Jessica Nery Plata vs Kim Clavel with Yokasta Valle possibly on the Horizon

After the fight that was scheduled for December 1st was suspended due to the illness of undefeated Canadian Kim Clavel, she will finally face Mexican Jessica Nery Plata in a duel now scheduled for Friday, January 13, in Laval, Canada. The incentive is the unification of the flyweight titles held respectively by the two fighters. For WBA titlist Nery Plata (28-2, 3 KOs) and WBC titlist Clavel (16-0, 3 KOs), it will be the first defense of their titles which were won last year.

Nery Plata’s triumph against the then Argentine monarch Yessica “La Tuti” Bopp (37-3, 17 KOs) in Panama on March 11th was controversial. While judge Víctor Simons (97-93) scored the fight for Bopp, judges Robert Hoyle (97-93) and José Torres (96-94) awarded the victory to Nery Plata. Bopp was disgusted with the outcome, especially as she had held the title since June of 2009 when she knocked out Colombian Paulina “La Niña” Cardona in the second round in Argentina.

Nery Plata suffered the second defeat of her professional career by unanimous decision when she faced her countrywoman Kenia Enríquez (25-1, 11 KOs) in November 2017. Her victory over Bopp was her seventh straight.

With her upcoming fight in Canadian territory and considering the support that her rival Kim Clavel will receive, Nery Plata stated, “I won my WBA title by dethroning champion Yesica Bopp in Panama, so I’m not afraid to go to Canada for this major fight in my career. This unification is what I have been longing for a long time and it comes at the right time when I am at the peak of my career. My goal has always been to face the best. Kim Clavel is part of this category, and I am grateful to her for having accepted this duel.”

Thirty-two-year-old Clavel unquestionably prevailed against Mexican Yesenia “La Niña” Gómez (19-6-3, 6 KOs) in Montreal on July 29^th, winning the WBC 108-pound belt by unanimous decision. Two judges scored the fight 99-91 and the other scored it 100-90, confirming Clavel’s superiority in the ring.

“My promoter was very happy with my last performance when I won the title from Yesenia Gomez.  He was obviously motivated to allow me to unify the titles. He told me that he believed I was at the peak of my career and that I deserved a lot better than just an optional title defense,” stated Clavel.

Initially, the bout between Jessica Nery Plata and Kim Clavel was scheduled for December 1, but two days before, Clavel had the flu and a high fever, forcing the postponement.

The winner will hold two titles and could then possibly direct her steps toward Costa Rican Yokasta Valle (27-2, 9 KOs), who holds the other two 108-pound titles (IBF and WBO) which she snatched from Argentine Evelyn Bermúdez (17-1, 6 KOs) on November 26th in Carson, California.  If and when that fight takes place, the victor will have the four most recognized belts and will be the undisputed queen of 108 pounds.

However, Valle, who also holds the IBF and WBO belts at Minimum Weight, affirmed after beating Bermúdez that she would try to guide her steps towards unification with the other two 105-pound monarchs, American Seniesa Estrada (23-0, 9 KOs) and Germany’s Christina Rupprecht (12-0-1, 3 KOs), holders of the WBA and WBC titles respectively.

Valle said, “Whether it’s Seniesa or Tina, I plan to fight whoever has the belts. No matter which one, or even both, whoever has the [WBA and WBC] belts will have to come see me. We all have the same goals of becoming undisputed champion. Me and my team, we have all the patience in the world. Even if that fight isn’t next, we’ll be ready for whenever that day arrives.”

However, in recent days various sources have claimed that Estrada and Rupprecht reached an agreement to meet on March 25, possibly at the Save Mart Center in Fresno, California.

Article submitted by Jorge Juan Alvarez in Spanish.

 Please note any adjustments made were for clarification purposes and any errors in translation were unintentional.

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