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As a recent guest of the “TKO Boxing Show,” I was very interested to see how Ahmed “Babyface” Kaddour would fair in his fight last night. I did not get to see the Showtime, “Showbox” telecast live, but did catch it very late, once I finally got home (Thank God for DVR). “Babyface” looks more like a movie star playing a fighter than an actual fighter. Ahmed definitely had all the flash, as he swayed round and round with his eyes closed as if dancing to some song in his head. His opponent, Maxell “General” Taylor, was a decent, tricky southpaw who is now 12-2-0, with 5 KOs. Maxell has an extensive amateur background which included over 200 bouts. The key thing to have remembered was that Kaddour was coming off back-to-back losses from his participation in the “Contender” reality series.
Once that first bell rang, “Babyface” came out quick, and started to swing with evil intent. He caught Taylor early with a wild swinging left hook. As pretty as Ahmed considers himself to be, he did not look pretty at all. Kaddour seemed very tight early on and amateurish as he was completely squared up and would just wing shots. When Ahmed actually put some combinations together, instead of staying on his opponent, “Babyface” would inexplicably dance away with his hands down. Had he been in there with a better, more experienced fighter, Kaddour would have been in some serious trouble. Other than a left hook to the body followed by a left uppercut to the head combination, “Babyface” showed no creativity and seemed very limited. His body attack was really the best part of his performance last night as Kaddour ripped hard shots to Maxell’s midsection, slowing the tricky southpaw down and dragging him into a fight.
Ahmed’s defense left a lot to be desired as, though wearing his earmuffs, would easily get caught by the “General” with wide, looping punches. Some of you may think that “Babyface” showed a solid chin, but remember that Maxell only had five knockouts in the first thirteen fights of his career, which is when the opposition tends to be at its weakest. The good news is that most of Kaddour’s defensive shortcomings are correctable. He needs to not stand so square, dig his elbows into his sides, and employ head movement to keep his opponents guessing.
So fight fans, if it sounds like I am being hard on Ahmed “Babyface” Kaddour it is because I am. He is a very talented, exciting, young, good looking fighter that can really make some noise and capture the attention of the “mainstream.” If he is to be the next Oscar de la Hoya, then he better be more than flash, attitude, and a face. “Babyface” is definitely a prospect worth keeping an eye on and one that seems to have a future in the middleweight division
Contact Sergio Martinez at srg_mrtnz@yahoo.com
