Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt is looking to pick a fight. The former 5-time, 2-division world champion has been surveying the women’s featherweight and super-featherweight landscape in search of a high-profile opponent or a title shot.
“I’m itching to get back in the ring,” says Clampitt (25-6-2, 7 KOs), who has 2 wins in 2023, the most recent one an 8 round unanimous decision in August over tough Ecuadorian Josefina Vega. “We’re staying in the gym, sparring a few times a week. I’d love to get one more fight before the end of the year, like late November or early December, or January at the very latest.”
The Hall-of-Famer, who is 3-1-1 since returning to the ring in 2021 following an 8-year layoff, feels that she’s removed all the ring rust and is ready for another world title run. The Warwick, Rhode Island resident even has a few names in mind.
“I saw Skye Nicolson commentating a few weeks ago and talking about how she wants to fight a veteran before the end of the year,” says Clampitt. “That got me thinking: she’s a tricky boxer, but we would have a great fight and that’s the kind of opportunity I’m looking for.”
Nicolson (8-0) is a 28-year-old Australian prospect on the rise. The popular southpaw recently picked up the WBC interim World Featherweight title against Sabrina Perez in Tijuana, Mexico.
A fight between Nicolson and Clampitt would be an intriguing crossroads fight between an up-and-coming prospect and a savvy former 2-weight world champion. While Clampitt acknowledges that Nicolson is much younger, she is confident that her experience and drive would give her the edge in a head-to-head matchup.
“She’s very marketable and has a good amateur background, but I have a lot of experience and I feel like my age is an advantage with how much I’ve learned over the years,” reasons the 47-year-old. “For me it’s a big confidence boost, not something that would hold me back.”
Clampitt has seen women’s boxing explode over the past few years. Whereas women were once mostly relegated to the untelevised portion of undercards, many of them are now headlining shows, becoming household names and commanding much higher purses. This has led to an influx of talent in need of experience against veteran fighters.
“You see a lot of young women that are newer to the pro game with 8, 10 fights and they are looking to fight veterans to gain that experience,” says Clampitt. “I’m willing to jump in there with them and I feel confident that I can beat them.”
Another boxer Clampitt has her eyes on is fellow Canada native Laila Beaudoin. The 27-year-old Quebecois is 9-1 with 1 knockout and is scheduled to fight this Saturday in Montreal.
“I think that would be a great fight,” says Clampitt. “There aren’t many Canadians in women’s boxing, but we happen to be in the same weight class and she’s ranked #1 and I’m ranked #2 on boxrec. Laila has a great style and I know that she’s young and hungry, but I just feel very confident going into a fight like that with my experience.”
While these bouts would be compelling matchups for Clampitt to test her experience against rising contenders, there is a veteran fighter that Jaime believes would make for an instant classic against her, particularly on the east coast.
“Heather Hardy and I have kind of been on the same path over the last few years,” says Clampitt of the 41-year-old featherweight, who recently went the distance with undisputed featherweight champion Amanda Serrano for the second time in August. “The Serrano fight was really tough for her. Heather is almost too tough for her own good sometimes, but she did say that she’d like to fight again.”
Heather “The Heat” Hardy (24-3, 4 KOs) is a tough-as-nails fighter out of Brooklyn, NY who does not take a backward step. Although she was outgunned in her 2 fights against Serrano, Hardy never stopped trying to win against one of the biggest punchers in women’s boxing. A bout against Clampitt is sure to be an all-action brawl.
“I think we would be a great match up because we both throw so many punches,” opines ‘The Hurricane’. “She loves to come forward. I think I’m more of a technical boxer, but she does not stop and I know that I would have to be in phenomenal shape for that fight.”
While these are all captivating matchups, they would be even better with a world title on the line. Alycia Baumgardner is currently the undisputed super featherweight champion, but the Michigan native recently tested positive for banned substances following a homecoming victory in July over Christina Linardatou. Depending on the outcome of the subsequent investigation, some or all of Baumgardner’s titles may become vacant.
“We haven’t heard anything since the test results came out and people are just waiting to see what will happen,” says Clampitt. “Obviously, Alycia wants to be cleared of everything and I hope that happens for her. In the meantime, there may be some decisions that are made about the titles.”
All Jaime Clampitt can do to remain in the mix is to keep on winning.
