Sometimes even our best is not enough. Kim Clavel was almost flawless on Saturday evening, but she left Place Bell empty-handed… to the great surprise of the pugilist herself, her team and probably many spectators.
Bermúdez, whose tenth career world championship fight, defeated the Quebecer by split decision. One judge awarded a score of 98-92 in favor of Clavel, while the other two handed out cards of 96-94 for his opponent. Bermúdez therefore returns to Argentina with her two unified world champion belts from the WBO and the IBF.
The atmosphere was anything but gloomy at the press conference after the fight. This is because neither the pugilist, nor her coaches, nor the promoter Yvon Michel agreed with the judges’ decision. And they made sure to make it known loud and clear.
“I think it was my most strategic, most intelligent fight,” Clavel said. I was the most disciplined defensively. […] When I finished my 10th round, I raised my arm. I was sure we had it. I felt it. I have no injuries. »
“I’m proud of my performance, but I’m frustrated because this is the future,” she continued emphatically. Right now I would have two belts. I would be unified world champion. Maybe I would have a revenge against Plata. My dream is to have all four belts, and it’s delayed because of one person’s bad judgment. And I’m not taking anything away from Bermúdez. She hits hard, she’s good, she has long arms, but technically, strategically, I have a lot more tools than her and I demonstrated it tonight. »
Its promoter, Yvon Michel, did not hesitate to pronounce the name of judge Benoit Roussel, a few minutes earlier.
“When the management presented the judges, I just said: we don’t want Benoit Roussel. It’s the only one we don’t want. Take anyone, but not him. We have statistics on him and it’s not pretty, what we have. But he was the one they took. »
“I was so confident,” he continued. I had like the Chicago judge: 98-92. Kim was responsible defensively, she was brilliant, fast. She touched more often, she controlled the action. […] This is his best career performance. For me, she is the best boxer in the division, she is just not champion. »
Clavel’s coach, Danielle Bouchard, had essentially the same speech. She praised her boxer’s intelligence in the ring, her “solid” defense, her “beautiful counterattack,” her speed and her “destabilizing jab.” So many reasons which, she believes, should have allowed her protégé to lift the two belts at the end of her arms.
“It’s lucky that we had a few minutes to calm down,” Bouchard calmly said. What we felt afterwards was a lot of anger. Honestly, the whole team is so proud of Kim. You can’t imagine how much practice tonight’s scenario was. […] Everything was rehearsed. She did everything. She won that fight. »
Despite her quickly swollen face, Clavel was superior from the first rounds. Every time Bermúdez tried to attack, she offered a response. His sequences were on point.
Much more aware and in control defensively than in her last few fights, the 33-year-old pugilist was in her zone, not the least bit affected by what was happening around her. Completely focused on the task.
“I was patient in this fight,” Clavel said. I’m going to rewatch it, but the cleanest shots, I’m sure it’s me who gave them. »
Bermúdez nevertheless remained straight as an oak. When the bell announcing the end of the fight rang, the crowd was already standing and giving the Quebecer a standing ovation, visibly convinced that she was in the bag.
As for how she was going to rebuild, the athlete replied that she would take “a good two weeks out of the gym.” “We’ll think about it, but it’s definitely not over,” she assured. I am a world champion tonight. I have the capacity to unify the titles, that, I am sure. And I haven’t stopped. »
This is a second setback in nine months in a unification fight for Clavel, whose record is now 17-2-0.
“I tried to control everything I could control, but I couldn’t control Benoit Roussel,” she summed up.
