Montreal boxer Clavel scores unanimous determination towards Reyes

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If there ever was any doubt in regards to the coronary heart and braveness of Kim Clavel, she erased it Friday evening.

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Clavel, who misplaced her WBC light-flyweight title final January in a unification bout towards Yesica Nery Plata, returned to her profitable methods at Place Bell, scoring a unanimous 10-round determination towards Naomi Arellano Reyes in the principle occasion earlier than 2,229 spectators.

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With the victory, Montreal’s Clavel captured each the WBC and WBO Worldwide crowns and turns into the obligatory challenger for a rematch towards Plata or a championship struggle towards the WBO’s Evelyn Bermúdez.

Whereas Clavel, now 17-1, would undoubtedly favor the rematch, promoter Yvon Michel mentioned Bermúdez is the extra doubtless opponent for now. He hopes to stage that contest in October.

Judges Richard Blouin and Jean Gauthier each had Clavel comfortably forward, 98-92, whereas Benoit Roussel scored the struggle 96-94. The Montreal Gazette additionally dominated in Clavel’s favour, 97-94.

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“The rounds had been shut, however don’t say the rating was shut,” mentioned Clavel, sporting a small white bandage over her left eyebrow after her eyelid was reduce from a head-butt within the eighth spherical. Clavel’s nook did an excellent job between rounds, the laceration proving a non-factor.

“I received six rounds and I believe I did nicely,” added Clavel, 32. “It was laborious. Boxing is a tough sport. It wants a number of braveness and coronary heart. She was hitting more durable than I assumed. We knew (she was a tough puncher), however you by no means know till you’re within the ring with the individual. After the second spherical I obtained hit with a proper hand (and I knew) she hit laborious. I’ve to watch out.”

Whereas the 28-year-old Reyes misplaced her second consecutive bout, dropping to 9-3, she’s a robust puncher, having stopped 5 of her opponents.

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Nonetheless, Clavel managed the tempo in most rounds. She jabbed nicely, combined in some efficient proper hooks and counter-punched exquisitely. If there’s any weak spot to Clavel’s type, she catches too many punches. And whereas she dominated the primary 5 or 6 rounds, at the least, Reyes mounted an assault within the later rounds, shifting in and out.

Reyes’s desperation grew within the later rounds, maybe sensing she required a knockout. She appeared to start out and end rounds with panache, hoping to sway the judges. Each pugilists went for broke within the last spherical, combating at a feverish tempo and bringing the group to its ft on the last bell.

“I’m very pleased with her,” mentioned Danielle Bouchard, Clavel’s coach. “We knew it was going to be a troublesome struggle. If you come again from a defeat it’s an enormous problem — mentally and bodily. We knew (Reyes) may struggle and punch. With all of the circumstances, Kim did a tremendous job. I’m very pleased with her. We needed to make that assertion and now we’re prepared for different issues.”

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In preliminary bouts, Sébastien Bouchard, a junior-middleweight from Charlevoix, stopped Fernando Marquez, who didn’t reply the bell for the seventh spherical after being knocked down within the sixth from a straight proper, following which he was merely attempting to outlive.

Bouchard, a development employee by day, was fashionable in his pink gloves and matching footwear. And he was at his finest after receiving a low blow within the fourth spherical, which appeared to awaken him. He improved to 20-2-1 with 9 knockouts. Marquez misplaced for the second time in 13 bouts.

Montreal featherweight Caroline Veyre, who received a gold medal on the 2015 Pan American Video games, captured a unanimous eight-round determination over France’s Emma Gongora to enhance to 4-0. Gongora is now 6-3.

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Montreal middleweight Patrice Volny, combating for the primary time since November 2021, stopped Abraham Juarez Ramirez at 2:18 of the third spherical. Volny improved to 17-1 (11KOs). Ramirez now could be 21-11-1.

Within the opening bout, Mexico’s Linda Contreras Ibarra scored a unanimous eight-round determination towards Edmonton’s Alexas Kubicki regardless of dropping a degree for a low blow. Kubicki misplaced for the primary time in seven bouts whereas Ibarra improved to 3-3-2.

A scheduled middleweight bout between Montreal’s Thomas Blumenfeld and Pablo Polanco Fernandez was postponed when the Mexican was unable to obtain the correct paperwork that will have allowed him to field outdoors his nation.

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