Established veteran met young lion in a light-heavyweight showdown in the middle of the Superfight Series card as Freddy Kemayo (65-23-1, 45 KO's) of France welcomed the 19-year-old Imad Hadar to the organization.
Hadar (19-1, 7 KO's) brought an undefeated record to the ring to face the 90-fight warhorse and in the first round it looked that he would be keeping it as he outstruck Kemayo by a significant margin.
Kemayo seemed oddly placid in the first frame of the fight, sitting back and letting Hadar unload combinations over and over with little coming by way of reply. Hadar's confidence visibly surged as it seemed Kemayo would plod his way through the fight and take a loss.
It was a trap.
Kemayo woke up in the second round and shortly after the midpoint he scored a significant blow, sliding around a Hadar combination to land a short left hook which dropped the young Dutch-Moroccan for an eight count.
Hadar got up and got back into the fight but his gas tank had looked a little depleted in the preceding minute and now Kemayo's lack of output in the first round looked like genius: Hadar had been allowed to burn himself out enthusiastically and would now pay the price.
Kemayo used an uppercut/hook combo to herd him into a corner, where he landed a crunching right cross to the body. Hadar folded forwards and Kemayo followed up with further body blows which made Hadar sink to his knees on the canvas.
A second referee's count followed by Hadar did not make it; he regained his feet on the nine-second mark but did not appear able to get back into the fight and so the referee waved it off, handing Kemayo the win.
This was Kemayo's first fight for GLORY at light-heavyweight and it looks to be the best weight for him. Most of his career before now has been at heavyweight, where he usually found himself undersized and at a power disadvantage. He is 34 years old right now but the drop to light-heavyweight looks set to breathe new life into him and he has already said he wants to take a run at the title this year.
Freddy Kemayo def. Imad Hadar, KO, R2 2:21
