24.04.04 – By Carlos Kalinchuk: Tonight as part of the “Let The Next Era Begin” mega showdown between Corrie Sanders and Vitaly Klitchko, Super Middleweight Ahmed “Baby Face” Kaddour will be lacing them up in an 8 rounder on the under card. Although this should be an easy victory for Kaddour, the pressure to impress those at ringside will be great. Even though Kaddour has not fought top-flight competition as a pro, he has looked impressive and has racked up an undefeated record of 17-0.
Given his resume as an Amateur though, a lot of pressure is being put on him to become the next great future Champion. His Amateur record was an impressive one as he won 43 Gold Medals and put together a record of 70 wins with only 3 defeats. When he speaks he can come across as confident, but to some people he can also come off as cocky and arrogant. Like his idol Oscar DelaHoya he happens to consider himself an attractive guy with similar skills. Tonight we won’t really get to see those skills tested but Hollywood and LA and the people at HBO will get a chance to see him up close.
According to Kaddour, when he spoke to Emmanuel Steward in November in San Antonio, Steward told him that he has the whole package. The looks and the record but he wanted to see if he had the stuff in the ring. Hopefully soon enough, we’ll find out. But tonight won’t be the night unless Kaddour is not the real deal. When I spoke with him last week, he had still had no idea who his opponent was going to be but he didn’t seem the least bit concerned and really, he shouldn’t be. This is an opponent by design and by all outward appearances. I caught up with Kaddour and he had this to say about the fight, his future, and some fighters he’d like to fight.
Eastside Boxing: Will this be your first time fighting in Los Angeles?
Kaddour: Yeah, it’s my first time in Los Angeles.
Eastside Boxing: Are you pretty excited?
Kaddour: Yeah, I’m excited and there will be a lot of people there.
Eastside Boxing: Do you know who your opponent will be?
Kaddour: No and I think it’s going to be an 8 rounder but it could be a 6 and it depends. Sometimes things change but I don’t know who I’m fighting but I’m ready and whoever I’m fighting will have to be ready for what I bring. I’ve been training for 3 months so I’m ready.
Eastside Boxing: This particular fight is important for you for many reasons then because this is really a chance for you to impress and make some noise for all the people who don’t know you right and have not seen you fight in the states?
Kaddour: Yes. Well, HBO will be there. Oscar DelaHoya will be there a lot of famous people and boxers will be there and celebrities from Beverly Hills and Hollywood so it’s important for me to look good.
Eastside Boxing: How are you dealing with the pressure? Even though you’re probably fighting an opponent, I’m sure there’s pressure.
Kaddour: There’s a lot of pressure! But, I get used to it. When I fought as an amateur there was lots of pressure. If I win, it was like, well that’s what you were supposed to do but if I lost it’s different. I think I would get more publicity by losing than by when I win. When we would come back with the Amateur team they would ask everybody except me because for them, it was normal and they expected me to win. There’s pressure on me always though.
Eastside Boxing: Do you feel you thrive under the pressure and what’s your release? How do you relax and get yourself over that?
Kaddour: I take it easy and take it one step at a time and I’ve got my wife right there. Brandy, she’s there and she helps me relax. She here with me when I come home from the Gym and I make a nice dinner and I keep my weight down and then we go to a lot of movies and relax and get away from this and all the pressure. People are always telling me this and that so that is what I do to relax.
Eastside Boxing: So when did you get married?
Kaddour: Well we’re not but we’re thinking about it and we’re talking about it. We love each other and we’ve been together now for almost 7 months and since I got here to the states and we met, we’ve been together 24-7. She works on TV for a program called Texas life and…
Eastside Boxing: So she’s on TV?
Kaddour: Yes. She goes around and visits all the hot party spots and clubs in Houston and she visits restaurants and she talks to people and interviews them and it’s a show that comes on every Wednesday night here in Houston on Channel 16.
Eastside Boxing: Since you mentioned your relationship, I have to ask you now that you’ve been in the states some time, do you feel more acclimated to the people and the environment?
Kaddour: Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. At first everybody was around me and the girls too but now I’ve got the right people around me and I don’t have friends and I don’t care. I have my girlfriend and her family is like my family and those are the only people I trust and they are close to me because I see them all the time and I know who they are and they know who I am. We’re very close.
Eastside Boxing: You were working out at Prince’s gym and now you’re working out at Savannah’s did something happen?
Kaddour: No. It’s just that I was having to drive to the other end of Houston during rush hour to make it to training and then the drive back was awful so my team decided to get me a place on this side of town and now I train at Savannah’s gym with Juan Diaz. I was difficult because I train 3 time per day and it just didn’t make any sense to go back and forth all day long.
Eastside Boxing: But you don’t train with Ronnie Shields though right?
Kaddour: No. But he’s there and he tells me stuff to but he is not my main trainer. For the fight in Los Angeles, I won’t have my trainer so I will be with Buddy McGirt for the few days leading up to the fight and he will also be in my corner.
Eastside Boxing: Do you feel that when you are around high profile trainers that it’s been beneficial for you?
Kaddour: Yes and not just in training but knowing they train World Champions helps too. It gives you more confidence.
Eastside Boxing: Changing subject a bit, have you ever been hurt in the ring?
Kaddour: Never. I have never had a punch hurt me. I feel it but hurt, never. I have a good defense and although sometimes it looks like I might have taken a good shot, I roll with the punch and it loses it’s power.
Eastside Boxing: You haven’t said it but this is a warm up fight (a tune up) for you in LA right?
Kaddour: Yes.
Eastside Boxing: Will it be televised?
Kaddour: Yes but it will probably not be shown on HBO in the US. My promoter used to buy my fights and then he would show them in Europe so everybody could see me fight.
Eastside Boxing: When are we going to see you step up to 10 rounds?
Kaddour: Two more fights. In two more fights I will be fighting a top 10 fighter in the world.
Eastside Boxing: Do you feel that it’s a result of learning curve that you need to go through?
Kaddour: I’ve trained with World Champions. I sparred with Winky Wright when he was over here and I looked pretty good with him but he didn’t tell me but he told my Manager Tony and James that I’m very strong and I punch really hard but I knew that already. I’ve sparred with some high-class people some good people and people who have titles and I make them look like I’m the one with the Championship belt. I spar with all sorts of people here that have titles and even bullshit titles and I beat the shit out of them. This other guy Stephen Martinez, he has 45 with 3 or 4 loses and when I sparred with him I played with him! He couldn’t touch me and I could have knocked him out if we had gone 2 or 4 rounds. He didn’t have shit and I wasn’t even using all my power.
Eastside Boxing: Yeah because you’re supposed to be training right?
Kaddour: Yeah.
Eastside Boxing: Your living in Houston now right?
Kaddour: Yes. I am so happy right now. I got my VISA and I got my apartment and I got my house and my car so it’s just a matter of time. Maybe a year to a year and a half and I’ll be fighting one of the top 10 fighters in the world.
Eastside Boxing: I wanted to mention some names of potential future opponents and I wanted you to give me your feedback.
Kaddour: Well that will be hard because Oscar will probably be gone and a lot can change in a year and a half. A lot of fighters can be coming up and I have to take it a step at a time so I can’t say but I would love to fight him in a year but I don’t think he’ll be around and then there’s Trinidad. Is he coming back or is he not coming back and there’s Mosley and Winky Wright so I don’t know.
Carlos “Stiff-jab” Kalinchuk
Contributing Writer & Photographer