PROVIDENCE, RI— Too often championship fights disappoint. This one did not.

In fact, the hyperbole leading up to the IWBF World Featherweight Title fight between Jamie “the Hurricane” Clampitt and fellow Rhode Islander Missy “the Fury” Fiorentino was exceeded only by the actual events inside the ring.

Fiorentino, the current IWBF Lightweight Champion, scored a unanimous (97-94, 96-94,96-94) decision over the Canadian native before 1,512 highly vocal fans at the Rhode Island Convention Center.

Fiorentino upped her record to 14-1 (6 KO) in wresting the crown from Clampitt. Clampitt dropped to 16-4-1 with the disappointing defeat.

For both fighters the stakes were elevated. History will show that this was the first time a main event in the women’s division was held in the Ocean State.

“It was intense,” said Fiorentino who came in at 131. “I tried to relax an not get crazy in there, because I knew if I got crazy I’d get wild and sloppy.”

Fiorentino, as is her style, stayed in close proximity to Clampitt throughout the opening rounds. Clampitt, who was coming off a long layoff due to a broke hand, moved well in the early going.

“I kind of forced her to fight my fight. I knew she’s a good boxer and she likes to move around. I knew I had to cut her off, keep her on the inside,“ said the newly minted champion.

Clampitt stuck early, forcing a straight right past Fiorentino’s defenses in the second. In the third round, Fiorentino working in close again, landed a hard overhand right that stung Clampitt.

A few times I saw her hands drop and I thought that she was open for the straight right and (trainer)Peter (Manfredo Sr.) kept telling me to follow up with the hook,” said Fiorentino.

Manfredo said his boxer’s winning edge was honed in a California training camp last month. “She sparred with six different women. Some at 150, some at 160, some with boxing style, some with great jabs-so we were ready for anything that she threw at us tonight. She excelled at everything tonight, executed the plan perfectly,” he said.

Clampitt and Fiorentino were visibly reluctant to ease up in the level of intensity during the middle rounds, as evidenced by the first clutch of the night, midway through the sixth round. In the seventh, Fiorentino fired a trio of lefts at her opponent, the later moving Clampitt back a step.

“It was a hell of a fight,” said Clampitt trainer Chuck Sullivan who spoke on behalf of his fighter following the loss. “We wanted Jamie to box a little earlier but you have to give Missy credit, she came to fight, she came at us. I personally thought the fight was dead even but that’s not how the judges saw it.”

For the majority of the bout, the combatants utilized the center of the ring. With less than 25 ticks remaining in the eighth round, Fiorentino scored again with a solid right, backing Clampitt into the corner.

“I felt good because I knew it was going my way. Right from the beginning I knew I could taker over. I couldn’t give rounds away,” Fiorentino said.

“She fought her heart out, she did the best she could,” countered Sullivan in assessing his fighter. “We take nothing away from Missy, she’s a hell of a fighter, but so is Jamie Clampitt. You had a unique situation here in Rhode Island, you have two World Champions and they fought like world champions.”

Fiorentino spoke about the road ahead after the triumph.

“I felt strong (at 135), now I have to decide if I want to stay at my weight because I actually had trouble putting on the weight. I’ll have to think about whether I want to stay at this weight or go back down to Featherweight, because I’d like to unify the titles at Featherweight. I’ll have to decide and see what comes up next.”