April 22, 2005
SPLIT DECISION week 9 of The Contender
In a lavish suite at Caesar’s Palace, the contenders faced their first trial of round two: fill the hole left by Juan de la Rosa’s departure with a previously eliminated boxer. Each of the remaining fighters wrote down their vote, and placed their ballot in Tommy’s cap. “We got to see a trunk full of a million dollars yesterday, and with this vote, we’re bringing someone back who could very well be fighting for that,” Joey Gilbert said.
Sugar Ray Leonard counted the votes, and the winner, beating Jimmy Lange by one vote, was Ahmed Kaddour. Nicknamed Baby Face, Ahmed was known for stirring up drama with the short-tempered Ishe Smith. However, when the two met in the ring, Ishe defeated Ahmed and sent him packing. “There’s definitely something going on. No one wanted Ahmed back,” Sergio Mora said. Nevertheless, Ahmed would return to competition as the final member of the elite eight.
The vacation was finally over, and the crew flew back to Los Angeles. When they returned to the Contender Gymnasium, they were greeted by a series of new banners, each one celebrating a different round two finalist. “Just like a new spark to realize, ‘Wow, we’re in the next round,” Peter Manfredo Jr. said.
The Loft itself was decorated with a series of candid photographs from round one of the competition. “You can totally tell the history that we’ve been forming here,” Alfonso Gomez said. Each of the fighters were immortalized on a Wall of Fame, emphasizing the new level of competition they would have to endure to make it to Las Vegas.
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