The team at GYM Promotions has been forced to condense two shows into one as both have been greatly impacted by Covid.

A planned show to take place this Thursday at Cabaret du Casino in Montreal was postponed after losing its main event. Local attraction and rising contender Kim Clavel was due to challenge for his first major title versus WBC junior flyweight titlist Yesenia Gomez in the main event, only to have to withdraw after testing positive for Covid and experiencing symptoms from the infectious disease.

“We learned late [Sunday] evening that Kim Clavel unfortunately contracted the Covid-19 virus,” Yvon Michel, founder and head of GYM Promotions, confirmed Monday. “Therefore, the fight this Thursday, April 21 against WBC champion Yesenia Gomez must be postponed.

“By the same token, this Thursday’s event will no longer take place. All of the fights that were scheduled will be postponed, either to May 5 or another date.”

The fallout marks the second time in just four months that the fight has been postponed. Clavel (15-0, 3KOs)—was due to challenge for the title last December 17 on the Artur Beterbiev-Marcus Browne show, only to have to withdraw after suffering an untimely injury. The 31-year-old Montreal native instead returned in a stay-busy fight on March 11, scoring a fourth-round stoppage of Mariela Ribera Valverde—her first win inside the distance since January 2019.

Eight straight points wins followed for Clavel, including a June 2020 eight-round decision over then-unbeaten Natalie Gonzalez (6-0 at the time) in Las Vegas. The fight marked her lone U.S. appearance to date, coming on the heels of her receiving the Pat Tillman Award for Courage during the 2020 ESPY Awards which honored her work as a nurse on the frontline during the height of the pandemic.  

The 5’1” contender has now become the latest unfortunate casualty.

News of Clavel falling ill comes as the May 5 show at the same venue took a significant hit on Monday. Former WBO light heavyweight titlist Eleider Alvarez (25-2, 13KOs) was forced to withdraw from his scheduled main event after also testing positive for Covid. Alvarez— who represented Colombia in the 2008 Beijing Olympics before relocating to Canada—was set to debut at cruiserweight after having spent most of his 13-year pro career at light heavyweight.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for BoxingScene.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox