Kim Clavel began 2023 as world champion, with a perfect record and the chance to get her hands on a second championship belt in the light flyweight category. Three fights later, she had suffered two losses and no longer had a belt.
To say that her last loss by split decision to Evelyn Bermudez last October was difficult to swallow is an understatement. The 33-year-old boxer felt the need to take a three-month break from boxing. But she found the taste for fighting again.
“I had doubts, but I always thought that I had not finished what I had started,” she said on the sidelines of the press conference launching the activities of the 20e anniversary of Groupe Yvon Michel, at the Montreal Casino. My last fight, I was so close to victory. I didn’t eat a beating, it was tight. I know for a fact that I am part of the world elite. »
“I just needed some rest. To get out of boxing for a bit, to live my pain. I felt angry, frustrated. At some point I agreed. Today, I am healthy and I have the chance to practice my sport. It is what I am going to do. »
In order to recharge her batteries and get out of her comfort zone, Clavel went to train for a month in Havana.
“Comfort is often found in our heads. You can’t compensate with anything else. There, I had no choice but to find comfort in my head. A boxing match can be very uncomfortable. I found mental strength in Cuba. »
“I bring back friends for life. When I left, we were crying. In a month, you have time to absorb it. At 9 a.m. each morning, I found the same group. These people have almost nothing. […] At the end of the month, the coach took me and carried me on his shoulders as if I had won an important fight. This energy had a huge impact on me. Yes, technique, boxing, I come back with baggage, but this fraternity is something that I will never forget. »
This stay, however, did not allow him to completely mourn his defeat at the hands of Bermudez.
“It marked me for life. When I’m in bed at night and I think about it, there’s always a little pang, Clavel admitted. But I am now able to talk about it without crying. I moved on; I look ahead. I think my attitude towards this situation will make the difference. […] The bricks that life throws at me, I will make a wall to defend myself. »
She is counting on the year 2024 to help her definitively turn the page on the one that has just ended in a fishtail.
She will headline the GYM gala on April 4, against an opponent who will be revealed soon. We are already planning to box her on the next card, May 19. His promoter is also talking about a possible tournament with his two winners from 2023, Yesica Nery Plata and Bermudez.
“For now, I want to be active, I want green [des victoires] on my file. I had two reds [deux défaites] in one year. So I want to get back on the path to victory. »
“I am also happy to return to the Casino, a place that I love and where I do not have the great pressure of selling a lot of tickets,” she added, she who fought her three fights from 2023 to Place Bell.
If she wants to return to victory, she does not have to regain her confidence, she assures us.
“I know I’m going to fight again in the world championship, but I want to make one thing clear: I don’t want a fight to regain my confidence. I haven’t lost confidence. I trust. When you fight with the best in the world and you beat their butts, you know you belong. […] I know I’m exactly where I should be, without the belts. »
“I want a first fight to get back in the ring. I want people to know that I’m back, that my name is getting around. »