Will Tomlinson and Billy Dib rivalry on display at Mundine-Hatley
THE long running feud between Will Tomlinson and Billy Dib added another chapter on Wednesnday night.
They were both at the Melbourne Convention Centre with no intentions of crossing paths – but when they did – things got heated and they were contained from exchanging blows on two separate occasions.
Aus-Boxing was the only media outlet present and saw both incidents take place first-hand. By no means was it staged, the animosity is real and it wasn’t for the cameras as none were present.
Had Edmond Tarverdyan – famed trainer of UFC superstar Ronda Rousey – not intervened, both fighters would have gotten their hands on each other as the presence of security was non existent.
https://twitter.com/ausboxing/status/664391807036342272/video/1
“He came over to offer his condolences about my wife who passed away,” said Dib to Ben Damon.
“It’s definitely been a build up over many, many years and everyone knows Will Tomlinson is not very fond of me, I’m not really fond of him either,”
Dib, 30, has not fought since being knocked out in three rounds by Takashi Miura in April in a brave attempt to capture the WBC super featherweight title from the Ota-City General Gymnasium in Tokyo.
While Dib has understandably strayed from any serious talks of a return fight, it goes without saying that a domestic clash with the long feuding Tomlinson, 29, would sell out any venue in Australia.
@BillyDib & @WillTomlinsonAU came to blows in crowd at #MundineHatley – no damage but lots of feeling when they meet in the ring! @ausboxing
— Ben Damon (@ben_damon) November 11, 2015
The pair were brought together for a photo opportunity given their strong ties to promoter Brian Amatruda, who promoted last night’s WBC Silver light middleweight title fight between Anthony Mundine and Charles Hatley.
Tomlinson (24-2-1, 13 KOs) extended an olive branch to Dib (39-4, 23 KOs) and offered his sincere condolences for the passing of Dib’s wife, Sara.
However, given the tension that the pair share, it was only a matter of time before talk of a fight was brought up. It was at that point they exchanged words and began trading barbs.
The discussion got heated and the pair were eventually separated. On at least one occasion, Dib attempted to throw a punch at Tomlinson, who appeared to retaliate while being restrained by the large pack that followed.
At no point were any derogatory or distasteful comments made and at all times the trash talking revolved around the possibility of a future fight.
“It’s no secret that me and Billy don’t really like each other,” explained Tomlinson shortly after the incident.
“I walked up to him and I gave him my condolences about the unfortunate situation that happened to his wife. And then things got heated and one thing led to another and we were pushing and shoving,”
“It’s a fight that needs to be made and I’m more than happy to be apart of it,”
“I got asked to pose for a picture – obviously we’ve gotten close to one another – and it’s going to get heated.”
Photo: Adam Auld/Aus-Boxing
