look, and you know, 0:03:50.160 --> 0:03:52.720 for us growing up in Ingadin, we sort of stood 0:03:52.720 --> 0:03:55.720 out like a sore thumb. And I don't really blame 0:03:55.800 --> 0:03:58.480 the kids because as a kid, you see what's different. 0:03:58.760 --> 0:04:01.600 You know, we were different, looked different. We had brown, 0:04:01.880 --> 0:04:04.120 brown hair, we had brown eyes, you know, we were 0:04:04.120 --> 0:04:06.720 tan skinned. It was people feed that, you know, like 0:04:06.880 --> 0:04:08.600 who are these people? Where do they come from? So 0:04:08.640 --> 0:04:11.480 people would often spray on our fence at home, Go home, 0:04:11.520 --> 0:04:14.800 you dirty wogs, you know, and things like that was racism. Yeah, 0:04:14.800 --> 0:04:17.280 it was pretty much right. Yeah, it was really really bad. 0:04:17.320 --> 0:04:20.320 And I mean, look, I'm grateful for that because the 0:04:20.360 --> 0:04:22.760 truth is is that without that, I would have never 0:04:22.760 --> 0:04:26.000 found boxing. And that's that's what led me to boxing. 0:04:26.040 --> 0:04:30.040 You know that the the bullies, you know, the people 0:04:30.080 --> 0:04:32.760 who you know, spat at me, people that pushed me around, 0:04:32.760 --> 0:04:34.360 that kicked me, you know, I mean, all these sort 0:04:34.400 --> 0:04:37.200 of things, that's what led me to my destiny. And 0:04:37.200 --> 0:04:39.520 and I'm forever grateful because without them, I wouldn't be 0:04:39.520 --> 0:04:41.840 where I am today. I'm really grateful for each and 0:04:41.880 --> 0:04:44.599 every single person that did that, and the true to God, 0:04:44.680 --> 0:04:46.359 you know, we were able to turn them around anyway, 0:04:46.400 --> 0:04:50.960 you know, because through the support of my family, I 0:04:51.000 --> 0:04:53.400 was able to overcome that, become a world champion, do 0:04:53.480 --> 0:04:57.159 my thing, and you know, the naysays became supporters. Do 0:04:57.200 --> 0:04:57.479 you know what? 0:04:57.560 --> 0:05:01.240 I love that they became support. Your enemies became your 0:05:01.800 --> 0:05:04.440 friends ultimately. But let's let's dive a little bit deeper 0:05:04.440 --> 0:05:08.160 into that. So did you clash yourself as as an 0:05:08.160 --> 0:05:10.839 Aussie or due to the racism did you sort of 0:05:11.000 --> 0:05:13.599 fall back on your on your parents? No? 0:05:13.760 --> 0:05:16.120 Well, look, we my father was a very proud man 0:05:16.600 --> 0:05:20.080 and he always made sure that we held the Australian 0:05:20.120 --> 0:05:23.080 flag up first. You know, even like when I boxed 0:05:23.080 --> 0:05:25.799 wherever I boxed in the world, my dad was always 0:05:26.080 --> 0:05:28.600 very very like, You've got to make sure you take 0:05:28.640 --> 0:05:30.560 this training flag with you. And I was always going 0:05:30.640 --> 0:05:32.240 to do that anyway, you know. But my dad was 0:05:32.279 --> 0:05:34.640 such a proud Australian and he used to always tell 0:05:34.680 --> 0:05:38.479 us like, Australia has done everything for us. Lebanon and 0:05:38.520 --> 0:05:42.000 Palestine did nothing for us. Australia gave us the opportunity. 0:05:42.040 --> 0:05:44.120 You guys are living a good life because of Australia 0:05:44.160 --> 0:05:46.880 and you know, like my dad had been very very patriotic. 0:05:47.000 --> 0:05:49.120 I actually was on the you know, on the way 0:05:49.160 --> 0:05:51.280 to represent in Australia at the two thousand and four 0:05:51.480 --> 0:05:55.159 Big Games, but due to a motorbike accident, I lost 0:05:55.160 --> 0:05:58.440 my opportunity. And then Lebanon came knocking on the door 0:05:59.160 --> 0:06:02.400 and they offered me this amazing opportunity to represent Lebanon, 0:06:03.000 --> 0:06:05.719 you know, at the All African Games and to try 0:06:05.760 --> 0:06:07.800 to win my opportunity to represent Lebanon to do the 0:06:07.839 --> 0:06:09.839 Me Games. And my dad, I was all in. My 0:06:09.880 --> 0:06:12.560 dad was like, absolutely not. We're going to have to 0:06:12.600 --> 0:06:14.839 say thank you for that opportunity, but we're not doing that. 0:06:14.880 --> 0:06:16.120 And I was like, Dad, why would you do that? 0:06:16.160 --> 0:06:19.919 And he's like, listen, if you go and represent Lebanon 0:06:19.960 --> 0:06:21.760 and you end up finding Australia in the first round 0:06:21.800 --> 0:06:24.160 of the tournament and you win, he goes, hey, I mean, 0:06:24.200 --> 0:06:26.400 could you ever come home? You never coming home, like 0:06:26.480 --> 0:06:30.640 you'll forever be the enemy. And you know, I didn't 0:06:30.680 --> 0:06:32.600 understand it at the time, but I do understand it now, 0:06:32.600 --> 0:06:34.560 you know. I mean obviously as I as I grew out, 0:06:34.720 --> 0:06:37.839 I started to understand these things. And you know, obviously 0:06:39.040 --> 0:06:41.200 the support and love that I've been shown by this 0:06:41.279 --> 0:06:42.640 shame public has been unreal. 0:06:43.200 --> 0:06:45.279 But growing up it must have been quite hard to 0:06:45.920 --> 0:06:48.479 because you've obviously got a very positive mindset to be 0:06:48.480 --> 0:06:50.680 able to think like that, or you had a very 0:06:50.720 --> 0:06:54.000 positive influence behind you. Are you your dad and your 0:06:54.000 --> 0:06:57.240 and your mom. It's very hard not to sort of go, well, 0:06:57.520 --> 0:07:01.440 fuck you, you know, and and then fall back on on 0:07:01.440 --> 0:07:03.920 on you know where you where your parents came from, right, 0:07:04.400 --> 0:07:07.640 But was there any moment joined your childhood that you 0:07:07.960 --> 0:07:10.360 that you went to go down that avenue or you 0:07:10.360 --> 0:07:11.320 you felt like that at all? 0:07:11.480 --> 0:07:14.360 Never, Honestly, I never never went down that avenue. I 0:07:14.360 --> 0:07:16.160 never felt that way. I just felt like, you know what, 0:07:16.320 --> 0:07:19.800 especially at the at the young age of you know, 0:07:20.240 --> 0:07:23.440 sixteen or fifteen, I was representing Australia all over the 0:07:23.440 --> 0:07:26.400 world and I was wearing the Australian colors and carrying 0:07:26.400 --> 0:07:28.080 a flag. I was so proud, you know, I mean, 0:07:28.120 --> 0:07:30.640 to be able to represent Australia at the World Cadets, 0:07:30.680 --> 0:07:32.880 the juniors, the seniors. I went all over the world. 0:07:32.920 --> 0:07:35.920 I literally boxed all over the world. They wrote that song, 0:07:35.960 --> 0:07:38.640 I've been everywhere man, that's about me because I literally 0:07:38.680 --> 0:07:41.320 been everywhere, you know, I boxed everywhere for Australia and 0:07:41.520 --> 0:07:44.720 I was so proud to carry the flag so high, 0:07:44.800 --> 0:07:46.360 you know, and like obviously I made a lot of 0:07:46.360 --> 0:07:49.040 good friends overseas. And you know, where do you come from? 0:07:49.040 --> 0:07:51.080 I come from Australia. So, man, you do look Australian, 0:07:51.160 --> 0:07:53.120 I said, I said, what does an Australian look like? 0:07:53.280 --> 0:07:53.480 Home? 0:07:53.520 --> 0:07:55.640 And home in the way your neighbors. I'm like, nah, mate, 0:07:56.120 --> 0:07:57.920 I'm from Australia. I'm thinking, though, you. 0:07:57.880 --> 0:08:04.520 Know exactly way at Nay, you said that when you 0:08:04.560 --> 0:08:07.760 were younger, you know that that sort of helped you 0:08:07.920 --> 0:08:10.520 to and you're grateful for it because it helped you 0:08:10.560 --> 0:08:12.239 sort of transform into boxing. 0:08:12.280 --> 0:08:15.200 Why did you get into boxing first and foremost? And 0:08:15.240 --> 0:08:17.600 when did you realize that not only you had a 0:08:17.640 --> 0:08:19.480 passion for it, but you were Talenteday, you. 0:08:19.440 --> 0:08:21.680 Know, I'll be honest with you. The first day that 0:08:21.720 --> 0:08:24.400 I walked into the gym, I remember like it's the 0:08:24.440 --> 0:08:27.280 most vivid moment in my life because it was a 0:08:27.320 --> 0:08:30.000 life changing moment that right in that moment when I 0:08:30.000 --> 0:08:32.439 walked up the stairs, I was wearing the boxing gloves. 0:08:32.440 --> 0:08:34.559 I actually knocked on the door with my elbow for 0:08:34.679 --> 0:08:39.040 the train at open door. And once he opened the door, 0:08:39.040 --> 0:08:41.400 and I actually saw a boxing ring right in front 0:08:41.400 --> 0:08:43.439 of me, and there was all these posters of Muhammad Ali, 0:08:43.559 --> 0:08:47.280 Mirk Tyson, Costas, Jeff Fennick, all these amazing fighters. And 0:08:47.320 --> 0:08:50.880 I was like, Oh my god, this is what I 0:08:50.920 --> 0:08:52.679 wanted to do in my life. This is exactly I 0:08:52.720 --> 0:08:55.000 was twelve years of age. I seen two guys fighting 0:08:55.040 --> 0:08:56.600 and nobody stopping in the fight. I was like, oh 0:08:56.600 --> 0:08:59.160 my god, this is right up my alley. And I 0:08:59.240 --> 0:09:01.720 knew writing that moment that I had walked into my destiny. 0:09:01.760 --> 0:09:04.000 And I was like, my vision right in that moment 0:09:04.120 --> 0:09:07.959 was so clear. I was so clear, Like the vision 0:09:08.080 --> 0:09:11.319 was so strong that I need to work out what 0:09:11.360 --> 0:09:14.360 it takes to be like him, him, him and him. 0:09:14.640 --> 0:09:16.840 What do I going to do in that moment? And 0:09:16.880 --> 0:09:19.200 I was like I was going to stop at nothing. 0:09:19.280 --> 0:09:23.880 And I literally stopped that nothing. Because my consistency followed. 0:09:24.000 --> 0:09:25.920 I was on point every single day i'd turn up 0:09:25.920 --> 0:09:28.720 to the dem I train. My dad was a really 0:09:28.760 --> 0:09:31.559 hard man and he was really hard on our education. 0:09:32.000 --> 0:09:33.599 So if I ever played up at school, he'd be 0:09:33.679 --> 0:09:35.440 like listen, you're not going to boxing for a week. 0:09:36.120 --> 0:09:38.200 And I'd beg and kick and screaming. He said, no, 0:09:38.200 --> 0:09:42.000 no boxing for a week. You did what you did, mate, 0:09:42.840 --> 0:09:46.720 cop the consequences. Yeah, And so then I'd it quickly 0:09:47.160 --> 0:09:49.040 turned from from the back of the class to the 0:09:49.040 --> 0:09:51.040 front of the class, from getting like fifty percent to 0:09:51.040 --> 0:09:53.040 get an eighty and ninety percent. Because I wanted to 0:09:53.280 --> 0:09:55.760 do anything just to get to the boxing gym. I'd 0:09:55.880 --> 0:09:57.800 run home, give my dad my homework. Dad, I've done 0:09:57.800 --> 0:10:00.280 the homework already. I've got to go, Dad, to catch 0:10:00.320 --> 0:10:02.160 a train of the gym because I just wanted it 0:10:02.240 --> 0:10:02.720 so bad. 0:10:03.040 --> 0:10:05.920 And what made you walk into that gym in the 0:10:05.960 --> 0:10:08.200 first place. I love that experience where you walked in 0:10:08.240 --> 0:10:11.120 and obviously hit you in the face. You know that 0:10:11.280 --> 0:10:13.480 was your destiny, that's what you wanted to do. But 0:10:13.520 --> 0:10:16.400 what made you knock on that door, well, elbow. 0:10:17.000 --> 0:10:19.280 It all started with with the bullying, you know, it 0:10:19.320 --> 0:10:21.520 all started with the bullying. And then my father was like, listen, 0:10:21.520 --> 0:10:25.000 we need to enroll you guys in some after school sports. 0:10:25.040 --> 0:10:27.079 Maybe you guys can make friends with the kids outside 0:10:27.120 --> 0:10:29.480 of school and then, you know, break down the barriers 0:10:30.080 --> 0:10:33.640 that led to some football rugby league, and then that 0:10:33.760 --> 0:10:35.960 really didn't sit well for me, and the trainer pulled 0:10:36.000 --> 0:10:37.480 out some pads one day and some gloves and said 0:10:37.480 --> 0:10:39.040 we're going to do some boxer size today. And I 0:10:39.080 --> 0:10:41.880 grew up in the household where the Rocky franchise was 0:10:41.920 --> 0:10:44.880 the number one franchise in our home. All we did 0:10:44.960 --> 0:10:49.240 was watch Rocky movies from there. Yeah, I'm telling you, 0:10:49.360 --> 0:10:53.199 sevest Salon and Apollo Creed, all them guys were having 0:10:53.760 --> 0:10:58.360 Yeah they were our heroes, no joke, and same with me. Yeah. 0:10:58.400 --> 0:11:00.600 So and then for me it's like, you know, I 0:11:00.679 --> 0:11:02.360 just thought, you know what this is right up alley 0:11:02.400 --> 0:11:04.439 and that's what I want to do, and walk me 0:11:04.440 --> 0:11:07.480 into that gym and never look back, never look back. 0:11:07.800 --> 0:11:10.000 And you say that your childhood sort of shaped you. 0:11:10.080 --> 0:11:14.440 So do you think once you started boxing and you 0:11:14.480 --> 0:11:16.040 realized that you were good at it, do you think 0:11:16.080 --> 0:11:19.959 their respect then was it easier for you to integrate 0:11:20.000 --> 0:11:22.520 with with finding new friends? 0:11:22.559 --> 0:11:24.760 And yeah, I didn't have to find the new friends 0:11:24.760 --> 0:11:29.839 because what I did was one day the PC yic 0:11:30.400 --> 0:11:32.560 linked me up to have my first amateur fight, and 0:11:32.640 --> 0:11:36.719 I thought this is the greatest, Like this is such 0:11:36.760 --> 0:11:39.679 a great opportunity, your first fight, my first ever fight. 0:11:39.720 --> 0:11:41.640 So you know what I did. I made a poster 0:11:42.440 --> 0:11:43.839 and I went to the school and I said to 0:11:43.880 --> 0:11:45.480 the principal, said, I'm going to be fighting at the 0:11:45.480 --> 0:11:48.040 Southern pc RC. Can I invite the whole school to 0:11:48.040 --> 0:11:50.480 come watch me fight? And he was like, you can 0:11:50.480 --> 0:11:54.320 put the poster around whoever. So I basically plastered this 0:11:54.320 --> 0:11:58.320 school with posters. I'm not joking, and like maybe sixty 0:11:58.360 --> 0:12:00.400 or seventy kids come to watch me fight. Never seeing 0:12:00.400 --> 0:12:02.040 how crazy, I was like, oh my god, this guy 0:12:02.080 --> 0:12:04.440 is the real deal. You know, I'm not messing with 0:12:04.480 --> 0:12:06.120 him anymore, you know, I mean, so I quickly got 0:12:06.120 --> 0:12:06.720 my respect. 0:12:07.480 --> 0:12:09.840 It was such a racism to stop there. 0:12:09.920 --> 0:12:11.560 No, I tell you there was. There was a few 0:12:11.760 --> 0:12:14.679 incidents after that, but it didn't it didn't last long 0:12:14.800 --> 0:12:16.400 because I was like I was quick to put an 0:12:16.440 --> 0:12:17.440 end to it, you know, I mean, it was like 0:12:17.920 --> 0:12:20.080 you had I had to like stamp my authority. This 0:12:20.160 --> 0:12:21.640 is what this is what's going to be, you know, 0:12:21.640 --> 0:12:22.920 I mean, you're going to show me respect. 0:12:23.280 --> 0:12:25.880 How consistent did you have to be in order to 0:12:26.360 --> 0:12:27.280 follow your passion? 0:12:27.720 --> 0:12:31.439 My dream of becoming a world champion was an absolute obsession. 0:12:32.080 --> 0:12:34.760 There was there was no other obsession in my life. So, 0:12:34.840 --> 0:12:37.720 you know, like when I was growing up, you know, 0:12:38.040 --> 0:12:39.960 I had a lot of cousins who were my age. 0:12:40.480 --> 0:12:44.400 They were all going out, partying, eating fast food, you know, 0:12:44.520 --> 0:12:46.079 doing all the all the fun things that you do 0:12:46.120 --> 0:12:48.520 when you're a kid. But I was so disciplined. I 0:12:48.559 --> 0:12:50.640 was like, every time they offered me to go somewhere 0:12:50.640 --> 0:12:51.840 and be like, no, I got to go, man, because 0:12:51.840 --> 0:12:56.160 I've got to training tomorrow. But I'd always like, I mean, 0:12:56.200 --> 0:12:57.680 I'd have fun with them and stuff, but I was 0:12:57.679 --> 0:13:00.640 always like, this is number one. Boxing is number one. 0:13:00.640 --> 0:13:03.520 I'm going to do whatever it takes to make it. 0:13:03.800 --> 0:13:06.480 And if that means saying good night to my cousins early, 0:13:06.600 --> 0:13:08.120 then That's what I'm going to do. Because I was 0:13:09.080 --> 0:13:10.840 there was nothing more that I wanted them to become 0:13:10.840 --> 0:13:12.679 a world champion. I wanted to be forever a stamp 0:13:12.720 --> 0:13:13.560 in the history books. 0:13:14.120 --> 0:13:16.520 How important is that, you think for any youngster to 0:13:17.080 --> 0:13:21.839 have that that obsession, because obsession does lead to discipline, 0:13:22.000 --> 0:13:26.120 does lead to drive, it does lead to the determination grit, 0:13:26.760 --> 0:13:29.280 and a lot of youngsters don't find that, do they. 0:13:29.559 --> 0:13:31.360 Yeah, Well, look for me, I'll tell I'll tell you. 0:13:31.440 --> 0:13:35.240 I actually developed the brand called Believe, which is based 0:13:35.280 --> 0:13:38.000 on my story coming up. So I believe is that 0:13:38.280 --> 0:13:40.880 Billy Did had to believe in himself before anybody else did. 0:13:41.640 --> 0:13:44.800 And the brand is actually be I douby ve so 0:13:44.960 --> 0:13:48.520 Believe and the slogan that goes with the done that 0:13:48.840 --> 0:13:53.160 it's clever, vision, consistency, success. Everything in your life starts 0:13:53.160 --> 0:13:56.080 with the vision. The consistency in the middle will only 0:13:56.120 --> 0:13:58.920 help you find success. If there's no consistency, you'll never 0:13:58.960 --> 0:14:03.360 find success because to find success you need to have consistency, 0:14:03.720 --> 0:14:05.720 and to find consistency you have to have a vision. 0:14:06.200 --> 0:14:08.880 If your vision is not clear, if you're waking up 0:14:08.880 --> 0:14:10.760 in the morning saying I want to be a lawyer sleeping, 0:14:10.800 --> 0:14:12.160 I'm not saying you want to be a doctor. Waking 0:14:12.240 --> 0:14:13.760 up next morning saying you want to be an athlete, 0:14:13.960 --> 0:14:16.040 that's not a consistent vision. That's just the thought. We 0:14:16.080 --> 0:14:19.800 all have thoughts. But it's the consistency once you find 0:14:19.800 --> 0:14:21.600 that vision, that will help you find success. And that 0:14:21.720 --> 0:14:23.960 was for me Boxing, You know what I mean. Boxing 0:14:23.960 --> 0:14:27.000 obviously gave me the platform to be who I am today. 0:14:27.160 --> 0:14:29.760 You gave me the platform to inspire and to be inspired. 0:14:30.360 --> 0:14:32.920 So you know, I'm forever grateful to the sport of boxing, 0:14:33.000 --> 0:14:35.600 to any kid out there who wants to be great 0:14:35.640 --> 0:14:37.840 in whatever they want to do, because each and every 0:14:37.840 --> 0:14:40.600 single one of us has greatness within us. It's whether 0:14:40.640 --> 0:14:42.840 you're willing to tap into that fight that greatness to 0:14:42.920 --> 0:14:45.200 find it. You know, we could take you to the water, 0:14:45.240 --> 0:14:46.920 but we can't make you drinks. So any kid out 0:14:46.920 --> 0:14:50.040 there who has a dream of being anything in their life, 0:14:50.240 --> 0:14:53.720 as long as you're consistent, you'll find success. If you 0:14:53.800 --> 0:14:56.640 find something that you really want, you'll stop at nothing, 0:14:57.440 --> 0:14:59.640 you know. I mean, you know yourself, You've been there before, 0:14:59.640 --> 0:15:01.360 you know. I mean when you want something really bad, 0:15:01.440 --> 0:15:04.760 you know, it's takes session, right, it takes an obsession exactly, 0:15:04.800 --> 0:15:07.080 and not many people have it. I think there's only 0:15:07.160 --> 0:15:10.280 like a select amount of people who have that, you know, 0:15:10.360 --> 0:15:11.840 that obsession thing, you know. I mean, it's like I 0:15:11.880 --> 0:15:13.880 really want this, I'm willing to do whatever it takes. 0:15:13.960 --> 0:15:24.360 Yeah, when did that happen to you? When you thought yourself, 0:15:24.360 --> 0:15:26.760 do you know what? I could become a world champion. 0:15:26.880 --> 0:15:30.840 When I first started amateur boxing, I actually lost my 0:15:30.880 --> 0:15:33.560 first amateur fight. I had the one that I invited 0:15:33.560 --> 0:15:35.480 the whole school to was an exhibition, so there was 0:15:35.480 --> 0:15:37.480 no winner or a loser. But then after that I 0:15:37.840 --> 0:15:40.600 started fighting. I had my first amateur fight, I lost, 0:15:40.600 --> 0:15:43.560 but the obsession grew. After the loss of the obsession grew 0:15:43.600 --> 0:15:45.720 and next thing you know, I ended up having one 0:15:45.760 --> 0:15:48.040 hundred and thirteen amateur fights. I had ninety eight wins 0:15:48.080 --> 0:15:51.600 and fifteen losses. I was ranked as high as number 0:15:51.640 --> 0:15:56.320 six in the world at one stage, so I basically 0:15:56.320 --> 0:15:59.000 got the opportunity to represent Australia all over the world. 0:15:59.160 --> 0:16:01.000 And a lot of the people that I saw around 0:16:01.000 --> 0:16:03.120 the world, the guys who became world champion during the 0:16:03.120 --> 0:16:05.440 time that I was world champion in the pros, a 0:16:05.480 --> 0:16:08.640 lot of them. But there was that point where I 0:16:08.760 --> 0:16:11.080 hit my fiftieth fight and I thought, man, no one 0:16:11.080 --> 0:16:12.800 can beat me at the moment. I'm on this winning 0:16:12.800 --> 0:16:15.040 streaks like, no one can touch me at the moment, 0:16:15.200 --> 0:16:18.760 So you start to believe in yourself. And then when 0:16:18.800 --> 0:16:20.840 I was a young boy at the age of seventeen, 0:16:20.880 --> 0:16:22.560 I got on a plane and traveled to the UK 0:16:22.720 --> 0:16:25.040 where I met Princet Sim And when Princess Sim and 0:16:25.080 --> 0:16:28.240 I met and we started training together, he pretty much 0:16:28.240 --> 0:16:29.840 said to me, listening, you're destined to be a world 0:16:29.880 --> 0:16:33.160 champion and trained with Princess Sim I trained. I was 0:16:33.320 --> 0:16:36.480 being friends with Na since the age of seventeen till today. Wow, 0:16:36.920 --> 0:16:39.480 we're very close friends. And so when I went over 0:16:39.480 --> 0:16:41.440 there when I was seventeen and worked out with him, 0:16:41.960 --> 0:16:44.000 he was like, man, you got all the schools and 0:16:44.040 --> 0:16:46.160 attributes to become a world champion. You know, if you 0:16:46.200 --> 0:16:48.680 believe you can do it, you'll do it. And I 0:16:48.680 --> 0:16:50.760 didn't only just become a world champion, but I actually 0:16:50.840 --> 0:16:52.960 won the same world title that Princess Seim held in 0:16:53.000 --> 0:16:55.880 the same weight division. He was the IBF Fatherweight Champion 0:16:55.920 --> 0:16:58.560 in ninety seven and I was the IBF Fatherweight Champion 0:16:58.640 --> 0:17:01.800 in twenty eleven, which is unbelievable. You know, that was 0:17:01.840 --> 0:17:03.720 my dream. My dream was to follow in the footsteps 0:17:03.760 --> 0:17:06.800 of my childhood here and I was able to do that. Wow. 0:17:06.960 --> 0:17:10.359 So you're training with Prince Nazim, you obviously entered the 0:17:10.400 --> 0:17:12.560 elite there. You know, it was there a stage that 0:17:12.640 --> 0:17:16.920 you realized that, listen, I'm training with the elite. Now 0:17:16.960 --> 0:17:20.520 need to step up from the amateur sort of realm 0:17:20.600 --> 0:17:23.720 to a professional realm. And when did that first professional 0:17:23.800 --> 0:17:26.280 fight come who did you go looking for it or 0:17:26.320 --> 0:17:28.320 did it come obviously looking for you due to your 0:17:28.320 --> 0:17:29.040 amateur record. 0:17:29.720 --> 0:17:32.640 When I missed out on Liby Games, we had a 0:17:32.680 --> 0:17:35.359 meeting as a team and we decided as a team 0:17:35.359 --> 0:17:37.560 that it was time to say goodbye to the amateur 0:17:37.560 --> 0:17:41.560 boxing and term professionals. So at the age of just 0:17:41.600 --> 0:17:43.720 a few days shy of my nineteenth birthday because I 0:17:43.720 --> 0:17:45.360 had a little bit of time off, but I went 0:17:45.400 --> 0:17:47.240 to see NAS. And when I was in the UK 0:17:47.320 --> 0:17:49.560 with NAS, I was pretty much on the fence whether 0:17:49.560 --> 0:17:51.159 I'm going to continue to box or not. And I 0:17:51.160 --> 0:17:53.760 was was like, listen, You've got everything it takes. Don't 0:17:53.760 --> 0:17:55.560 worry about the Libby Games. Just put that behind you 0:17:55.640 --> 0:17:57.399 and start looking towards the next goal, which is to 0:17:57.400 --> 0:18:00.040 become a world champion. And you know we're going to 0:18:00.200 --> 0:18:03.160 guide you there. And so once I spoke to ours 0:18:03.160 --> 0:18:05.119 and we had that sit down, I got on a plane, 0:18:05.119 --> 0:18:07.760 come home and basically started preparing for my pro debut 0:18:08.440 --> 0:18:11.919 and within five five tolls his training champion. After my 0:18:12.000 --> 0:18:16.200 sixth fight, I'd already become a international champion with the IBO. 0:18:17.000 --> 0:18:20.760 I won the IBO Fellow Championship in a twelve round decision. 0:18:20.800 --> 0:18:22.600 So after six fights, I already had a twelve round 0:18:22.600 --> 0:18:25.919 fight and so I was fast tracking. And then by 0:18:25.960 --> 0:18:26.480 the time. 0:18:26.359 --> 0:18:29.720 When fast tracking due to at this stage, you're you're 0:18:29.560 --> 0:18:32.959 you're unbeatable right in your head. So you're fast tracking 0:18:33.000 --> 0:18:38.040 because you're you're you're winning, you're consistent, you're capable. Yeah, 0:18:37.400 --> 0:18:39.880 you know, it's very humble of you to say you're 0:18:39.920 --> 0:18:42.880 fast tracking, but you're fast tracking yourself due to due 0:18:42.920 --> 0:18:45.760 to your discipline, due to you know, due to surrounding 0:18:45.800 --> 0:18:48.520 yourself with the right people, due to your training. What 0:18:48.600 --> 0:18:53.200 was it like being Australian, you know, being the Australian champion, 0:18:53.280 --> 0:18:55.680 knowing that you you know everything that you've been through 0:18:55.680 --> 0:18:58.480 as a child and you know, growing up and then 0:18:58.760 --> 0:19:01.680 all of a sudden represents you know, the country that, 0:19:02.040 --> 0:19:04.560 as your father said, you know, gave you everything. Yeah, 0:19:04.640 --> 0:19:08.320 that's huge. You know you skipped over that, but that's huge. Man. 0:19:08.480 --> 0:19:11.480 Winning winning the strained title in my fifth professional fight. 0:19:11.680 --> 0:19:14.560 I remember the auditorium was at hearstfal Entertainment Center was 0:19:14.720 --> 0:19:19.320 packed house, and uh, you know it was I mean, 0:19:19.359 --> 0:19:21.120 it was such a special woman because all of my 0:19:21.280 --> 0:19:24.200 friends and relatives were there. It was. It was massive. 0:19:24.680 --> 0:19:26.359 And I went out there and dusted this guy up 0:19:26.359 --> 0:19:29.200 in one round, like absolutely annihilated him, you know what 0:19:29.200 --> 0:19:31.800 I mean. It was it was unbelievable. It was like 0:19:31.960 --> 0:19:34.600 just what a like, what a way to capture that 0:19:34.680 --> 0:19:36.439 strained title. And and the guy that I fought, his 0:19:36.480 --> 0:19:38.199 name was John Star. Mean, at the time, he was 0:19:38.760 --> 0:19:40.960 he was doing okay, you know, and he was talking 0:19:41.040 --> 0:19:43.040 up his chances of beating me and called me a 0:19:43.119 --> 0:19:45.840 kid and said I am I am Billy the kid, 0:19:45.880 --> 0:19:48.080 you know what I mean. But we'll see, you know 0:19:48.119 --> 0:19:51.280 when we'll see. Yeah. And when I did the job 0:19:51.320 --> 0:19:53.639 on him, and when I when I like when the 0:19:53.640 --> 0:19:56.680 referee stopped the fight, I was, I was emotional, you 0:19:56.720 --> 0:19:59.679 know what I mean, like a strained professional champion. And 0:19:59.720 --> 0:20:02.920 then to be the best in Australia. Then I automatically 0:20:02.920 --> 0:20:05.119 fall into the common Wealth ratings because you know, we're 0:20:05.119 --> 0:20:07.439 a comonwealth country, so now we're in Comonwealth ratings. And 0:20:08.160 --> 0:20:10.840 I was excited about that. But all I my man 0:20:10.920 --> 0:20:14.199 most figuring, like my mind was just like all I 0:20:14.280 --> 0:20:16.120 cared about was being a world champion. I just wanted 0:20:16.119 --> 0:20:18.280 to follow in the footsteps of my childhood hero I was, 0:20:18.960 --> 0:20:20.520 and I had just come back from doing a camp 0:20:20.560 --> 0:20:22.879 with him, and then I won the Strange title and 0:20:22.880 --> 0:20:24.800 then I knew I was going back to do another camp. 0:20:25.160 --> 0:20:29.119 Obsession was real, I'll tell you, Like the obsession was 0:20:29.119 --> 0:20:30.960 that real that I used to cry for it. I 0:20:31.040 --> 0:20:32.960 used to cry. There would be nice that I would 0:20:33.000 --> 0:20:36.240 cry and just beg God, say God please, I'm begging you, 0:20:36.680 --> 0:20:38.919 like there's so much more to unfold with, you know. 0:20:38.920 --> 0:20:42.679 I mean, obviously I did win the world title, and 0:20:42.720 --> 0:20:44.159 you know, and a lot of people say, you know, 0:20:44.200 --> 0:20:46.480 I've reached the pinnacle and I'm done. But for me, 0:20:46.520 --> 0:20:47.880 I wasn't done there. I wanted more. 0:20:48.320 --> 0:20:51.719 Was it hard for you to win that title and 0:20:51.760 --> 0:20:55.479 then keep, you know, to edge forward and keep on 0:20:55.840 --> 0:20:57.800 going to the elite levels? Because I know a lot 0:20:57.800 --> 0:21:00.120 of people that have reached a certain stage with it. 0:21:00.119 --> 0:21:02.359 It's in their career, whether it's on a course, a 0:21:02.359 --> 0:21:05.080 military course, and they go, do you know what that's 0:21:05.119 --> 0:21:06.520 me I'm going to see at the top of this 0:21:06.600 --> 0:21:09.560 castle and away we go. Was there any any sort 0:21:09.560 --> 0:21:12.240 of any resting on your levels? 0:21:12.440 --> 0:21:15.560 Absolutely? I was just a kid. That was just that 0:21:15.680 --> 0:21:18.159 was for me. That was the starting point. That was 0:21:18.200 --> 0:21:20.160 really the starting point. And you know, and then obviously 0:21:20.640 --> 0:21:23.000 after that came like in to national titles and things 0:21:23.040 --> 0:21:25.360 like that, and then eventually I got to the point 0:21:25.400 --> 0:21:27.639 where I fought for the championship of the World and 0:21:27.680 --> 0:21:31.200 I was on the undercart of Anthony Mundine versus Crazy Kim. 0:21:31.200 --> 0:21:34.679 It was in a packed out stadium in Newcastle, and 0:21:34.720 --> 0:21:37.760 I thought a gentleman by the name of Theloni Moralei 0:21:37.800 --> 0:21:40.520 who's no longer with us, he was he was killed 0:21:40.880 --> 0:21:44.359 in his hometown of South Africa, and so you know, 0:21:44.560 --> 0:21:48.240 I fought him in an absolute dog fight, and I 0:21:48.280 --> 0:21:50.160 had to go to places that I've never been before. 0:21:50.240 --> 0:21:52.119 And you know, this is where I get this whole 0:21:52.720 --> 0:21:55.800 thing in my mind that in order to be elite, 0:21:55.960 --> 0:21:57.639 in order to be the best in the world, you 0:21:57.720 --> 0:21:59.399 have got to be willing to go to a place 0:21:59.440 --> 0:22:02.040 that the opposite is not willing to go to. You know, 0:22:02.080 --> 0:22:04.199 when you want to be the best at something, that 0:22:04.359 --> 0:22:06.200 was the night that I learned to be the best, 0:22:06.520 --> 0:22:08.240 you've you've got to be willing to go to a 0:22:08.280 --> 0:22:09.600 place of death nearly. 0:22:09.880 --> 0:22:11.679 Well, you do, you know, in order to be the 0:22:11.720 --> 0:22:14.040 best and to be the earl, you've hit the nail 0:22:14.040 --> 0:22:18.480 on the head there. Really you need to in your 0:22:18.600 --> 0:22:22.920 mind give up the ultimate sacrifice, which I think is 0:22:23.440 --> 0:22:25.359 your life. Is like that with me in the military, 0:22:25.400 --> 0:22:30.440 I was willing to trade the ultimate sacrifice for success, 0:22:31.000 --> 0:22:34.240 you know, to get the job done for mission mission success. 0:22:35.000 --> 0:22:37.560 And it goes down to that in the ring. It's 0:22:37.600 --> 0:22:42.320 no different. It's the obsession is so real that when 0:22:42.320 --> 0:22:44.320 I say to people, what are you willing to sacrifice 0:22:45.760 --> 0:22:47.760 my life? If people say in my life, I'm like, 0:22:48.560 --> 0:22:51.320 you're you're You're there, brother, You're there, you know, just 0:22:51.800 --> 0:22:53.320 keep on keep on pushing forward. 0:22:53.400 --> 0:22:56.639 I tell you, I tell you. In round nine, Johnny 0:22:56.720 --> 0:22:58.880 Lewis looked me dead in the eye because Johnny Lewis 0:22:58.880 --> 0:23:00.439 has helped me at the time, and he said, Billy, 0:23:01.160 --> 0:23:03.560 no one will question your balls if I stopped the 0:23:03.560 --> 0:23:05.520 fight now. And I looked in there and you and 0:23:05.520 --> 0:23:07.720 I said, don't you dare. I told you I'm willing 0:23:07.760 --> 0:23:10.359 to die in the ring. I'm not leaving without the belt. 0:23:10.359 --> 0:23:13.280 Don't let me live without the belt, like very stern, 0:23:13.400 --> 0:23:15.919 you know, in that moment, And he didn't stop the 0:23:15.920 --> 0:23:18.200 fight even though he could have, because it was getting 0:23:18.320 --> 0:23:20.439 like that was really rough, even though it was winning 0:23:20.440 --> 0:23:22.480 but it was a rough fight. It's the first time 0:23:22.480 --> 0:23:25.080 I'd ever been knocked down in my career. We thought 0:23:25.080 --> 0:23:26.560 tooth and nail, you know what I mean, like but 0:23:26.960 --> 0:23:29.359 total to I was willing to go to that place 0:23:29.359 --> 0:23:32.679 where I nearly died to be victorious. And I'll be 0:23:32.680 --> 0:23:34.800 honest with you. After the fight and being crown champion, 0:23:35.320 --> 0:23:37.560 I remember going back to the hotel and I was shaking, 0:23:37.720 --> 0:23:40.959 like profusely, and my mom was trying to like console 0:23:41.000 --> 0:23:42.840 me and help me, but I just couldn't stop shaking. 0:23:42.880 --> 0:23:46.200 I was like, I feel like I've broken something inside. See, 0:23:46.200 --> 0:23:50.199 the body has this defense mechanism, I believe you know 0:23:50.320 --> 0:23:52.840 that's what tallts us don't jump jump, don't you know? 0:23:52.960 --> 0:23:56.199 It's a defense mechanism. And I'd never pushed the defense 0:23:56.240 --> 0:23:59.280 mechanism to that point ever. I'd never told my body 0:23:59.359 --> 0:24:01.480 go to this place. So when I took it there, 0:24:01.480 --> 0:24:04.800 it was like I've never been here before. So for 0:24:04.840 --> 0:24:06.720 a while after that, I wasn't willing to go back 0:24:06.760 --> 0:24:09.000 there again. I couldn't push myself to the point where 0:24:09.040 --> 0:24:11.600 I felt like I was going to hurt myself. And 0:24:11.640 --> 0:24:15.600 then what that led to was after winning that word title, 0:24:15.720 --> 0:24:17.560 it was like the greed of becoming I wanted to 0:24:17.600 --> 0:24:21.080 become a multiple time world champion quick because I because 0:24:24.359 --> 0:24:26.760 you could say, you could say it was greed, but 0:24:26.880 --> 0:24:28.800 it was like I had the Yeah, I had the drive, 0:24:28.880 --> 0:24:33.160 the passion, obsession was still exactly. I lost my next fight. 0:24:33.600 --> 0:24:35.440 I dropped in. I dropped dow anyway, and I fought 0:24:35.480 --> 0:24:38.120 for the wo featherweight world title, which was a world 0:24:38.160 --> 0:24:40.960 title that was held for a long time by Princeton 0:24:41.000 --> 0:24:43.639 sema Med. He made fifteen title defenses, so there was 0:24:43.640 --> 0:24:46.919 an obsession to have that. But the unfortunate thing was 0:24:46.920 --> 0:24:48.680 that I wasn't willing to go to a place of 0:24:48.760 --> 0:24:51.720 death in that fight to be victorious. And he was, 0:24:51.840 --> 0:24:53.760 and he was and he ended up. It was a 0:24:53.840 --> 0:24:57.200 very lackluster performance by me. It was a boring fight. 0:24:57.240 --> 0:25:00.680 He won a decision by two points. What that did 0:25:00.800 --> 0:25:03.359 was it reignited the fire, which then sent me to 0:25:03.400 --> 0:25:07.040 Mecca to do a pilgrimage. Once I'd done that pilgrimage, 0:25:07.080 --> 0:25:09.679 I was I remember being in a place called Arafat 0:25:09.760 --> 0:25:11.640 and my dad said to me, said, listen, when you're 0:25:11.640 --> 0:25:14.120 an Arafat, ask God for whatever it is that you want. 0:25:14.240 --> 0:25:16.800 Said anything, and he goes anything. I said, God, I 0:25:16.840 --> 0:25:19.000 know you've given me a war title, but if you 0:25:19.000 --> 0:25:21.080 could just give me one more, God, I'll never ask 0:25:21.080 --> 0:25:25.399 for anything again, right, And so I got back home 0:25:25.520 --> 0:25:28.480 and then the rebuild started. I had nine fights. I 0:25:28.560 --> 0:25:31.560 worked my way back to the number one position. I 0:25:31.680 --> 0:25:33.880 worked my way back where I was the number one contender, 0:25:34.000 --> 0:25:37.040 and then I fought for the War title. And because 0:25:37.119 --> 0:25:39.600 I was a number one contender, we were able to 0:25:39.640 --> 0:25:41.919 bring the championship to Australia. We were able to go 0:25:41.960 --> 0:25:45.000 into a purse bid. We brought the guy here and 0:25:45.040 --> 0:25:47.840 I won the fight and reclaimed my second world championship 0:25:47.880 --> 0:25:50.360 and put myself in the history books, as you know, 0:25:50.680 --> 0:25:53.399 only the third Australian to ever win a furatherweight war 0:25:53.480 --> 0:25:56.520 title in history, which was Jeff Fenick, Johnny Farmershan and 0:25:56.520 --> 0:25:57.040 Billy Dibb. 0:25:57.680 --> 0:26:02.200 Really, dam of course, is a li with your mentality, mate, 0:26:02.200 --> 0:26:05.679 and your drive and obsession and you know, willing to 0:26:05.680 --> 0:26:08.840 give the ultimate sacrifice, which it is. And it's interesting 0:26:08.840 --> 0:26:12.720 that you mentioned that on your first title win. You know, 0:26:12.720 --> 0:26:15.959 it's almost you know, hitting that pain threshold. You've never 0:26:16.040 --> 0:26:18.480 hit it before, you know, to a certain extent where 0:26:18.800 --> 0:26:21.080 your body feels like it's going to shut down, and 0:26:21.080 --> 0:26:24.040 you're going to but then you realize that you've gone 0:26:24.040 --> 0:26:27.440 from here, You've pushed that bang. This is your new limitation. 0:26:27.760 --> 0:26:32.199 Guess what limitations are there to be pushed boundaries? I 0:26:32.200 --> 0:26:36.600 really believe that once you rebelieved that did that? What 0:26:36.840 --> 0:26:39.680 is that what it felt like for your second title win? 0:26:40.040 --> 0:26:40.240 Well? 0:26:40.480 --> 0:26:41.640 Were you willing to go back there? 0:26:41.680 --> 0:26:44.800 And I was ready to go there again? Yeah, but 0:26:45.119 --> 0:26:47.200 you know what, I woke up on the morning with 0:26:47.280 --> 0:26:49.919 that fight. I'll never forget it. I drove to my 0:26:49.960 --> 0:26:52.680 mother and father's place and I hadn't seen them for 0:26:52.720 --> 0:26:54.320 a while because I was in camp. But then I 0:26:54.320 --> 0:26:56.359 saw my mom. Said, Mum, I want to tell you something. 0:26:56.840 --> 0:26:59.879 Don't stress, Mum. I've got a cover. I'm going to 0:26:59.960 --> 0:27:01.679 be champion of the world again today. And she's like 0:27:02.160 --> 0:27:04.639 you sure, And I'm like, Mum, listen, don't even stress. 0:27:04.680 --> 0:27:06.040 I said, all I got to do is turn up. 0:27:06.080 --> 0:27:08.320 I've already won. I've done all of the hard work. 0:27:08.560 --> 0:27:11.479 I've left no stone unturned. I promise you tonight your 0:27:11.480 --> 0:27:13.800 son will be world champion. Like you should come up. 0:27:13.800 --> 0:27:15.359 She's like, I don't want to come I said, you 0:27:15.400 --> 0:27:17.760 don't have to but don't worry. I'll bring the belt 0:27:17.760 --> 0:27:19.520 home to you. And that night I won the world title, 0:27:19.560 --> 0:27:22.240 I brought home and I said, you know, I mean, 0:27:22.280 --> 0:27:24.800 I was like, like an incredible you know, to be 0:27:25.640 --> 0:27:28.560 to be the best in the world, especially the IBF 0:27:28.640 --> 0:27:31.320 featherweight world champion, to be the best in the world, 0:27:31.920 --> 0:27:34.680 and to be the first person that tweeted me when 0:27:34.680 --> 0:27:37.159 I won that world title was Oscar the Lawyer, and 0:27:37.200 --> 0:27:39.679 he was like, congratulations to my my, you know, my 0:27:39.680 --> 0:27:42.159 good friend Billy Dive. That was to me, that was 0:27:42.560 --> 0:27:45.760 an incredible feeling, Like, wow, Oscar de Laaroy is tweeting me. 0:27:45.840 --> 0:27:46.679 You know what I mean I was. 0:27:47.720 --> 0:27:50.919 I was, yeah, you knew that. 0:27:51.080 --> 0:27:51.800 Yeah. 0:27:52.440 --> 0:27:55.840 Is it still and just be completely completely honest with me. 0:27:56.080 --> 0:28:01.639 Is it still going into a defense? Is it still 0:28:01.680 --> 0:28:06.120 as as you know, sort of passionate as going into 0:28:06.520 --> 0:28:07.120 winning that time. 0:28:07.119 --> 0:28:09.000 I'll tell you, I'll tell you one thing. You go, 0:28:09.240 --> 0:28:12.520 you go into a realm of untouchable. That's in my mind. 0:28:12.560 --> 0:28:15.240 I was in the realm of untouchable, like I'm too 0:28:15.240 --> 0:28:18.480 good to be touched, unstable. Yeah, and so but when 0:28:18.520 --> 0:28:20.840 I won that world title, it was a vacant world title, 0:28:20.920 --> 0:28:23.160 so it was a vacant world title that the number 0:28:23.160 --> 0:28:25.399 one and number two were fine for. So for me, 0:28:25.480 --> 0:28:27.679 I was like, well, I'm not really going to be 0:28:27.720 --> 0:28:30.399 regarded as a great world champion until I defend it, 0:28:30.720 --> 0:28:32.840 so let me go out and make my first title defense. 0:28:33.520 --> 0:28:36.040 And poor guy that I thought in my first title 0:28:36.080 --> 0:28:38.280 defense was an Italian guy who had a record of 0:28:38.520 --> 0:28:41.720 thirty one wins without a loss. And he came over 0:28:41.800 --> 0:28:43.640 talking about he's going to do this and he's going 0:28:43.680 --> 0:28:45.240 to do that, and he's leaving back to Italy with 0:28:45.280 --> 0:28:47.480 the championship. And I said, listen, do yourself a favor 0:28:47.760 --> 0:28:51.200 and bring a pillow. I said, you're going to sleeping 0:28:51.240 --> 0:28:54.280 the kids. I said, bring a pillow, you're going to 0:28:54.320 --> 0:28:57.720 sleep and I and I actually, did you bring a pillow? 0:28:57.720 --> 0:28:58.160 Did you bring me? 0:28:59.240 --> 0:29:01.920 Translated into him in Italian? Because I wanted him to 0:29:02.000 --> 0:29:04.479 understand exactly what I was saying. I told him I'm 0:29:04.520 --> 0:29:07.080 going to knock you out in one round, and I 0:29:07.200 --> 0:29:08.840 know exactly what I did. I went out there and 0:29:09.320 --> 0:29:11.800 I dropped him with his body shot and blaid him 0:29:11.880 --> 0:29:16.040 right out in the first round. To be world champion 0:29:16.080 --> 0:29:18.160 and to win your first title defense with a first 0:29:18.240 --> 0:29:20.640 round knockout against a guy who was the European champion. 0:29:20.680 --> 0:29:23.360 I was like, man, I am on that pedestal right now, 0:29:23.600 --> 0:29:26.120 and you can't shake me off. No matter what you do, 0:29:26.160 --> 0:29:28.600 You're not shaking me off the pedestal. I was on 0:29:28.640 --> 0:29:30.160 a major high, you know. And for me, it was 0:29:30.240 --> 0:29:32.640 like when I was champion, it wasn't just about me, 0:29:33.160 --> 0:29:37.160 because you know, to be a champion you need a team. 0:29:37.480 --> 0:29:39.840 It's not just about you, It's about everybody else that's 0:29:39.880 --> 0:29:41.600 around you, you know what I mean. It's like the minute 0:29:41.640 --> 0:29:44.040 you hit any sort of adversity in your life, if 0:29:44.080 --> 0:29:46.280 you've got something to fight for, you'll find a reason 0:29:46.320 --> 0:29:49.120 to fight. But if you don't, you'll give up. But 0:29:49.160 --> 0:29:51.440 for me, it was like anytime the going got tough 0:29:51.480 --> 0:29:54.160 in the road to becoming a world champion, I would 0:29:54.160 --> 0:29:56.040 always think about all the people that were invested in 0:29:56.040 --> 0:29:59.840 me with like number one, my family, my management, my trainer, 0:30:00.360 --> 0:30:02.720 my fans, my love, like, you know, like all these 0:30:02.720 --> 0:30:05.320 people had invested in me. They were invested in me, 0:30:05.440 --> 0:30:07.400 so it was like my job was to turn up 0:30:07.440 --> 0:30:09.400 and do the job. So when I was winning, they 0:30:09.400 --> 0:30:12.080 were winning. Yeah, you know that's how I felt. I felt, 0:30:12.080 --> 0:30:14.560 like how amazing is that for my brother, who is 0:30:14.640 --> 0:30:16.600 at the time just a young kid going to school, 0:30:16.640 --> 0:30:18.040 that he can go to school and tell his mates 0:30:18.080 --> 0:30:21.040 that my brother's a world champion. Yeah, a two time 0:30:21.080 --> 0:30:23.480 world champion. My brother is a two time world champion. 0:30:23.520 --> 0:30:25.960 I was like, what an incredible feeling. 0:30:34.560 --> 0:30:38.440 On the super positive side. You know, everyone's winning when 0:30:38.480 --> 0:30:41.560 you're winning, Yeah, how about when you're losing? 0:30:42.160 --> 0:30:44.160 Well, I lost. So when I did lose, you know, 0:30:44.160 --> 0:30:47.840 I mean, obviously the people that I loved the most 0:30:47.840 --> 0:30:50.000 were still there, you know what I mean. Obviously it 0:30:50.040 --> 0:30:52.480 was that, you know, my mom and dad were always 0:30:52.520 --> 0:30:54.320 going to be there because they're always going to be 0:30:54.320 --> 0:30:56.880 there no matter what their number one fans, with the winning, losing, 0:30:56.960 --> 0:30:58.760 whatever's happened in your life, they're always there. 0:30:58.880 --> 0:31:01.320 When do you experience it's your first loss. 0:31:01.480 --> 0:31:03.920 So basically I went on a great run where I 0:31:03.960 --> 0:31:08.320 defended my total three times and then I signed this 0:31:09.040 --> 0:31:14.880 amazing contract with Floyd Malvern and fifty cent. Mind blowing contract. Right, 0:31:15.400 --> 0:31:18.640 young kid from the Verbs of Ingadeen. All of a sudden, 0:31:18.680 --> 0:31:22.960 he's in Vegas signings, was gone, big time deals, and 0:31:23.000 --> 0:31:25.719 then I'm sitting I'm sitting down with fifty cent and 0:31:25.760 --> 0:31:29.000 he writes up a contract that offers me three point 0:31:29.040 --> 0:31:32.360 three million dollars of a course from nine fights. Like 0:31:32.800 --> 0:31:35.120 I was like, I've made it. This is like I've 0:31:35.120 --> 0:31:37.160 made it, you know, I mean, this is my And 0:31:37.200 --> 0:31:39.400 that was at a minimum. That was three point three 0:31:39.440 --> 0:31:42.880 million at a minimum. So I was like, I'd made it. 0:31:42.920 --> 0:31:44.240 I was like, man, I'm home and host, you know, 0:31:44.280 --> 0:31:47.800 I mean. And then and then fifty cent and Floyd 0:31:47.840 --> 0:31:50.200 Malvin had this massive fallout. I got caught up in 0:31:50.240 --> 0:31:53.280 the middle of it. And then basically Floyd Malvin being 0:31:53.320 --> 0:31:55.640 Floyd Malvern and having the power that he has in boxing, 0:31:55.680 --> 0:31:59.560 he was able to basically have me blacklisted from the 0:31:59.600 --> 0:32:03.240 TV it works. Him and fifty fell out. I was 0:32:03.280 --> 0:32:06.360 stuck in contract with fifty and Floyd wanted to make 0:32:06.400 --> 0:32:07.160 me pay for that, you know. 0:32:07.160 --> 0:32:09.440 I mean, so how mental is that that you were 0:32:09.480 --> 0:32:14.600 this kid born you know, you know, as you grow up, 0:32:14.880 --> 0:32:18.680 you experienced racism, bullying, you hit the gym because of it. 0:32:19.240 --> 0:32:22.320 And then is it surreal and do you ever take 0:32:22.360 --> 0:32:26.240 yourself back to those moments when that happened to even 0:32:26.240 --> 0:32:28.760 just be sitting down with these names, you know, and 0:32:29.200 --> 0:32:32.000 you know, being associated with these names, is it not 0:32:32.120 --> 0:32:33.280 did you not pinch yourself something? 0:32:33.360 --> 0:32:35.520 Yeah, it was. It was listening, I'll be honest mental 0:32:35.600 --> 0:32:37.760 as a kid. It was unreal to be able to 0:32:37.760 --> 0:32:39.880 pick up the phone and be like, hey, fifty, can 0:32:39.920 --> 0:32:42.400 you speak to my friend for a minute, and like 0:32:42.560 --> 0:32:45.080 that's how it was. It was like that for a 0:32:45.120 --> 0:32:47.160 good year year and a half. It was exactly like that. 0:32:47.280 --> 0:32:49.240 Fifty would like be on call, you know, it was 0:32:49.240 --> 0:32:52.640 on dial. But man, Floyd Malburn became a real bully, 0:32:52.640 --> 0:32:54.400 you know what I mean. He was an absolute bully. 0:32:54.440 --> 0:32:56.040 I was like, man, why are you doing this to me? 0:32:56.040 --> 0:32:57.480 What do I do to you? I don't even really 0:32:57.520 --> 0:33:00.320 know you man. Yeah, but you know at the end 0:33:00.080 --> 0:33:01.960 the day they had their feud, I got caught up 0:33:01.960 --> 0:33:03.640 in the middle of it. But it makes for a 0:33:03.640 --> 0:33:06.080 good story. Yeah. You know, I'm a good sport man, 0:33:06.120 --> 0:33:08.280 like I said, you know, like you got to ride 0:33:08.320 --> 0:33:10.840 the waves of life. You mean, there's highs and then 0:33:10.840 --> 0:33:12.719 there's loads, and you know we could we could get 0:33:12.760 --> 0:33:16.720 stuck in the loads. But you know, somebody, a great 0:33:16.760 --> 0:33:18.760 mentor of mindset this to me the other day said, listen, 0:33:18.760 --> 0:33:21.080 there's the reason why the review mirror is so small 0:33:21.480 --> 0:33:23.880 and the windscreen head is so big heady because it's 0:33:23.920 --> 0:33:27.680 so much more correct attaining life. You know, we're looking 0:33:27.680 --> 0:33:29.560 at that review mirror and getting stuck in the past. 0:33:29.640 --> 0:33:31.800 Is that's old news? You know, I mean, and I'm 0:33:31.800 --> 0:33:34.240 no longer like that. And you know, obviously the experiences 0:33:34.280 --> 0:33:35.680 that I've had in life have built me to the 0:33:35.680 --> 0:33:36.680 person that I am today. 0:33:37.760 --> 0:33:41.280 So when does the cancer scare come along and there's 0:33:41.520 --> 0:33:43.560 scare at first or is it just like no, it 0:33:43.600 --> 0:33:46.080 was it was full on, yeah, it was diagnosis. 0:33:46.120 --> 0:33:47.680 It was full on, man, it was full on. 0:33:47.720 --> 0:33:51.000 I was took me through when stoppable at the top 0:33:51.040 --> 0:33:56.400 of your game to realizing wow, maybe yeah, well well 0:33:56.440 --> 0:33:56.760 I was. 0:33:56.840 --> 0:34:00.880 I was rated highly with the IBF out lightweight and 0:34:00.920 --> 0:34:03.520 I was on the verge of an opportunity to fight 0:34:03.640 --> 0:34:07.880 George Cambosis in an All Australian showdown, and I was 0:34:07.880 --> 0:34:09.759 in the gym preparing for it. And then one day 0:34:10.239 --> 0:34:11.920 a friend of mine he hit me with a body 0:34:11.920 --> 0:34:14.680 shot and when he in the body he didn't win me, 0:34:14.719 --> 0:34:17.439 but there was like a really excruciating pain, like somebody 0:34:17.600 --> 0:34:20.640 stabbed me in the stomach. I thought like I felt 0:34:20.640 --> 0:34:23.280 like I had torn something. But then you know, obviously 0:34:24.360 --> 0:34:26.080 I got out of the ring, and you know, I 0:34:26.400 --> 0:34:28.080 went about my day and then the next day I 0:34:28.080 --> 0:34:29.960 come into the gym again to try to skip. When 0:34:29.960 --> 0:34:32.200 I was skipping, this thing was really hurt. And so 0:34:32.239 --> 0:34:34.759 then I was like, there's something wrong. I couldn't go 0:34:34.840 --> 0:34:36.880 to the restroom, I couldn't defecate, I couldn't do anything. 0:34:36.880 --> 0:34:40.759 I was something wasn't right, and so I basically went 0:34:40.800 --> 0:34:43.480 to my mom and dad's place and begged my mom 0:34:43.520 --> 0:34:45.960 for mercy, know, And it wasn't until it like they 0:34:46.239 --> 0:34:48.400 actually ended up taking me to the doctors and then 0:34:49.840 --> 0:34:52.840 I saw the hematologists and they'd ended up doing a 0:34:52.880 --> 0:34:56.480 scan and they found that I had colon cancer. So 0:34:56.520 --> 0:34:59.759 they removed a nine centimeter tumor. Was actually a seven 0:34:59.800 --> 0:35:01.400 set the meter trimmer, but they cut a nine and 0:35:01.440 --> 0:35:04.160 sent a minute diameter out to make sure that they 0:35:04.239 --> 0:35:07.440 cleaned up everything. Yeah, it was massive seven. It was 0:35:07.520 --> 0:35:09.759 like it was like this, and so had that. 0:35:09.800 --> 0:35:13.040 Been there for excuse, you know, going back, but that's 0:35:13.239 --> 0:35:13.960 that'd been there for. 0:35:15.040 --> 0:35:16.400 They reckoned it had been there for a while. But 0:35:16.440 --> 0:35:17.840 how do I not got hit there? It would have 0:35:17.840 --> 0:35:20.440 continued to go without any you know, I would have 0:35:20.480 --> 0:35:21.759 not known about it. Maybe it would have been too 0:35:21.800 --> 0:35:22.920 late by the time they found it. 0:35:22.960 --> 0:35:23.240 Wow. 0:35:23.360 --> 0:35:27.160 In that say, when he hit it eruptured. They told 0:35:27.160 --> 0:35:29.960 me that it actually ruptured and that's how we found it. 0:35:30.000 --> 0:35:32.319 And so once they did the skin, they took it out. 0:35:32.360 --> 0:35:33.560 Then they said to me, look, we're going to do 0:35:33.560 --> 0:35:35.600 a bit of chemo therapy just to clean up around it. 0:35:35.600 --> 0:35:37.600 And I said, no, no, I'm not doing no chemo. I 0:35:37.600 --> 0:35:39.440 don't want no part of chemo therapy. And I was 0:35:39.480 --> 0:35:43.520 like why, And I was like, look, twenty fifteen, my 0:35:43.920 --> 0:35:47.000 my wife was diagnosed with cancer. She died two months 0:35:47.040 --> 0:35:47.839 and ten days later. 0:35:50.040 --> 0:35:54.839 Wow, and you're still how how do you carry on 0:35:54.880 --> 0:35:58.279 from that? How do you? How do you? How do 0:35:58.360 --> 0:36:01.240 you take a step forward. 0:36:01.440 --> 0:36:03.000 I'm going to be honest with you. Look, I'm a 0:36:03.080 --> 0:36:05.439 very God fearing person and I believe that God does 0:36:05.480 --> 0:36:09.960 everything for a reason. And like I thought about it 0:36:10.000 --> 0:36:11.719 when when Sara pass, I was like, who can I 0:36:11.719 --> 0:36:13.319 fight with them? I'm going to fight with God. I 0:36:13.320 --> 0:36:15.600 can't fight with God. I've just got to be very accepting. 0:36:15.600 --> 0:36:17.840 And then look, you know God is very merciful and 0:36:18.040 --> 0:36:21.759 very giving as well. Because today I'm married and I've 0:36:21.760 --> 0:36:23.840 got a beautiful wife and a beautiful son, and like 0:36:23.920 --> 0:36:26.760 life is good again, you know what I mean? Truth 0:36:26.800 --> 0:36:28.759 be told, I wouldn't change what I have today for 0:36:28.800 --> 0:36:30.920 what I had. I wouldn't do that, I'd say, And 0:36:30.960 --> 0:36:35.840 moving moving forward, you know, like everything is just great, 0:36:36.120 --> 0:36:38.120 everything's in it is a really good position now. 0:36:38.160 --> 0:36:41.960 So how did you what happened there after? Then? 0:36:42.000 --> 0:36:44.680 How did you know what happened? I went home and 0:36:44.880 --> 0:36:47.839 things were good for for about a week, and then 0:36:47.920 --> 0:36:51.480 a week later I was with my wife and my 0:36:51.640 --> 0:36:56.239 son and I was not feeling too well. And next thing, 0:36:56.239 --> 0:36:59.320 you know, again, I felt very, very sick, and so 0:36:59.480 --> 0:37:01.080 my wife's like, look, we've got to take it to hospital. 0:37:01.120 --> 0:37:03.360 And I pretty much begged her not to take me, 0:37:03.400 --> 0:37:05.320 and she's like, look, I'm going to ring him he 0:37:05.360 --> 0:37:06.960 told us, and just let him know how you're feeling. 0:37:07.000 --> 0:37:09.399 She rang him, She's like, he goes, look, I'm really 0:37:09.400 --> 0:37:11.399 sorry to tell you this, but we've had to look 0:37:11.400 --> 0:37:13.719 over Billy's bloods. We'll hopeing we didn't have to tell 0:37:13.719 --> 0:37:15.719 you guys to Monday, but you got to bring him 0:37:15.719 --> 0:37:20.360 straight back. We we think he's cancer spread. And so 0:37:20.480 --> 0:37:22.400 then I go back to hospital and then I was 0:37:22.440 --> 0:37:25.160 basically riddled with the cancer was all over my stomach 0:37:25.200 --> 0:37:28.719 area and my stomach lining and everything, and so, you know, 0:37:29.320 --> 0:37:30.839 I still didn't know what was going on. But then 0:37:30.880 --> 0:37:34.759 a doctor walks in. His name was doctor aber Bartacharan 0:37:34.840 --> 0:37:37.440 and we had a talk and he basically said to me, 0:37:37.440 --> 0:37:39.960 he goes, you're not in a very good state. Do 0:37:39.960 --> 0:37:40.680 you know what it is that you have? 0:37:40.840 --> 0:37:40.880 Not? 0:37:40.920 --> 0:37:42.960 Had no idea? And he goes, mate, you've pretty much 0:37:42.960 --> 0:37:46.080 got six months to live. And in that moment, I 0:37:46.160 --> 0:37:49.600 was obviously gob smacked, but the only thing I could 0:37:49.640 --> 0:37:52.239 think about was not being a quitter. I'm not going 0:37:52.320 --> 0:37:53.879 to quit, you know. So I asked him the question. 0:37:53.960 --> 0:37:56.839 I said, how do I turn six months into sixty years? 0:37:56.880 --> 0:38:00.200 And he goes, why what you said? Yeah, I said, 0:38:00.200 --> 0:38:02.080 how do I turn six months into sixty years? And 0:38:02.080 --> 0:38:04.160 he asked me the question why? That's all he had 0:38:04.200 --> 0:38:06.320 to ask me. When he said why, I said, Look, 0:38:06.880 --> 0:38:09.120 I've got a son who's on the verge of turning three, 0:38:09.480 --> 0:38:11.359 and I need to walk into school in two years time, 0:38:11.480 --> 0:38:13.520 so I need to do everything in my power to 0:38:13.560 --> 0:38:17.600 beat this cancer. And he goes. He goes, So, he goes, 0:38:17.719 --> 0:38:20.319 you gotta start chemotherapy yesterday, And I was like I'm 0:38:20.360 --> 0:38:22.279 on boarding. He goes just like that. I said, yeah, 0:38:22.360 --> 0:38:24.600 so it's not about me anymore. This is about my 0:38:24.680 --> 0:38:26.400 son and my wife and my family. It is like 0:38:26.719 --> 0:38:29.879 I can't quit because if you're a quitter. In my mind, 0:38:29.920 --> 0:38:31.600 I'm thinking like if I quit, then I give permission 0:38:31.640 --> 0:38:33.640 to my wife to quit, who then gives permission to 0:38:33.680 --> 0:38:35.640 my son to quit. And you know, quitting is like 0:38:35.680 --> 0:38:38.279 a chain reaction thing. And I didn't want to. 0:38:38.280 --> 0:38:40.000 Be like the mold. 0:38:40.880 --> 0:38:42.719 I was never going to quit, So I said to 0:38:42.800 --> 0:38:46.240 mum board and I'll tell you, I've never experienced pain 0:38:46.920 --> 0:38:50.520 like chemo therapy in my life. It like I found 0:38:50.560 --> 0:38:53.319 the new found respect for my deceased wife in that 0:38:53.440 --> 0:38:56.520 moment because I was like the amount of pain that 0:38:56.560 --> 0:38:59.360 I that I that I had to endure during the 0:38:59.440 --> 0:39:01.879 chemo treatment and was like no other pain that I've 0:39:01.920 --> 0:39:02.680 ever tried to. 0:39:02.600 --> 0:39:06.560 Try and explain that pain. What's different about it was so. 0:39:06.680 --> 0:39:09.560 It's like, yeah, it's like you know what it was 0:39:09.640 --> 0:39:13.480 like it was bone breaking, like bone crushing pain, you know. 0:39:13.520 --> 0:39:16.240 I mean like it was the pain of not having 0:39:16.239 --> 0:39:18.400 the energy to even stand up, you know, like I 0:39:18.440 --> 0:39:21.400 couldn't even gather myself to make it to the restaurant 0:39:21.400 --> 0:39:24.279 one time. Like excuse the listeners in that, Like I 0:39:24.400 --> 0:39:27.320 was basically having accident to myself because I just couldn't 0:39:27.320 --> 0:39:28.840 make it to the restaurant. I was in a really, 0:39:28.840 --> 0:39:31.960 really bad way, and I got to the point where 0:39:32.000 --> 0:39:34.239 I actually said to the doctors, I can't believe I 0:39:34.280 --> 0:39:36.319 gave you permission to kill me. They're like, we're not 0:39:36.360 --> 0:39:38.799 trying to kill you, but we're just trying to help 0:39:38.840 --> 0:39:40.319 you get better. But this is what it takes to 0:39:40.320 --> 0:39:42.200 get better. I was like, you're to kill all of 0:39:42.200 --> 0:39:44.440 this in order for me to get better. Basically, it's 0:39:44.440 --> 0:39:46.320 a reset of the body, you know. I mean, imagine 0:39:46.680 --> 0:39:50.960 they turned every sort of power button your body off 0:39:51.400 --> 0:39:52.799 and then they turn it back on again. You know. 0:39:52.920 --> 0:39:56.400 That's what it was like. It was there was numerous 0:39:57.239 --> 0:40:00.160 twenty three hour cycles of chemotherapy. 0:40:00.400 --> 0:40:03.480 And what does it feel like to go from you know, 0:40:03.640 --> 0:40:08.000 Billy the kid, the unstoppable, the invincible, you know, to 0:40:08.520 --> 0:40:14.360 being the complete opposite of you having accident so you 0:40:14.400 --> 0:40:15.080 can't get up? 0:40:15.800 --> 0:40:16.960 Was there? Wow? 0:40:17.120 --> 0:40:18.960 Talk about I don't want to say a fool from 0:40:18.960 --> 0:40:22.120 Greg's it's not that, but talk about being on the 0:40:22.120 --> 0:40:23.880 size of the spectrum it. 0:40:23.719 --> 0:40:27.120 Just became like I started to understand that the importance 0:40:27.160 --> 0:40:27.560 of time. 0:40:27.920 --> 0:40:29.399 Did it affect you psychologically? 0:40:29.880 --> 0:40:34.960 No, No at all. Honestly, I had this thing about 0:40:35.080 --> 0:40:37.520 I can't quit, and I actually wrote it on the wall. 0:40:37.600 --> 0:40:39.959 My brother rode on the wall of the hospital where 0:40:39.960 --> 0:40:41.479 I was because I was in that ward for six 0:40:41.520 --> 0:40:43.239 months to get up, your son of a bitch, because 0:40:43.360 --> 0:40:45.719 Laife loves you. And every time I felt like I 0:40:45.760 --> 0:40:47.359 couldn't get up, I don't just think about my son 0:40:47.400 --> 0:40:49.359 and be like, no, I can't do this to him. 0:40:50.239 --> 0:40:51.759 He's going to go to school until his mates said 0:40:51.760 --> 0:40:53.960 his dad passed away, Like my dad quit. I'm not 0:40:54.000 --> 0:40:56.480 a quitter. If he's going to tell his friends that 0:40:56.520 --> 0:40:58.239 his dad passed away and say, my dad went out 0:40:58.280 --> 0:41:00.680 like a warrior. My dad did everything in his power 0:41:00.680 --> 0:41:01.719 to fight to be here for me. 0:41:02.000 --> 0:41:04.160 Did that become the new obsession? 0:41:04.280 --> 0:41:06.720 That was the obsession. The obsession was walking him to school. 0:41:06.760 --> 0:41:07.160 That was it. 0:41:07.440 --> 0:41:09.080 That's all I cared about. I was like, you know what, 0:41:09.200 --> 0:41:10.920 my son's not going to be that kid that goes 0:41:10.960 --> 0:41:13.520 to school. That is dad not doing that. And like 0:41:13.560 --> 0:41:15.239 three weeks ago, I got the chance to walk into 0:41:15.280 --> 0:41:19.720 school for the first time, and I really enjoyed that moment. 0:41:19.760 --> 0:41:22.080 I walked slowly, I held his hands, that this is 0:41:22.120 --> 0:41:24.839 the moment that I waited for for all those years. 0:41:24.880 --> 0:41:28.600 You know that, I thought, So he doesn't. He does understand, 0:41:28.640 --> 0:41:30.960 but he won't really understand until he's a lot about 0:41:31.040 --> 0:41:33.160 what that meant to me to be able to say, 0:41:33.160 --> 0:41:35.719 you know what, I walked into school. I beat that 0:41:35.800 --> 0:41:37.640 cancer and I walked my man to school. 0:41:38.000 --> 0:41:39.960 Did you take every single moment in. 0:41:40.480 --> 0:41:43.080 Every single step, man? And it wasn't even just that 0:41:44.160 --> 0:41:47.120 I wanted to show the world that everything that I'd 0:41:47.160 --> 0:41:50.000 been talking about about never giving up and setting goals 0:41:50.040 --> 0:41:52.719 and overcoming adversity, I wanted to show them that that 0:41:52.840 --> 0:41:55.960 wasn't just fluff. That was real talk. And I'm a 0:41:56.040 --> 0:41:59.600 real life example of that, you know. And even even 0:41:59.640 --> 0:42:01.680 the fact that when I decided that I was going 0:42:01.760 --> 0:42:04.799 to have a comeback fight, people like like, you're crazy, man. 0:42:04.840 --> 0:42:06.759 You just come off having cancer. You're talking about having 0:42:06.760 --> 0:42:09.759 to comeback for us, And listen, this is what dreams, 0:42:09.800 --> 0:42:11.040 the dreams are made of, you know. I mean, you've 0:42:11.040 --> 0:42:12.920 got to set goals, you got to have that vision. 0:42:13.680 --> 0:42:17.279 You know. How hard was it to get back into 0:42:17.440 --> 0:42:19.640 a training camp I'm believing into. 0:42:19.960 --> 0:42:23.919 Man, I never listened. It was like, there was days 0:42:23.920 --> 0:42:26.560 where I felt like, you gotta be real yourself married, 0:42:26.760 --> 0:42:30.839 you know, when you're done. But you know what, then 0:42:30.840 --> 0:42:32.839 there's a day where it just flips and everything gets 0:42:32.880 --> 0:42:34.919 better and you're like, oh, I'm back. Oh my god, 0:42:34.920 --> 0:42:36.919 look I'm letting it go. And you know, I start 0:42:36.960 --> 0:42:39.319 feeling good about myself and I start turning up to 0:42:39.360 --> 0:42:41.440 the gym every day and I'm running and I'm feeling 0:42:41.480 --> 0:42:44.279 healthy and clean and fit. And you know, you know, 0:42:44.320 --> 0:42:46.880 when you feel like that, you give off this energy, 0:42:47.440 --> 0:42:49.360 and like when you give off that energy, everyone around 0:42:49.400 --> 0:42:51.560 you starts feeling that sort of energy. They start being 0:42:51.560 --> 0:42:54.200 positive and all of a sudden, you're back. And then 0:42:54.520 --> 0:42:56.880 you know, I got to leave on my own terms, 0:42:56.920 --> 0:42:59.279 man like, and not many people led to leave the 0:42:59.280 --> 0:43:02.319 boxing Sporter boxing on their own terms. Boxing has a 0:43:02.400 --> 0:43:05.759 thing of you either leave on your back, yeah, or 0:43:05.800 --> 0:43:07.560 you retire on your own accord. 0:43:07.320 --> 0:43:09.279 Leave on your back, or you leave on your belt. 0:43:09.440 --> 0:43:12.360 That's it. And for me, I was like, there was 0:43:12.400 --> 0:43:14.279 a chance that I could leave on my back, you know, 0:43:14.280 --> 0:43:17.960 I mean, because it's coming off cancer. But obviously, being sensible, 0:43:18.000 --> 0:43:20.239 we picked the right opponent, because I'm going to be 0:43:20.320 --> 0:43:23.680 a realist. We did pick the right opponent, and even 0:43:23.719 --> 0:43:25.279 though I showed him a lot of respect and he 0:43:25.360 --> 0:43:27.799 still brought it, I was able to do, you know, 0:43:27.880 --> 0:43:29.480 I was. I was in good enough shape to do 0:43:29.520 --> 0:43:30.839 what I wanted to do nearly, you know what I mean. 0:43:30.880 --> 0:43:33.120 But when you think about a lot of great fighters 0:43:33.160 --> 0:43:34.879 who have left the sport of boxing on their back, 0:43:34.920 --> 0:43:36.600 I can name ten of them, you know what I mean. 0:43:36.640 --> 0:43:39.320 But to go out on my own terms as a winner, 0:43:39.440 --> 0:43:41.640 to leave the sportter boxing on my own terms as 0:43:41.640 --> 0:43:44.240 a champion, and to go on to get the award 0:43:44.280 --> 0:43:46.160 of Ring Magazine come Back of the Year was just 0:43:46.200 --> 0:43:48.760 like the complete top off. It was like the flowers 0:43:48.760 --> 0:43:50.120 that I always wanted from boxing. 0:43:50.440 --> 0:43:52.839 I love that village, you know. But one thing that 0:43:52.880 --> 0:43:56.600 really really stands out to me, and before we finish, 0:43:56.840 --> 0:44:02.080 is the positive mindset. You have the power of positive thinking. 0:44:03.000 --> 0:44:07.279 How important is that in life? And how do you 0:44:07.360 --> 0:44:08.680 ascertain that mindset? 0:44:08.880 --> 0:44:12.480 I think it's two for me to explain it to 0:44:12.520 --> 0:44:16.040 other people. It's like it's one of the most important 0:44:16.600 --> 0:44:19.280 tools to have in your life to be able to overcome, 0:44:19.320 --> 0:44:22.279 you know, to be able to experience that, because we're 0:44:22.280 --> 0:44:25.279 all going to experience, you know, the highs and the 0:44:25.320 --> 0:44:28.280 loads of life. And when you're high, you know you're 0:44:28.280 --> 0:44:30.160 in this amazing place. When you're in a local you know. 0:44:30.160 --> 0:44:31.680 I mean, like there's a lot of people that are 0:44:31.680 --> 0:44:34.279 going through darkness, but they just have to understand that 0:44:34.680 --> 0:44:37.960 after the darkness, there is light. And I always understood that. 0:44:38.000 --> 0:44:40.080 I always understood that, you know what, there's going to 0:44:40.120 --> 0:44:41.840 be good times and there's going to be bad times. 0:44:42.040 --> 0:44:45.040 Not everybody is going to have an amazing life. It's 0:44:45.040 --> 0:44:46.400 not written that way, you know. I mean, we're all 0:44:46.400 --> 0:44:48.839 going to experience certain things in our lives. And I've 0:44:48.920 --> 0:44:51.719 experienced certain things and that's built the platform for me 0:44:51.760 --> 0:44:53.319 to be where I am today, and that's to go 0:44:53.400 --> 0:44:56.520 on and inspire people to achieve their own greatness. You know, 0:44:56.560 --> 0:44:58.759 we all have that within us, and we're all going 0:44:58.840 --> 0:45:00.799 to go through certain things. For you of that, if 0:45:00.800 --> 0:45:02.759 you are born, you're going to go through a whole 0:45:02.760 --> 0:45:04.440 bunch of stuff and then eventually you're going to reach 0:45:04.520 --> 0:45:06.799 that point where you know, the lights turn out. But 0:45:07.239 --> 0:45:10.480 it's about just that happy medium, you know what I mean, 0:45:10.520 --> 0:45:13.640 and being an accepting person and just understand that you've 0:45:13.680 --> 0:45:15.360 got to roll with the punches. That's life. 0:45:15.920 --> 0:45:19.440 Love it, mate, I love you. You're full of positive energy. 0:45:19.880 --> 0:45:22.200 I can feel the energy from across the room here. 0:45:22.480 --> 0:45:24.080 And you know what, people are going to get so 0:45:24.239 --> 0:45:26.200 much out of your book. Pick it up. It will 0:45:26.239 --> 0:45:28.440 inspire you tenfold. Billy, thank you so much. 0:45:29.400 --> 0:45:29.719 Thank you. 0:45:30.840 --> 0:45:33.640 I guess today was Billy Dibb. If you'd like to 0:45:33.680 --> 0:45:37.000 find out more about his books, head over to Billydibb 0:45:37.239 --> 0:45:40.719 dot com. Thanks for listening to this episode. If you 0:45:40.920 --> 0:45:44.280 enjoyed it, please leave me a review. I'm at Middleton. 0:45:44.800 --> 0:45:46.800 See you in the next episode.