The two boxers have weighed in: there will officially be a fight between Kim Clavel and Naomi Arellano Reyes on Friday at Place Bell. This will allow Clavel to validate certain things.
“I have something to prove, but not to my fans, not to my coaches, not to the promoter: to myself,” noted Clavel (16-1, 3 KOs), who swayed the scale at 107.6 pounds, compared to 107.8 for Reyes (9-2, 5 KOs).
“The work I did, the questions I asked myself, were the things to do, continued the Quebecer, who will be back in the ring for the first time after a professional loss. I want to show people that I’m still here, that I still have my place among the elite and that I deserve another world championship. »
Because although there are two belts at stake for this duel – International of the World Boxing Council (WBC) and Intercontinental of the World Boxing Organization (WBO), both vacant – it is much more the position of mandatory challenger for these two sanctioning bodies which is enticing.
Indeed, the winner will become the mandatory contender for the champions: Yesica Nery Plata, who defeated Clavel in January to get her hands on the WBC title, and Evelyn Bermudez. A clash against one of these two boxers could well be in the cards for the summer or the fall.
While she made some changes to her routine at the gym, Clavel also tweaked other aspects, such as working with the media on the sidelines of this gala.
If she did not refuse interviews, these were more restricted in time.
“We did several more interviews, but we concentrated it on the same day, so I’m more rested now than in January. You learn on all facets, ”said Clavel, ranked first in the WBO, as well as second in the WBC and the International Boxing Federation (IBF).
Blumenfeld dismissed
Thomas Blumenfeld will have to wait. The welterweight boxer was scheduled to play his third career undercard fight in the clash between Clavel and Reyes, but his opponent just didn’t show up.
It was a problem with his athletic commission that would have prevented Pablo Polanco Fernandez, a boxer from Yucatan, Mexico, from flying to Montreal. Fernandez could not have obtained the required documents.
All boxers having to fight abroad – this is the case for Quebecers having to go abroad for a fight – must have in their possession a letter from their athletic commission indicating that they have the blessing of the latter to participate. to this fight. It appears that Fernandez could not get his hands on the precious missive.
“According to what his manager told me, the president of the athletic commission of Fernandez would have died in the last days and the offices of the organization would be closed, explained Yvon Michel, president of the Yvon Michel Group, organizer of the evening. . It was therefore impossible for Fernandez to obtain this letter. So he didn’t take his flight. »
The story however doesn’t say why Fernandez didn’t get it sooner.
“On our side, his ticket had already been paid for. We were expecting it,” added Michel.
GYM was briefed too late to replace Fernandez on the card. Blumenfeld must therefore live the worst situation that is for a boxer: to have typed the training camp without a fight. And without touching his purse.
“A boxer does not receive his purse until he has submitted to the weighing test. But we will offer him compensation, ”assured Michel.
These are five fights that will take place at Place Bell. Caroline Veyre (3-0), Sébastien Bouchard (19-2-1, 8 KOs), Patrice Volny (16-1, 10 KOs) and Alexas Kubicki (6-0), as well as their opponents, all respected the weigh-in just over 24 hours from the first sound of the clock.
Hungry Volny
Volny, who belongs to the stable of Torontonian Lee Baxter, was particularly happy on the eve of his first fight in 18 months.
A reciprocal agreement between Baxter and GYM means that we should see him more often in Quebec in the coming months, guaranteeing him at the same time more opportunities to fight.
“We are always happy to fight at home. I still live in Quebec and I have no problem fighting in both places, said the one who will try to win a first fight since his K.-O. against Janks Trotter, in March 2021. To fight more often here would be great. »
Volny hasn’t wasted his time during his downtime: in addition to being a “regular” in the gym, he also attended Caleb Plant’s camp for his last fight against David Benavidez.
“It allowed me to see stuff that I probably wouldn’t have seen if I hadn’t been there,” he said.
The fights will start at 7 p.m. The gala is available on pay-per-view or on the streaming site GymBoxe.tv.
