A terrific unification bout is now officially on hold.

Unbeaten WBC junior flyweight titlist Kim Clavel was a late medical scratch from her previously scheduled showdown with WBA titlist Jessica Nery. The 32-year-old was hit with a 102-degree fever earlier this week, thus prompting a postponement of the bout and the show as a whole that was due to take place Thursday at Place Bell in Laval, Canada.

“Following the recommendation of Dr. Francis Fontaine concerning the state of Kim Clavel’s health, we are forced to postpone the unification fight,” promoter Yvon Michel confirmed. “More information (to come).”

A new date for the entire show in original form is being explored as this goes to publish and is expected to be finalized soon.

The timing of the bout would have been perfect, given recent activity in the junior flyweight division. Clavel-Nery was on course to take place just five days after Yokasta Valle (27-2, 9KOs) dethroned IBF/WBO 108-pound titlist Evelin Bermudez via majority decision this past Saturday at Dignity Health Sports Park in Carson, California.

The fight would have been a relatively quick turnaround for Montreal’s Clavel (16-0, 3KOs), a 2020 ESPY winner for courage exhibited on the frontline as a nurse during the height of Covid who won her first major title earlier this summer. Clavel dethroned long-reigning WBC titlist Yesenia Gomez in a lopsided unanimous decision win on July 31 at Montreal Casino, after which she and her team immediately explored a title unification bout for her next contest.

“My goal is to unify the entire division within my next two to three fights,” Clavel told krikya360.com prior to the eventual postponement.  

A willing participant was found in Nery (28-2, 3KOs), who was set to hit the road for her second straight title fight.

The 28-year-old Mexico City native came up big in a ten-round split decision win over Argentina’s Yesica Bopp to claim the WBA junior flyweight title on a March 11 all-female card in Panama City, Panama. The fight marked the first outside of Mexico for Nery, who embraced the role of road warrior while looking to extend her current seven-fight win streak.

That day will still come, though just not as originally planned.

Jake Donovan is a senior writer for krikya360.com. Twitter: @JakeNDaBox