Luke Bibby has savoured his first taste of a big fight week in America.
And the experience of rubbing shoulders with current and former greats of the ring has whetted the Perth boxer’s appetite to go all the way to the top of the sport himself.
Bibby’s stablemate, Martin Bakole, fought and won on the undercard of the Los Angeles bill headlined by superstar, Terence Crawford, recently.
Travelling to the States for some sparring of his own in local gyms and attending the BMO Stadium event gave the 24-year-old the opportunity to meet some of his heroes.
Bibby, who only turned professional less than a year ago, has his fifth contest lined up for later this month.
Making it five out of five against his Brazilian opponent is the immediate goal.
But seeing his name up in lights remains the long-term one.
Ring legends
“I had a great week in LA,” Bibby told Courier Sport. “Martin was fighting on a massive show.
“Terence Crawford was headlining and Eminem was performing.
“We stayed in the fighters’ hotel and it was an amazing experience.
“I met so many boxing legends. It was like a hall of fame.
“Roberto Duran, Marco Antonio Barrera and Andre Ward were ringside and Andy Ruiz and Jarrell Miller were fighting.
“Duran was such an impressive guy. What a man he is.
“He was speaking to Billy (Bibby’s trainer, Billy Nelson) about Ken Buchanan passing away.
“And I met Terence Crawford on the morning after the fight.
“Being around these people makes you want to get to that level and be part of a night like that.
“It’s like sparring with Josh Taylor a few months ago – all this experience helps to make you feel comfortable at the top of the sport.
“It was one of the best weeks of my life.
“We were at two big gyms in Los Angeles for sparring.
“Hopefully a few of these guys will be saying: ‘That’s the Scottish boy I met’ in a few years’ time.
“I was telling them all: ‘Remember my name, I’m going to be the future of the lightweight division’.”
Second season
Bibby’s next fight is at the Normandy Hotel, Renfrew on Friday, August 23.
“This is like my second season,” he said.
“It’s all about moving up the ladder, step by step and hopefully I’ll have a title shot by the end of the year. That’s the target.
“We might skip past the Scottish and go straight for the Celtic title.
“In my mind, I’ve been ready for it since I made my debut.
“First year was about being active. Now I’m looking to keep that going.
“I’m already seeing that people don’t want to fight me. It’s hard to get me matched.
“That’s why I’m going to skip over the Scottish title. Nobody wants to fight me for it.
“If I win the Celtic I’ll automatically get a top 10 ranking in Britain. From there I’ll be fighting British title eliminators.
“I don’t want to hang about. Maybe I could even be fighting for the British by the end of next year.”
No regrets
Only one British boxer, Lewis Richardson, came home with a medal from the Paris Olympics.
Bibby certainly has no regrets about turning down the chance of further success in the amateur ranks and making the jump to the pro game.
“I’m so glad I didn’t stay amateur for longer,” he said.
“I missed a lot of the boxing at the Olympics while I was out in America so I didn’t see the fights where the British boxers lost.
“But I definitely did the right thing putting the foot down as a pro and now I want to go 5-0. I’m so happy I made the move.”
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