MONTREAL — On May 12, Kim Clavel will return to the scene of a failed meeting.

The 32-year-old boxer will step into the ring at Place Bell for the second time. Last January she suffered a defeat there – the first of her career – in her unification battle against Jessica Nery Plata.

“It’s like I’ve had a first ‘date’ that didn’t go too well,” the pugilist introduced on Wednesday before practicing in front of media representatives. Now I’m going on a second “date” and I know what to expect.”

“It’s an area I know and will manage. We made some adjustments to get better. On that second “date” there, the person will fall in love with me!

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This second tryst pits Clavel (16-1-0, 3 KOs) against Mexico’s Naomi Reyes (9-2-0, 5 KOs), who was also beaten on her last out in October.

“I want to prove that my unification fight was a small mistake that taught me a lot. We’ll set the record straight. I will return to winning ways. I’m not just confident, I’m convinced.”

put on a good show

It’s not surprising that Clavel displays such confidence, it’s the norm among individuals who practice the trade. The athlete refuses to imagine that she will suffer defeat against Reyes.

“It’s not part of my mindset,” she replied when asked what a setback would mean for the rest of her career.

Their sponsor Yvon Michel has now agreed to expand this possibility.

“It will depend on her putting on a good show. In the end, that’s it. If she puts on a good show, we can do a rematch. As organizers, we often tend to dramatize a possible defeat.

“It always depends on how it happened,” added the GYM president. A loss is nothing dramatic. If you put on a good show, people are always interested in you.”

The privilege of printing

That means Clavel not only has to try to repeat the win, but also to impress the fans.

“It’s part of an athlete’s responsibility. We are a spectator sport, explained Yvon Michel. You get paid based on your popularity and the interest you create around you. Kim is very aware of that.”

“I like that pressure,” Clavel said. It’s a privilege to feel it. A boxer who doesn’t care about the result and doesn’t like what he’s doing will feel no pressure. I like it! It makes me live I take the pressure to push myself up.

In terms of ticket sales, Yvon Michel announced that just under 1,500 seats have been sold and he hopes that number will rise to 2,000.

“We won’t make it to 4,000 as we would like, but the response is good. There has been a good surge over the past few days and we expect that to be the case again next week,” he said.

Juan Reynoso is packing his bags for a new journey. The United States, Mexico and Argentina will be their next targets to finally announce the squad for June’s friendlies against South Korea and Japan. Will there be any news?

— Will players like Christopher Olivares and Fernando Pacheco have a chance in the national team?

Yes, they are interesting players. Christopher already had a chance with us, from then on he didn’t play much in Cristal; then he gave us no tools to summon him. Surely they will be brought up for the next microcycle where there is a call from the local media. They are players being pursued.

— Will there be a microcycle ahead of the Asian friendlies?

No, because the teams come with a load of Libertadores, Sudamericana, a postponed League 1 date, so we didn’t find the moment or the situation to bring them because we increase the risk of injury.

At one point he was criticized for subpoenaing Andy Polo and today he reveals why…

(Laughter) Yeah, you get exposed to that sometimes and it’s part of this business. I could name a few more than why he traveled, why he played when he’s on a small team. We try to give those who made minors a chance.

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— What do you think of Alianza’s good moment at the hand of Guillermo Salas?

The thing about Salas is to congratulate the Peru coach and keep trusting him. What the board has done, what the players are doing, Alianza as an environment has a lot of value. The ‘U’ does a great job too. I think if there’s one thing you can appreciate going forward, it’s that if you plan well, there’s a project with a roadmap, the results will come.

— What conclusions did you draw from the tour conducted in Europe and Qatar?

Sitting at lunch or dinner with the player, not only with him but also with his partner, his environment, is priceless. Needless to say it was more than important because for me it unlocks a lot of paradigms that in South America it was said that in Europe they didn’t give you the conditions to know how they train. Today you realize that if you don’t leave, you don’t knock on the door, you don’t give feedback, they will be closed. Thank goodness the opposite happened to us and that’s what I appreciate the most.

Juan Reynoso closely follows Luis Advíncula’s games against Boca Juniors. Photo: spread.

— Will there be more trips?

Yes, we’re going to MLS, Mexican league, sure we’ll close in Argentina next week.

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— Are you meeting Paolo Guerrero?

With Paolo and Lucho Advincula. Watching them train, watch them play, that’s part of the plan so by the end of the month I’m fully awake for the trip. Paolo keeps looking more complete, better.

— And Advíncula is a goalscorer…

(Laughter) It reinvented itself. Quoted on a new position because he always played there before Sergio (Markarián) made him a winger. In Mexico he had to play as a winger on the right flank, in Germany it’s not worth mentioning, he’s a versatile player that we like. Where do I prefer? A lot has to do with the rival, the present and the collective.

— What do you think of what happened between Yoshimar Yotún and coach Thiago Nunes?

Sometimes one dares to express an opinion when he wasn’t there at the time, but knowing Yoshi and with everything he sacrificed to be with Cristal, it’s unfair that they should take his honesty and… doubt his leadership qualities. Sometimes in football we’re competitive, hot, but things are settled when it’s cold.

— Will Peru do well in qualifying?

The stats and analysis are what we interpret and surely the fan will think more about the results. We see a clear improvement, especially in the idea. We will do much better against Korea and Japan, we will see growth. Things will certainly look better against Paraguay and Brazil, we’re in a good process.

The opening game of that series showed what the 76ers could be. The second revealed what they are. And in Game 3 they showed potential again, but not enough to win a championship.

As much as they’ve upgraded their staff over the last offseason and the trade deadline, these Sixers still have no idea what version of their team will emerge in a big moment. It’s a reality that reared its head Friday night at the Wells Fargo Center in a 114-102 loss to the Boston Celtics. They were booed by the sell-out crowd at the end of Game 3 of their best-of-seven Eastern Conference semifinals series, in which Boston regained home field advantage.

» READ MORE: PJ Tucker mourns loss of mentor as Sixers prepare to face Celtics in Game 3

“In order for us to win, and I’ve said it all season, I have to be almost perfect for us to win,” said Sixers center Joel Embiid. “We don’t have much room for error. Everyone has to show up and do their job, and that starts with me.”

With Embiid earning his MVP trophy before the game, the Sixers had momentum that could have led to a 2-1 series advantage. Instead, they compete in Game 4 on Sunday at 3:30 p.m., also at home. The odds are not in the Sixers’ favor as 79% of the conference semifinal winners in Game 3 won the series. But the Sixers still have hope. They know first hand how a series can change.

They lost the second-round series to the Atlanta Hawks in 2021 and the Toronto Raptors in 2019 after leading 2-1. The Sixers lost Games 4 and 5 in both series, so the key is playing better than Friday night. And it all starts with James Harden.

The Sixers point guard didn’t look like the guy who set the Celtics on fire for 45 points in Game 1. Harden finished the tournament with 16 points, 11 assists, six rebounds and five turnovers. The 33-year-old seemed slow and uncertain at times.

Sixers center Joel Embiid blocks Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown’s layup attempt in the first quarter during Game 3 of the Eastern Conference semifinal playoffs on Friday, May 5, 2023 in Philadelphia.. … Read moreYong Kim / Staff photographer

Harden’s lack of speed was noticeable as he couldn’t keep up with the Celtics. He even missed a few shot opportunities. The 10-time All-Star only made 3 of 14 shots. He shoots a 5-on-28 combo in Games 2 and 3.

“I don’t know,” Harden said when asked if he could have snapped some shots he missed in color. “I have to watch the game. But I have pretty good basketball instincts. I know when to score and I know when to fold. So I’m pretty sure a lot of them were the right play.”

So was there anything the Celtics did to affect his game?

“No,” Harden said.

» READ MORE: Joel Embiid accepts the MVP trophy in front of Sixers fans at the Wells Fargo Center

But Embiid has an idea how to help his teammate after their latest fight.

“You just talk to him and just tell him to keep shooting and be aggressive,” Embiid said. “That’s why you can’t get too high and you can’t get too low. Some nights you’re going to take a lot of shots, a lot of difficult ones. And some nights you won’t make it. So it’s about finding other ways to affect the game.”

Tyrese Maxey also needs to play better for the Sixers to have a chance of winning this series. He had 13 points in 4-for-16 shooting, as well as six rebounds and two blocks.

Sixers guard James Harden scratches his head after the Sixers lost Game 3 to the Boston Celtics in the Eastern Conference semifinal playoffs on Friday, May 5, 2023 in Philadelphia. The Sixers lost to the Celtics 114-102.. … Read moreYong Kim / Staff Photographer

PJ Tucker played with staying power on his 38th birthday, a day he mourned the loss of his mentor Lance Blanks, a former NBA player and manager who died at the age of 56. Tucker had nine points and hit a season-high with three threes. Tobias Harris finished the 3-on-6 shooting with seven points. Georges Niang’s 10 points were highlighted by two second-half threes. And De’Anthony Melton was clutch, finishing with four steals and a block to go with 14 points and eight rebounds.

But for much of the night, the Sixers got a solid performance from Embiid and not much else. The newly crowned MVP finished with game highs of 30 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks.

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But the Sixers were only 100-96 behind after Embiid’s putback with 3 minutes and 51 seconds left. But former six-man Al Horford responded with a three-pointer on subsequent possession to extend the Celtics’ lead to seven points 26 seconds later.

Poor shooting and an inability to get shots in time was too much to overcome. The Sixers shot well from the foul line, going 24 of 27. However, they shot only 39.7% from the field.

Harden said: “We didn’t play well offensively. Simply.”

While Embiid was delighted with his MVP award, a win would have made his night better.

“It’s hard for me to sit here and think about winning that when you’re 2-1 down,” he said, “and you’re just trying to find ways that you can help win games by going tries to bring his teammates with him.

“I think that’s the next step for me, just helping everyone else. … I have to make the right moves. I think I do, but I can’t shoot it for her. So we all have to be on the same page. In order to win, we have to be almost perfect.”