Kim Clavel is now a two-division titleholder.
Clavel won a 10-round unanimous decision over Sol Cudos on Saturday at The Theatre St-Denis in Montreal to become the women’s IBF strawweight titleholder. Scores were 99-91 (twice) and 98-92.
The opening round saw both fighters exchanging jabs, but the faster hands of Montreal’s Clavel earned her the advantage – one she would hold throughout the fight. Clavel began to open up with combinations in the second round, while Cudos threw countershots, punching in between Clavel’s offerings. Cudos’ most telling blow was a right uppercut that caught Clavel’s attention at the end of the round.
Clavel began to show redness on her face and a small cut near her left eye, but the third and fourth rounds saw her begin to dictate the action despite the punch stats being very close.
Clavel’s hand speed was on display as her sharper shots proved effective in the second half of the fight. Her ability and athletic gifts proved too much for a game Cudos, who tried and threw but struggled to create sustained offense. With blood flowing down the side of her face, Clavel masterfully moved and punched her way through the final rounds. Cudos looked to land something big, but she was unable to stop the movement and fast hands of Clavel.
After the fight, Clavel called out WBC strawweight titleholder Yokasta Valle, who sat ringside and entered the ring, with both fighters showing mutual respect.
In the co-feature, women’s middleweight Tamm Thibeault, of Shawinigan, Quebec, Canada, made a statement in picking up a first-round technical knockout over the previously unbeaten Cristina Mazzotta, of Italy. The time of stoppage was 54 seconds.
Thibeault dropped Mazzotta with a straight left hand, and despite Mazzotta getting up, her corner called the fight off.
Tibeault, 28, improved to 4-0 (3 KOs), while Mazzotta fell to 1-1.
Montreal junior welterweight Mazlum Akdeniz earned a fourth-round technical knockout against Anthony Soto, of Pueblo, Colorado. Time of stoppage was 2 minutes, 26 seconds.
Akdeniz unleashed a flurry of unanswered punches in the fourth round that forced the referee to call off the bout.
The 28-year-old Akdeniz advanced to 22-0 (9 KOs), while the 24-year-old Soto tasted defeat for the first time, dropping to 13-1-1 (8 KOs).
Opening the DAZN telecast, heavyweight Nelvie Tiafack, of Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany, stopped Ramiro Robles, of Jurupa Valley, California, in the fourth round. The official stoppage time was 3 minutes, when Robles’ corner stopped the bout. Tiafack fought in the 2024 Olympic Games representing Germany.
Tiafack, 26, improved to 2-0 (2 KOs), while the 28-year-old Robles slipped to 5-1 (3 KOs).
In the prelims, women’s junior flyweight Federica Macri, of Aosta, Valle d'Aosta, Italy, upset recent MVP signee Naomy Valle of San Jose, Costa Rica, via a 10-round unanimous decision. Scores were 80-71, 76-75 and 78-73.
Valle, the younger sister of titleholder Yokasta, lost a point for holding in Round 5. Macri came forward aggressively, with neither fighter landing clean punches throughout the fight. The physicality of Macri gave Valle issues in the fight.
Macri, 25, moved to 7-0-1 (1 KO), while the 21-year-old Valle fell to 14-1 (9 KOs). This was Valle’s first fight with MVP.
Women’s bantamweight Amanda Galle, of Mississauga, Ontario, Canada, won an eight-round unanimous decision over Mexico’s Alondra Hernandez. Scores were 80-72, 79-73 and 80-72.
Galle dominated the fight with her footwork and a good use of distance, keeping Hernandez at bay and keeping her from landing effective blows.
Galle, 36, improved to 12-0-1 (1 KO), while Hernandez, 20, dropped to 9-2 (1 KO).
Atlanta lightweight Javon “Wanna” Walton won a six-round unanimous decision over Anthony Mora, of New Britain, Connecticut. All three scores were 60-54.
Walton, 19, advanced to 3-0-1 (1 KO). Mora, 36, saw his record dip to 6-5-1 (4 KOs).
In the opening prelim bout, junior middleweight Loick Lahaie, of Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada, picked up a first-round technical knockout over Jose Madrigal. The time of stoppage was 2 minutes, 16 seconds.
Lahaie, 23, recorded the first stoppage of his career, improving to 3-0 (1 KO). Madrigal, 30, is now 7-8 (6 KOs).
Lucas Ketelle is the author of “Inside the Ropes of Boxing,” a guide for young fighters, a writer for BoxingScene and a member of the Boxing Writers Association of America. Find him on X at @BigDogLukie.
