May 1, 2015
TOKYO, JAPAN
Hard-punching southpaw Japanese, WBC super-feather champ Takashi Miura (29-2-2, 22 KOs), 130, impressively kept his belt when he dropped ex-IBF feather titlist, WBC#6 Billy Dib (39-4-1NC), 130, from Australia, and halted him at 1:29 of the third round on Friday in Tokyo, Japan. Miura registered his fourth successful defense since he dethroned Mexican Gamaliel Diaz via ninth round TKO in April 2013. The slick-punching Dib, from the outset, utilized his shifty footwork to avert mixing it up with the Rocky Marciano stylist, and his strategy looked fine in the first two sessions as Miura failed to catch the elusive target.
Miura, however, positively kept stalking the Aussie footworker and finally pinned him to the ropes midway in round four, when he connected with a pulverizing southpaw left that bounced the face off and followed up with another vicious left to the face. Dib sank under the lowest ropes in the neutral corner and his face was almost out of the squared circle?on the apron. The Australian ex-champ barely raised himself up but couldnft maintain his equilibrium, and the Panamanian referee Hector Afu (Panama) wisely declared a well-received halt then and there.
Miura, nicknamed gBomberh here, showed his technical improvement while still kept his vaunted power punching, which proved too much for the Australian Billy the Kid.
Promoter: Teiken Promotions.
WBC supervisor: Bob Logist (Belgium).
(5-1-2015)