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(JUNE 26) The press releases have flown around the sport of Women's boxing
recently with the speed of left jabs. It appears that every fighter seems to
think that the boxing community is vitally interested in the trials and
tribulations that have been recently visited on them. We've had boxers, or
their minions, unraveling the conspiracy theories surrounding why they are
or are not willing to fight each other. Another top fighter, frustrated,
with some reason, by her lack of visable opportunities in the ring, resorts
to calling out potential opponents by insulting their weight, age, courage
and even nickname. The boxing public has even, most ludicrously, been
subjected to a "fighter", who barely deserves the label, but who talked in
terms of a "million dollar payday". Such talk will, now, hopefully,
mercifully cease as reality descended in the form of an opponent who had the
temerity to intrude on that pipe-dream by punching back. At times, these
rantings seem motivated less by intelligence or good sense, than by what,
around a pistol range, is known as "firing for effect".
In reality, this cacophony of words, threats and insults is to quote the
Bard of Avon "a tale by an idiot, full of sound and fury signifying
nothing". And yet, amid all this inelegant drivel, largely unnoticed, was a
very powerful statement by a fighter who not only richly deserves that label
but should serve as a "guide-on" for how to conduct oneself amid stress and
turmoil.
On June 12, at the Foxwoods Casino,
Jaime Clampitt
lost a ten round decision to
Jane Couch.
It was a very close fight, (96-94(2X) 96-95), and was, it seemed, from a
viewing of the tape, ten rounds totally devoid of clinches. It was a fight
in which both two women traded punches almost nonstop for twenty minutes. It
was, in short, the type of fight seen all too rarely in the sport of Women's
boxing. Couch deserved the decision and as a result won the NABAW and IWBF
junior welterweight titles. That's the top line. The back-story goes much
deeper and offers an object lesson to all those currently in the thrall of
press releases.
In the runup to the Clampitt/Couch fight, in news reports and during the
fight itself on TV, it was frequently stated that, shortly before the bout,
Clampitt's longtime trainer, Tiny Ricci, had, days before the bout,
succumbed to a long illness. There was, reportedly, brief talk of postponing
the fight for a month. However, given the fact that Couch was traveling from
England for the bout, Clampitt agreed to go on. Not only did Clampitt agree
to go ahead, but once that agreement was made, Jaime Clampitt tacitly
acknowledged that the death of her trainer was no longer an issue as it
related to the fight. She would not discuss it, refer to it or, most
certainly, not use it as a rationalization, whatever the result of the
fight.
Jaime Clampitt fought very well on June 12 against another very good and
experienced fighter. It was a close fight and it didn't go Clampitt's way
and the decision for Couch was the correct one. After the fight Couch gave
credit to Clampitt as "a great fighter". Clampitt declined to
comment to the press and with that silence Jaime Clampitt spoke volumes. She
certainly had the opportunity to elicit, at the least, great credit for a
fight well fought and probably some unspoken, heartfelt sympathy for
fighting with the burden of a death of a close friend heavy on her mind.
Instead, Jaime Clampitt implicitly declined comment, which was the highest possible tribute
she could pay to her late trainer, herself and her sport. The sound of
silence was never louder.
Thus, amidst all the "sound and fury" that currently permeates the sport of
Women's boxing; the insults, the excuses for not fighting, the demand for
undeserved purses, the overwhelming penchant for the use of the first person
pronoun, we have an example of a fighter who simply stepped in the ring,
under trying conditions, who fought with a great deal of courage and
professionalism and then, quite deliberately, disdained the opportunity of
exploitation.
Jaime Clampitt lost the fight to Jane Couch on June 12 in Connecticut, but
Jaime Clampitt was never more a winner in the way she conducted herself
before, during and after that bout. She set an example that would be well
followed by her fellow athletes in the sport the next time they feel the
need to issue some screed about the fact that they're not getting the fight
they want, the respect they deserve, or the money they feel they so richly
deserve. Words can be powerful but they're only words; oft times, the sound
of silence shouts much louder.
Bernie McCoy |
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