Clavel defeated by Plata in early fight of the year contender
Clavel's luck ran out on Friday 13th
Canadian Kim Clavel (16-1, 3KO) suffered her first defeat as a pro at the hands of formidable Mexican Jessica Nery Plata (29-2, 3KO) in a light-flyweight unification clash on Friday 13th January, at the 10,000 capacity Place Bell, home to the Laval Rocket of the American Hockey League.
WBC champ Clavel had the home advantage in Laval, Quebec, as WBA Super titlist Plata made the 2,700-mile trip from Meixco to the away corner to headline the show promoted by Yvon Michel. Her long journey home will now be made all the better with a brand new shiny green and gold belt in her luggage.
In the first major women's fight of 2023, this pair of talented 108-pound champions produced a display to be remembered. For both female fighters, it was the first defence of their respective belts.
Two judges scored it 97-93 and a third had it 96-94 to Jessica Nery Plata, who entered the fight as the WBA light-flyweight champion and left the ring as the unified champion, adding the WBC belt and becoming the only world champion in the division.
Aggressive Nery Plata showed early on that she would be willing to stand in and trade punches with Clavel. And it was her heavy hands that did the most damage throughout the fight.
Nery Plata forced bleeding from Clavel's nose in the fifth round and continued to reopen the bleeding on Clavel's face throughout the latter half of the fight. Clavel's face was swollen by the end of the 10-rounds. The Mexican landed the more effective body shots as well.
Clavel kept almost every round close, but Nery Plata seemed to often close each round with the stronger and more effective combinations, particularly using her southpaw right jab to set up everything else she was attempting to throw.
Nery Plata consistently caused more issues, including in the final round, when it looked like she might have stunned Clavel as the two were exchanging punches in the center of the ring.
It was the eighth straight win for Nery Plata and first defense of the WBA title she won in March 2022, when she defeated Yesica Yolanda Bopp in Panama. It's also the second straight fight Nery Plata has fought outside of her native Mexico, where she fought the first 29 fights of her professional career.
Nery Plata is now the only current titleholder in the division; the WBO and IBF titles won by Yokasta Valle in November when she beat Evelin Bermudez have been vacated.
