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THE fighting spirit runs thick through the blood of Ibrahim Balla.
His father Yuri was a Victorian state boxing champion, his uncle Mitat was an Australian champion, while his brother Qamil is also an Australian champion.
And now the 25-year-old from Melbourne's western suburbs is a two-time Australian champion with a perfect 9-0 win-loss record, including six knock outs.
He aims to extend that record when he takes on tough Filipino Neil John Tabanao on June 11 at Bendigo Stadium as part of Hosking Promotions' 'Battle on the Goldfields II'.
Balla, the reigning Australian featherweight champion, made a flying visit to Bendigo last week.
He hopes the clash against Tabanao can edge him a step closer to his goal of one day becoming a world champion.
"We are taking it step-by-step, fight-by-fight, but the ultimate goal is to become a world champion," Balla said.
"I think Bendigo people will be in for an exciting night on June 11 - there will be a lot of great fighters on the crad as me headlining the night.
"It's going to be entertaining and something Bendigo has never seen."
The Balla-Tabanao fight is for the vacant WBO Asia Pacific featherweight title.
The Filipino shapes as a formidable opponent for the former 2012 Olympian and 2010 Commonwealth Games representative.
Tabanao, 22, boasts a 12-1 record, with eight knockouts.
He is coming off a fourth round stoppage over battle-scarred veteran Marvin Tampus.
Balla is no stranger to Filipino opponents having beaten three - Jasper Buhat, former Australian bantamweight champion Roberto Lerio and experienced campaigner Alvin Bais.
He is confident of adding a win in Bendigo.
"I'm always confident - I always go into a fight confident," Balla said.
"I think I'm going to keep my winning streak going.
"I've seen a couple of tapes of him (Tabanao), but I don't like looking at footage too much because fighters always come out different.
"You have to be ready for everything and willing to adjust your strategy at any time."
Promoter Hosking, a bronze medallist at the 1998 Commonwealth Games, is in no doubt Balla has the credentials to make good on his aim of becoming a world champion.
"To have someone of his stature in Bendigo is a big deal," he said.
"He has the full resume with Australian titles, the Commonwealth Games and Olympics and is arguably the best boxer to come to Bendigo.
"This fight should be in Melbourne - an international title - but we have brought it to Bendigo, so we hope people support it.
"I have no doubt he'll be fighting for world titles at some stage."
Tickets for 'Battle on the Goldfields II' are available from Bendigo Stadium.