Peter Manfredo, Rich Gingras, and former four-time world champion Jaime Clampitt — all of whom now either live or train in Rhode Island — gathered Tuesday for the final leg of their press tour as they wrap up training camp in preparation for “Pride & Power” on Friday, Nov. 22, 2013, the finale of this year’s Twin River Fight Series presented by Jimmy Burchfield’s Classic Entertainment & Sports.
Moments after Peter Manfredo Jr. sat down for Tuesday’s press conference at Twin River Casino, a waitress brought him a dinner roll with several packs of butter, a ticking time bomb for a fighter trying to keep his weight on point several days before a weigh-in.
“You must’ve had this sent to me, Rich!” joked Manfredo as he waved in the direction of his opponent, Rich Gingras, sitting at the opposite end of the table.
Manfredo, dubbed “The Pride Of Providence,” will face the hard-hitting Gingras (13-3-1, 8 KOs) in in the 10-round super middleweight main event while Clampitt (21-5-1, 7 KOs) will return to the ring for the first time in more than three years in her farewell fight against Brooklyn’s Dominga Olivo (8-8-1).
Intra-state rivalries tend to bring out the worst in the fighters involved, but the only shots fired Tuesday were good-natured jabs between Manfredo and Gingras, who share a mutual respect for one another despite the fact they’re preparing for what could be the most difficult test of their respect careers Friday night.
“I remember watching Peter when he was on The Contender long before I even fought my first fight,” Gingras said. “He’s someone we all grew up idolizing.”
“You’re making me feel old!” quipped Manfredo.
“All kidding aside, it’s just an honor to be a part of this event. I know Rich is a tough kid who trains hard and he’s going to be ready to fight. That’s why I didn’t hesitate to take this fight. I’ve known [Gingras’ trainer] Orlondo [Valles] for a long time, too, and [trainer] Jose [Santos]. They do a great job. It’s going to be a great fight. The fans are in for a real treat.”
Manfredo actually decided to retire following his win over Walter Wright in March, but is back for one more fight in honor of his close friend and former Rhode Island boxing icon Gary Balletto, who is paralyzed from the waist down following an accident at his home in July.
Jamie Clampitt Wants to End Career on Her Terms
Win or lose, Jaime Clampitt had every intention of walking away from the sport of boxing following her showdown against Holly Holm in 2010.
“That was going to be it for me,” said Clampitt, who won four world titles in the first eight years of her professional career. “It was the culmination of everything I had been through in boxing.”
Had it ended differently, Clampitt might’ve stayed away for good. Instead of riding off into the sunset leaving everything she had in the ring against an opponent considered one of the best in the sport, Clampitt instead returned home to Rhode Island with an empty feeling following a surprising, abrupt ending to her International Boxing Association (IBA) world title bout.
Midway through the opening round, Clampitt and Holm collided in the center of the ring as Clampitt ducked a left cross from Holm, who inadvertently struck Clampitt with her right elbow. Clampitt dropped to one knee and then began writhing on the canvas in pain, suffering a neck injury that left her unable to continue. Holm was awarded with a technical knockout victory.
“I was devastated,” Clampitt said. “To have it end like that was disheartening.”
As the years passed by, Clampitt found herself preoccupied with an active lifestyle outside of the ring, both as a mother – she now has a 4-year-old daughter and 10-month-old son – and a personal trainer, working with clients from all walks of life at the Striking Beauties female gym in North Attleboro, Mass.
Though her workload increased, her passion to fight never waned. Clampitt (21-5-1, 7 KOs) never really knew when it’d be the right time to return and while it’s hard to upstage “The Pride Of Providence,” Clampitt’s fight against Dominga Olivo (8-8-1) of Brooklyn, N.Y., figures to be highly-anticipated. Clampitt, a Warwick, R.I., resident raised in Saskatchewan, Canada, was a fixture in the Ocean State throughout her career.
In her prime, she captured the International Women’s Boxing Federation world title in two separate weight classes and became one of the few females to headline a major fight card in New England, battling fellow Rhode Island Missy Fiorentino in a memorable, back-and-forth showdown seven years ago at the R.I. Convention Center. Prior to that, Clampitt achieved nationwide notoriety for her epic bout against Jane Couch, which was voted the 2004 Ring Magazine Women’s Fight of the Year. Clampitt avenged the loss three years later by unanimous decision, capturing the vacant WIBF light welterweight world title for the second time.
Clampitt has always been an ambassador for women’s boxing, and her return at the age of 37 is even more remarkable now considering everything she’s accomplished since her first retirement in 2008. Balancing motherhood and boxing isn’t easy – “You have no idea!” she said – but being back in the ring provides a welcomed escape from the everyday responsibilities of raising two children.
“That’s always been my sanctuary,” Clampitt said. “I started at such a young age, so it’s all I’ve known. I love everything about the sport. Nothing beats the feeling of stepping through the ropes, but I love it all, whether it’s the training, being in the gym – as soon as I got back into the swing of things, I felt right at home.”
“I like to fight,” Clampitt said, “but this is definitely it for me.”
Clampitt’s promise seems genuine. More than anything else, this is about going out on her terms – the fairytale ending she never had the chance to achieve three years ago in New Mexico. How this script unfolds is up to her.
“A lot of people ask me if this is the first step in a long comeback, but, no, it’s one and done for me,” Clampitt said. “When that final bell rings, it’ll really be the final bell for me. I just want to end on a positive note, not only for me but everyone who has been there with me throughout my career, from [CES president] Jimmy Burchfield all the way on down. This means a lot to me.”
Clampitt also called it quits three years ago after her final fight against Holly Holm ended in bizarre fashion with Clampitt writhing in pain due to a neck injury suffered when both fighters got tangled up and fell awkwardly to the canvas. Now a mother of two, Clampitt admits it’s been difficult to walk away from the sport she grew up with since she was a teenager living in Canada.
“I had about 30 people fly out to New Mexico to watch me that night and to have it end like that was horrible,” Clampitt said of her loss to Holm in 2010. “I was devastated.
“You never truly quit boxing. It’s always a part of your life. I just couldn’t let my career end that way.”
“Pride & Power” also features a special six-round heavyweight attraction with “The Armenian Assassin” Arthur Saribekian (23-4-1, 18 KOs) returning to the ring for the first time in more than a decade to face Hyannis, Mass., product Jesse Barboza (6-1-1, 4 KOs).
Also on the undercard, Cranston, R.I., welterweight Nick DeLomba (2-0) will put his undefeated record on the line against Carlos Hernandez (3-2-1, 2 KOs) of Bridgeport, Conn., in a six-round bout and Providence middleweight KJ Harrison-Lombardi (2-0-1) will return to Twin River in a four-round bout against Mike Rodriguez of Springfield, Mass., who will be making his professional debut. Harrison-Lombardi and Rodriguez faced one another in the amateurs with Rodriguez winning a close decision. Providence light middleweight Publio Pena (1-0, 1 KO) will face Antonio Marrero (0-1) of Hartford, Conn., in a four-round bout. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
Select tickets are available at $61.00 and $101.00 and can be purchased by calling 401-724-2253/2254, online at www.cesboxing.com or www.ticketmaster.com, or at Players Club at Twin River. All fights and fighters are subject to change.
