Boxer Billy Dib vows to beat cancer after his first wife Sara passed away from leukaemia in 2015
World champion boxer Billy Dib vows to beat cancer after first wife Sara died of leukemia in 2015
Former world boxing champion Billy Dib has faced many tough opponents in the ring and on Wednesday vowed to beat being diagnosed with his Burkitt lymphoma.
The 37-year-old Sydneysider said his reputation for overcoming adversity earned him the nickname ‘the comeback kid’ and promised this time will be no different.
‘I will return. It’s a 90 percent survival rate. I’m going to fight as hard as I can,” he said The Daily Telegraph.
Former world boxing champion Billy Dib (pictured) has faced many tough opponents in the ring and on Wednesday vowed to beat his Burkitt lymphoma diagnosis
He added that his three-year-old son Laith provided the extra motivation to ensure he stayed in good health.
Billy recently told his 51,800 Instagram followers about his diagnosis and many were quick to post messages of support.
One fan wrote, “champ, you got this,” while another wished him a speedy recovery.
The 37-year-old Sydneysider said his reputation for overcoming adversity earned him the nickname ‘the comeback kid’ and promised this time will be no different. Pictured: Billy with his wife Berry and son Laith
The boxer revealed he had cancer last month, six years after he lost his first partner Sara to leukemia.
He described the situation as “terrifying” after severe abdominal pain led to the discovery of a tumor last month.
Dib, who held the International Boxing Organization’s Super Featherweight title in 2008 and the IBF Featherweight title in 2011, has since had surgery.
‘I will return. It’s a 90 percent survival rate. I’m going to fight as hard as I can,” he said
“Despite sharing the ring with some dangerous opponents in my career, this is one of the most terrifying situations I’ve been 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 marriage forward until 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 that his three-year-old son Laith provided the extra motivation to ensure he stayed in good health
Dib tragically lost his first wife Sara in 2015 (pictured) due to complications from her leukemia treatment
