Gala at the Montreal Casino | Kim Clavel dominates Mexican Mayela Perez

(Montreal) Kim Clavel may not have had a world champion in front of her on Thursday at the Cabaret du Casino de Montréal, but she offered a flawless performance to defeat Mexican Mayela Perez.

Clavel (20-2, 3 KOs) did not lose a round against Perez (20-28-4, 10 KOs). The mid-fly was favored by the three judges 100-90.

“It’s nice to have an easier day at the office every now and then,” admitted Clavel.

The former world champion demonstrated that she was by far the best boxer in this ring. The one who is at the top level of the International Boxing Federation (IBF) and who is No. 2 in the World Boxing Council (WBC) and the World Boxing Organization (WBO) served a boxing lesson to her opponent.

“I’m happy, I was able to do everything we practiced in the gym. Sometimes what we do in the gym is not the same thing under stress during a fight. This is what I am most proud of today. »

From the first rounds, Clavel’s combinations hit the target repeatedly. The Quebecer’s left seemed to trouble the Mexican from the beginning to the end of the fight, as did her jab.

Starting in the fifth, Clavel also landed several uppercuts. In fact, it would take less time to list the shots that didn’t hit the target.

“It’s rare that I’ve used uppercuts in a fight; I’m starting to feel more comfortable in the gym. […] It shows that, even after 17 years of boxing, if you want, you can learn new things. »

In the sixth, Perez tried to open up the machine, throwing several combinations. However, they were all absorbed into Clavel’s custody.

Danielle Bouchard’s protégé immediately regained control of hostilities. She hit Perez powerfully in the head and body. Promoter Yvon Michel had indicated the day before that Perez knew how to box. It’s true, but we mostly saw her take it.

One thing is certain, in order to prove his place at 105 and 108 pounds, Clavel had to dominate his opponent. On this point, it is a success. She showed an energy and aggressiveness that we hadn’t seen in a long time.

“I would say I’m 100% back to my year 2023. Kim is back!,” she said. I felt like when I won against [Yesenia] Gomez [en juillet 2022]. I saw everything, I moved my head well, I had good defense. Of course, it wasn’t Gomez in front of me, but it was practical to be able to land my blows, apply my defense, take out all my tools.

“I rediscovered my sacred fire, pleasure. I haven’t had easy opponents in my career. Today, she was a veteran, who had good defense, who moved her head well. Of course, I was better than her in everything. But she’s a tough girl, we could see that. It was perfect to go and practice everything we wanted to practice to return to face Vale, a Bermudez or a Plata. »

Mission accomplished for Houle

Back in the super-lightweight category – at least for this fight – Marie-Pier Houle (11-1-2, 3 KOs) had to work hard against the Frenchwoman Anyssa Benyoub (7-5), who she defeated in 10 hotly contested rounds.

Houle obtained the favor of the three judges 99-91 and twice 98-92 to sign a victory by unanimous decision.

True to form, Houle, No. 6 in the IBF at 140 pounds, started the fight strong, hitting Benyoub with several power combinations.

Towards the middle of the fight, particularly in the fifth, what may have seemed like a drop in speed was rather intentional, with Houle’s corner asking him to slow down the pace a notch.

Houle then gradually regained the upper hand, offering his best round of the evening in the seventh. She was then incisive, aggressive and her power blows hit the target more often than not.

Benyoub tried to come back into this fight in the later rounds. She hit the target solidly on a few occasions, notably cutting Houle on the left brow bone, but Houle’s footwork allowed her to escape when her opponent had more bite.

Houle, who is also ranked second in the WBO, third in the World Boxing Association (WBA), as well as 14^e of the WBC at 147 pounds, is now waiting for a call for a world championship fight, possibly at that weight. She and her promoter Yvon Michel were cryptic during the weigh-in, but news should come from the Houle clan in the coming weeks.

Perrine and Stuve host the evening

As a curtain raiser, the light heavyweight from Mauritius established in Yamachiche Facson Perrine (1-0, 1 KO) made a successful professional debut against the Albertan Drew Stuve (1-1, 1 K. -O.). The two men delivered the performance of the evening and exchanged blows for blows, the defense of the two pugilists having to be perfected, to remain polite.

But it was Perrine who made the best shots, starting with the second. He finally sent his opponent to the canvas in the fourth round after a powerful right hook. Referee Érick Philippeaux signaled the end of hostilities at exactly 2:16.

Middleweight Loïck Lahaie (1-0), testing for three fights with GYM, passed his first test. In a rather close fight, Lahaie won his first professional fight by unanimous decision against Ruslan Barma (0-1). The three judges handed out cards of 40-36 in favor of the 22-year-old boxer from Sherbrooke.

Finally, the Ukrainian established in Montreal Kirill Bazhenov (1-0, 1 KO) stopped Alex Gagnon (0-2-1) at the end of the second round. Extremely rare, after having wiped a combination, Gagnon vomited in the ring, leading to the immediate stoppage of referee Philippeaux.