Billy Dib has been reliving the most important day of his life so far.
The former IBF featherweight world champion was told his cancer was in remission less than two weeks before and he told the Boxing Life Stories podcast of the moment he got the news.
Billy and his wife embraced amid tears of joy, they told their son and wrote ‘My dad is in remission’ for social media for an image that went viral.
It marked the end of months of hurt and pain for the family. Dib told Tris Dixon on the podcast about the loss of his hair, his gruelling bouts of chemotherapy and how he still thinks he might yet fight again.
But through it all, the 37-year-old never questioned why cancer had become part of his story.
Dib is still feeling groggy. His body clock has not reset and he has trouble sleeping at night. It will take time, but fortunately that is something he now has more of.
“After being through what I’ve been through, it takes a bit of time to start to feel human again,” Dib admitted. “It’s good to start feeling like I’m on the mend and am I’m getting better day by day. Right now, I’m just so grateful to be alive and so grateful to be there for my wife and son because it means the world to me that God has given me another opportunity at life and I’m just trying to grab that with both hands and cling on to the rope of life. I’m just grateful to be here.”
Through his illness, Dib also managed to unite the sport, with well wishes from boxing people around the globe. That in itself is no mean feat, with the likes of Badou Jack and Devin Haney reaching out to wish him well.
“The love and support has been unbelievable, from some of the greatest champions, past and present,” said Dib.
