The fight was sometimes close, so much so that a judge even reported a card of 95-95, but Quebecer Kim Clavel did indeed find her way to victory, Thursday evening, at the Montreal Casino, in an evening where Marie-Pier Houle and Derek Pomerleau also shone.
“We want to bring her back victorious and active,” announced promoter Yvon Michel, ahead of this duel opposing Clavel (18-2, 3 KOs) to the Spaniard of Moroccan origin Fara El Bousairi ( 8-4, 3 KOs).
After a first round used to study the opponent, Clavel increased the pace from the second attack with a few good shots. Tough, El Bousairi also managed to hit the Quebecer in the face a few times throughout the rounds, but much less often.
Photo Bernard Brault, GYM
Clavel’s victory was not in doubt, but it was by majority decision of the judges (98-92, 96-94, 95-95). Remember that this was a first fight for the protégé of the Yvon Michel Group, who had controversially lost by split decision against Evelin Bermudez, last October, at Place Bell.
“I no longer talk about judges”
Photo Bernard Brault, GYM
Once again, the 95-95 card was enough to raise eyebrows.
“I don’t talk about the judges anymore, I’m really happy with my performance, I followed our game plan,” Clavel wisely commented after his fight. She was an opponent who was heavy, physically imposing and I managed to adapt with my style and speed. I came out a winner and that’s what we wanted.”
Photo Bernard Brault, GYM
“It was a great, quality fight against a girl who is a warrior,” added the Quebecer. I take my hat off to him.”
Coach Danielle Bouchard was willing to talk more about the judges’ work, without necessarily directly criticizing them.
Photo Bernard Brault, GYM
“We are not in the heads of the judges, we wanted to touch her as clearly as possible and to be touched as little as possible, that’s exactly what we did,” she noted. We evaluate between each round. We might think we lost two rounds [sur 10], maximum three, this is what we saw by being strict in our analysis. Kim had control over her performance and she went above and beyond to clearly win this fight.”
Swell fully satisfied
The evening included a total of five fights. In the semi-final, in the super-lightweight division (140 pounds), Quebecer Marie-Pier Houle obtained a third knockout. on his record while the opposing corner gave up at the end of the third round. A knockout. technical was thus recorded against the Argentine Marisa Joana Portillo (20-19-3), who had been manhandled throughout the third assault.
“It’s definitely my most satisfying victory, it was a girl who had 41 fights of experience, with a lot of defeats, but who had never been stopped,” underlined Houle, with a big smile.
Photo Bernard Brault, GYM
It was to be a second 10-round career fight for Houle (10-1-1, 3 KOs), who, in April 2023, suffered his only career defeat, in England, in a world championship fight against the British Sandy Ryan.
About Portillo (20-19-3, 4 KOs), we would say that she still plays for more than .500, which, in boxing unlike hockey, remains far from the threshold of respectability.
Upcoming contract for Pomerleau
Savoring a striking victory from the second round, Derek Pomerleau visibly gave the argument that was missing for obtaining a next contract with the Yvon Michel Group.
“There is news coming very very soon, maybe even this week,” announced the boxer from Mercier, brimming with enthusiasm after his fight.
Pomerleau (8-0, 6 KOs) therefore stopped his Mexican opponent, Carlos Mohamed Rodriguez (15-12-1, 6 KOs), with a powerful right hook to the body. The 23-year-old Quebecer has thus maintained his immaculate record in eight professional fights.
“He was an opponent who was supposed to give me rounds, but we stopped that in the second, the challenge was met,” Pomerleau also commented. The last move was planned in the moment, I’m a very instinctive guy in the ring, when I see an opportunity, I go for it.”
“I can say that I ate my first good shot among the pros, a right to the face in the first round,” also confided Pomerleau.
At the start of the evening, Theo Owusu (3-0-1, 2 KOs), protégé of the Howard brothers and Otis Grant, remained undefeated, but he had to settle for a draw against the tough Petr Novak (1-0-1, 1 KO), who came from the Czech Republic to do battle. The judges each handed out a card of 57-57. Montrealer Reid Twohey, for his part, made his professional debut by beating the Czech Pavel Albrecht (17-24, 13 KOs) by unanimous decision of the judges.