World boxing champion Billy Dib vows to beat cancer after his first wife Sara died of leukemia in 2015
Former world boxing champion Billy Dib has faced many tough opponents in the ring and vowed on Wednesday to overcome his Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis.
The 37-year-old Sydneysider said his reputation for overcoming adversity earned him the nickname “Comeback Kid” and promised it would be no different this time.
“I’ll be back. It’s a 90 percent survival rate. I will fight as hard as I can,” he told the Daily Telegraph.
Former world boxing champion Billy Dib (pictured) has faced many tough opponents in the ring and vowed on Wednesday to overcome his Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis
He added his three-year-old son Laith is the extra motivation to ensure he stays in good health.
Billy recently shared his diagnosis with his 51,800 Instagram followers, and many were quick to post messages of support.
One fan wrote: “Champ you get that,” while another wished him a speedy recovery.
The 37-year-old Sydneysider said his reputation for overcoming adversity earned him the nickname “Comeback Kid” and promised it would be no different this time. Pictured: Billy with his wife Berry and son Laith
The pugilist announced last month that he had cancer, six years after losing his first partner Sara to leukemia.
He described the situation as “scary” after severe abdominal pain led to the discovery of a tumor last month.
Dib, who held the International Boxing Organization super featherweight title in 2008 and the IBF featherweight belt in 2011, has since had surgery.
“I’ll be back. It’s a 90 percent survival rate. I’ll fight as hard as I can,” he said
“Even though I’ve shared the ring with some dangerous opponents in my career, this is one of the scariest situations I’ve ever found myself in,” Dib wrote in a Facebook post.
Dib lost his wife Sara in 2015 due to complications from her leukemia treatment.
The couple brought their wedding forward to two weeks after her diagnosis, and she died just six weeks later.
Dib then married his second wife Berry in 2018 and they welcomed their son the following year.
He added his three-year-old son Laith is the extra motivation to ensure he stays in good health
Dib tragically lost his first wife Sara (pictured) in 2015 to complications from her leukemia treatment