A Ferrari was parked in front of Place Bell on Tuesday noon. Red, as it should be. Unless I’m mistaken, the car was not the property of Kim Clavel, but it perfectly embodied the theme revived by the boxer for her comeback fight on April 28 in Laval.
Following her unanimous decision loss to Yesica Nery Plata on January 13, Clavel dropped the azure blue to reconnect with the “Ferrari red” that led her to a first world title in July 2022 at the Casino de Montreal.
The change is not just aesthetic. The 32-year-old pugilist claims to have made the necessary adjustments for her 10-round clash against Mexican Naomi Arellano Reyes (9-2, 5 KOs) which will put the flyweight belts (108 lbs) into play. ) international of the WBC and intercontinental of the IBF and the WBO.
“This fight, I really take it to build myself for a possible rematch against Nery Plata, Clavel announced at a press conference. The little things I didn’t do against Nery Plata that cost me the win: being alert defensively, hanging on when it was time, taking space in the ring, going for a walk. These things I want to put into action on the 28th.”
When the fight was announced last month, Kim Clavel pointed out that she “sometimes has to be a little bum” between the cables to get her way.
“She feels like it’s cheating, but it’s not cheating,” promoter Yvon Michel had corrected. These are just subtleties. […] I have known boxers like that who wanted to be so pure in the ring. You can’t just be pure. You need to be more efficient. »
The president of the GYM Group had cited Bernard Hopkins and Andre Ward as examples, “probably the greatest specialists in annoying opponents”. “She just needs to understand that a little.” »
A few weeks later, Clavel (16-1, 3 KOs) says he is ready to put this new attitude to work against Arellano Reyes, who is also coming back from a defeat. But not to the point of curbing his attacking style.
Without disguising her nature, the native of Joliette wants to “be more alert, more focused”. “My style remains the same. It is captivating, there is a lot of energy. In two minutes, it goes quickly. Of course it won’t be boring, but I’m going to go for the win with unparalleled concentration. »
According to coach Danielle Bouchard, her protege worked specifically on this aspect during her preparatory training.
“We made some nice adjustments in relation to the cognitive [aspect], that is to say a nice concentration. Kim has found a beautiful joy of living. The defeat was not easy, but all that is in the past. […] It will be an exciting fight as usual. We will have a Kim who will bounce back and who will surprise you at times, I am sure. »
The Clavel clan introduced “double tasks” to training, such as sprinting while fatigued and then responding to a particular cue, such as touching a light of such a color.
“It adds a bit of a concentration challenge to the task,” explained Bouchard. That’s one thing, but there are many more. »
On the recommendation of newly retired Marie-Ève Dicaire, the boxer also enlisted the services of Jean-François Ménard, mental trainer for Mikaël Kingsbury, the Montreal Canadiens and a host of Olympic athletes. She also has the impression of going “to university” by reading her book L’Olympien au bureau, written in collaboration with the ex-journalist Marie Malchelosse.
“On a certain level, it’s the world’s elite, everyone is good,” Clavel said. It’s all in the head. You have to be strong mentally. We work a lot on the cognitive, the concentration, which is very important between each round and at each moment. I must not let anything from the outside disturb my inside. »
“It had been a very tough fight, coming down to earth on the international stage. Three years later, at the World Championships with Danielle, we had Steluta Duta in the draw. I had been looking for victory. It takes mental strength, concentration, character, perseverance. That’s what I’ll have on the 28th.”
This confrontation is obviously crucial since the promoter wishes to organize a revenge against Nery Plata from October 7 at Place Bell.
“Kim would like it to be Plata for the next shot,” revealed Yvon Michel. I can go after this fight in two ways: position Kim as a mandatory contender and force her to come or talk to her and try to come to a negotiated agreement to convince her to come back here. We have already started talking to her. »
The Mexican even sounded out GYM’s interest in becoming her promoter, seemingly disappointed with the offers she’s received since unifying the WBA and WBC titles. Yvon Michel is not closed to the idea, but on one condition: that she grant the Quebecer a rematch in the fall.
“It absolutely takes [Kim] a win to reposition herself, but I’m going all out to make sure that in October she fights for the world championship,” he said. It would be primarily against Nery Plata, otherwise it will be against [Argentina Evelin] Bermudez, IBF and WBO champion.
Clavel, who must participate in a caravan to the four corners of Quebec in the spring, assures that she does not project herself so far.
“There is talk of a rematch, but right now I’m not even thinking about it,” certified the first WBC contender. It’s my fight of the 28th that counts, nothing else. »
The former world champion was able to practice her Spanish with Naomi Allerano Reyes, who participated in the press conference virtually from the Los Angeles area, where she has lived for a few years.
The 28-year-old Mexican is recovering from a loss on October 8 in California, her first head-to-head contest outside her native country.
“She’s a very strong boxer, but I too prepared well to win this fight,” Allerano Reyes said through an interpreter.
Before this second setback, she had recorded five consecutive wins, including four by K.-O. She defeated ex-multiple world champion Carina Moreno by decision, her greatest boxing achievement to date.
“It will be the most important fight of my career because I face a very strong opponent in Kim. It will also be the second time that I will fight outside my country. »
Arellano Reyes watched the January 13 Clavel-Nery Plata brawl, assessing “both deserved to win.” “It was a very close fight. »
She also feels she should have received the judges’ favor in her last loss to young American left-hander Gabriela Fundora, which came in the top 112lb category. “There are things you haven’t seen on TV. I am proud of what I did as a job during the fight. »
Kim Clavel does not fully share the assessment of her future rival: “It’s true that she was able to disturb Fundora with her physical pressure. It was a little closer fight than the cards said, but I wasn’t giving the win to Naomi. »
Arellano Reyes has warned the Quebec boxing star not to think too quickly of a rematch against Nery Plata. “I’m preparing really hard for this fight and you can’t talk about Kim winning just yet. »
