Kim Clavel will never refuse a love life metaphor to illustrate the different stages of her career.
Last spring, the boxer described her return to Place Bell as a “second date “. On Tuesday, she compared the grief she experienced after losing to Evelin Nazarena Bermúdez last October following a split decision to heartbreak.
“When you are on the verge of achieving your dream and everything falls apart, you need to grieve,” she said during a press briefing organized by the GYM group. It’s a bit like when you’re in a relationship: the more you love your chum, the more pain you have when he leaves you. »
For three months, she “ate ice cream,” she said.
The mourning, today, is well over. Clavel has just returned from Cuba, where she underwent a dry training camp lasting more than a month. In January, she confided to our colleague Katherine Harvey-Pinard how much she wanted to live in “discomfort” before getting back into the ring.
In Havana, she had a “difficult” but “enriching” month. “An unforgettable experience”, in short.
“The first week, I wondered how I was going to endure 33 days like that; the last week, I was wondering how I was going to leave. »
Ice cream, no need to draw a picture, is far behind it. Her complexion shows that she has just gotten off the plane, but she has already had three training sessions under her belt since her return to Montreal. And she will be the headliner of a gala organized by the Yvon Michel Group, on April 4, at the Montreal Casino, against an opponent who still remains to be determined.
Clavel is, however, categorical. Yes, the defeat against Bermudez hurt. Yes, it should be “active” over the next few months. Yes, she wants to “win, put green on (her) record”, after having suffered two losses in 2023, the other being against the Mexican Yesica Nery Plata. But no, she doesn’t want fights to “regain confidence”.
“I haven’t lost confidence,” she insists. When you warm the butts of the best in the world, you know you belong. I’ve been boxing for 17 years, I’m not going to learn to box again. »
“I am not retired: I am here with the objective of being world champion. »
Patience
To (re)achieve this, the 33-year-old boxer will have to be patient.
A rematch against Plata, current WBA and WBC champion, or Bermudez, IBF and WBO champion, is not possible for the moment. You will therefore have to take the scenic route and go up the slope to the summit. In this sense, his return to the ring in April will be a first step.
However, Yvon Michel is working on organizing a Plata-Bermudez fight on Quebec soil, “at the end of the summer”, with four belts at stake. An idea from Plata herself, says the promoter.
The objective of the project, if it comes to fruition, would be for Clavel to be able to face the winner of this duel.
“Having my chance for four belts would be extremely stimulating!” exclaimed the pugilist. It would be the pinnacle of my career. I faced these two girls, I know that I am at their level. »
If she had the choice, she would face Plata. Their January 2023 fight left her wanting more. “I feel like I haven’t performed up to what I’m capable of. »
No matter who his opponent is, his next fight at this caliber will require him to draw on his mental and physical resources to the core. Because despite the defeat in October, she persists in believing that she delivered against Bermudez the “best performance of (her) life”.
How can we raise the bar in this context? Using – literally – the same recipe, she believes.
“I have to remember the state of mind I was in,” Clavel said again. I documented everything during my training camp before facing Bermudez. I wrote a lot. What I’m reading is the recipe for this mindset. »
“I’ve replayed this fight in my head a million times,” she concluded. It was a good war, it was a good fight. I felt like I could have won. It happens, it’s part of the sport. I did everything I had to do. I have no regrets. And if I had to do it again, I would probably do it the same way. »
Mathieu Germain in March
PHOTO HUGO-SÉBASTIEN AUBERT, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Matthew Germain
The pretext of the GYM press briefing on Tuesday morning was to give a foretaste of the year 2024, during which we wish to present eight professional galas and eight amateur events. The first professional gala, scheduled for March 14 at the Montreal Casino, will be headlined by Mathieu Germain. The Quebecer will face the Mexican Jesus Antonio Rubio. A victory would allow Germain to move closer to a world championship fight, possibly as early as June against the current IBF super lightweight titleholder, Subriel Matias. “I have to get through March 14,” summarized Germain. This guy has already fought for a world championship, it’s up to me to beat him clearly. What happens next will be a major fight. »
Swell “very close to a final”
PHOTO PATRICK SANFAÇON, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Marie-Pier Houle
Slowly, but surely, Marie-Pier Houle’s name is getting closer to the top of the card. On April 4, she will fight in the semi-final of the gala which will conclude with the return of Clavel. After beating Cindy Reyes Espinoza in October, and after having “done very well” against Sandy Ryan a year ago in a world championship fight, Houle (9-1-1) is “very, very close to a final », affirmed Yvon Michel. According to him, his name “is circulating very well” in the super lightweight division. “Eventually, she will return to the world championship,” he believes. The boxer, for her part, described it as “an honor” to fight just before Clavel. “We always have great energy together,” she said. We show that women’s boxing is boxing, it’s a show, it doesn’t matter whether it’s a woman or a man. We always aim to give a big show. »
Looking for an idea for Jean Pascal
PHOTO DOMINICK GRAVEL, LA PRESSE ARCHIVES
Jean Pascal
If he had won his fight against Michael Eifert last March, Jean Pascal would have become the mandatory contender for the IBF light heavyweight world champion belt. He would thus have found Montrealer Artur Beterbiev on his route. However, this did not happen. However, at 41 years old, Pascal has still not given up on the idea of getting back into the ring, revealed Yvon Michel. He even asked the promoter if he could “find a way to bring him back.” “We are thinking about it, we would like that, but we have not yet found” a fight for him, however, the GYM boss agreed.
reference: www.lapresse.ca