By Michele Emrick
Any speculation that Billy Dib had been goaded into his remarks belittling Pelenchin Caballero in the past week were emphatically put to rest Monday evening when Dib had some more harsh words for the Panamanian on the ATG radio program.
When asked about who he would like to fight, he said he would be eager to meet any of the legitimate champions in the featherweight division. As he continued, he specifically addressed Caballero saying:
“I don’t feel Caballero is deserving of a shot. He doesn’t hold a legitimate title.”
While these words certainly affirm that Dib’s comments in the last week calling Caballero a nobody and questioning his sexuality were not something he may have regretted saying later, they also may signal that as had been reported, Dib is not willing to meet Caballero in the ring. It’s easy to dismiss someone as not worthy of meeting you when in fact you are reluctant to meet them out of fear of losing. Rather than being clear that you are worried about the outcome of a fight, just dismiss them and hope they go away. After all, it worked for Juanma in the past.
I am not saying that this was the motivation behind Dib’s comments. Clearly I have no insight into what he is thinking. However, it does seem, at best, weak to trash someone the way he has Pelenchin, and then say he isn’t worthy of meeting you. No matter what Dib may think of Caballero’s credentials or marketability, there is no denying that at this point, Caballero’s name carries a little more weight than Dib’s.
A fight between the two would certainly make sense. And considering how Dib was said by more than one person to have gotten a thorough beating from Caballero in sparring, a claim which he denies, you would think it would be a fight he would like to take. Of course the claims that he refused to ever fight Caballero again may be true, and this would certainly explain why Dib is trying to brush off Caballero now. Playing the ‘He is beneath me’ card is a lot better than admitting you can’t beat someone.
Only time will tell if this is a feud just getting started, or if it blows by as Dib clearly thinks it should. We will keep you updated with the thoughts of those in the Caballero camp in the upcoming days.
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