“INTERNATIONAL BOXING UNDER THE STARS” SATURDAY AUGUST 28, 2021 STADE IGA DE MONTRÉAL, presented by Mise-O-Jeu. WBC SILVER CHAMPIONSHIP: KIM CLAVEL VS. MARIA VARGAS
For her first career main event on August 28, NABF champion and WBC # 1 aspirant Kim Clavel will now face Maria Soledad Vargas, from Morelia, Mexico, at IGA Stadium in Montreal.
Vargas has provided proof that she is fully vaccinated against COVID-19, and she has already signed her contract and been approved by the WBC as well as the RACJ.
Vargas (15-3-1, 1KO) certainly represents a superior opponent for Clavel in this 10-round duel for the prestigious WBC Silver title and is a concern for Clavel’s coaches, Danielle Bouchard and Stéphane Larouche. Vargas is undefeated in her last 8 fights, since 2017. In 2019, she faced WBC 105-pound champion Fabiana Bytygi (17-0-1, 5KO) on the road in the Czech Republic, and they fought to a draw in their World atomweight championship fight.
The tough Mexican fighter has won her last 3 fights including the most recent this past February. She will arrive in Montreal on Friday, Aug. 19th.
Also featured during this great comeback of international boxing in Montreal, world contender Mikael Zewski (34-2-0, 23KO) against Dilan “El Tremendo” Loza (15-4-1, 9KO) from Mexicali, solid Sébastien Bouchard (18-1-1, 8KO) versus the experienced Cleotis Pendarvis (21-8-2, 9KO) from Los Angeles, powerful Marie-Pier Houle (3-0-1, 1KO) versus Jeanette Zacarias Zapata (2-3-0, 0KO), of Mexico, and talented heavyweight Alexis Barrière (2-0-0, 2KO) vs. Angel Barron (1-1-0, 1KO), as well as Diizon Belfon (2-0-0, 2KO) and pro-debuting Petar Gavrilovic from Granby.
Presented in association with Lee Baxter Promotions, the “Under the Stars” event welcomes another quality boxer as the excellent and undefeated Mazlum Akdeniz (13-0-0, 7KO), of Montreal, will face Ricardo Diaz Nunez (8-5 -1, 1KO) of Baja California, Mexico, in an 8-round super lightweight bout. Akdeniz is known to consistently deliver spectacular fights with his uncompromising aggressive style. It will be his third fight in 2021 having won his last two fights in Colombia at the start of the year.
This will be the sixth time that GYM has presented a boxing event on the center court of the cozy tennis stadium and each time it was a resounding success. Ex-world champions Joachim Alcine, Jean Pascal, Adonis Stevenson, David Lemieux and Bermane Stiverne all left their mark there between 2006 and 2010. On June 8, 2007, in the middle of a IBF welterweight eliminator between Quebecer Hermann Ngoudjo and American Randall Bailey remains memorable, because a deluge flooded the amphitheater. Fuses blew and there was complete darkness for a few minutes during the live ESPN2 broadcast. This event eventually to receive the 2007 ESPN Premier Boxing Event Award.
GYM has obtained authorization to sell 5,000 tickets for the occasion, available on ticketmaster.ca or at GYM (514) 383-0666. The prices are $35, $50, $90 and $150 in the stands. On the parterre, 38 tables for 6 people are for $ 2,500, and a hearty meal and wine will be served to the guests. Tickets go on sale today Thursday, July 29 at noon.
This event “Under the Stars” will also be available on pay-per-view on Canal Indigo, Bell TV, Shaw TV and on Fite.TV for $ 49.99.
Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) signs Kim Clavel
Groupe Yvon Michel (GYM) confirmed today the signing of North American Boxing Federation (NABF) light flyweight, Montreal’s own Kim Clavel, (11-0, 2 KOs), to an exclusive, long-term promotional contract, allowing her to soon be positioned as a world title challenge.
After completing an outstanding amateur career highlighted by seven Canadian championships and a gold medal in the Continental Championship, the Canadian National Team member made her pro debut in 2017. In her last fight, Clavel took the measure of her Mexican opponent, Esmeralda Gaona Sagahon, by way of a unanimous decision to capture her first title (NABF).
“When we learned that Kim Clavel had become a free agent, we expressed our interest as she is amongst the most talented pugilists in Canada, whatever the genre,” GYM president Yvon Michel said. “We are convinced that Kim has the talent and team required to reach the highest peaks, and above all to have a major impact on the popularity of boxing in Quebec, thanks to her dynamism, charisma and endearing personality.”
The 29-year-old undefeated boxer is convinced that she made the right choice: “After analyzing my options,” she commented, “I concluded that the promoter who best suited my needs and my values was GYM. I want to thank them for their confidence and for this agreement which will give me the opportunity to fight as a headliner. ”
Clavel trains at the Boxe Montréal gymnasium inside the Claude Robillard Centre. Her head trainer is former world super bantamweight contender, the excellent and experienced Danielle Bouchard. Her team of assistant coaches is composed of Sara Kali and Nathalie Forget, while Stéphane Larouche, Pierre Bouchard, and Carl Handy provide support as advisers.
“I am extremely happy to start this new adventure with GYM and people I have known very well for most of my life. As a coach, I love planning and I am happy to see that Kim now has a career plan designed specifically for her in order to become world champion,” Bouchard added.
Clavel is from Joliette and has a diploma in health and nursing assistance, which she obtained in Montreal in 2014. She worked in Joliette until 2019, but took an unpaid leave from work to devote herself full-time to her boxing career. Her sponsors included Christin Chevrolet, Buick and GMC.