| |
5'1" Melissa (Missy) "The Fury" Fiorentino from Cranston, Rhode
Island was born on January 19, 1977. She has successfully made the transition from
amateur kick-boxer to professional boxer. Her rapid firing, power-punching style
has led to her being described as "the Rocky Marciano of women’s boxing".
Missy is a graduate of Roger Williams College.
As a Rhode Island Deputy Marshall, her responsibilities include transporting prisoners from to the courthouse
in Providence. "Some of the prisoners have seen me fight on television,"
she says, "Once in a while one will say to another ... better not mess with
her or she'll knock you out." In the 139-lb division of
the 2000 USA Boxing Everlast National Championships at the Chaparral Center
in Midland, Texas, she
defeated Stephanie Jaramillo of New Mexico by a 30-19 score in the semifinal
on April 13, and Jean Martin of Brooklyn, NY by a 17-14 score in the final
on April 15.
On May 5-6, 2000 in the 63.5-kg semifinal of the Feenix Box Cup in Turku, Finland, Missy lost
to Canada's Tanya Robertson by RSC-3.
On June 6, 2000 at the Riviera Club in Cranston, Rhode Island, she won the vacant USKBA Amateur Female Full Contact Lightweight title
with a five-round unanimous decision over Yvonne Bridges. Fiorentino pushed the action with
power punching and kicks while
Bridges showed good technique throughout the fight. (Bridges had lost a hard fought decision to Fiorentino
in 1999, earning both the title shot.)
In the 132-lb Open Division at the 2000 US National/international Golden Gloves
in Augusta, Georgia, Missy defeated Trisha Hill of
Kennesaw, Georgia by a 5-0 score in the semi-finals on August 11 but then lost
by a 4-1 score to Jennifer Smith of London, Ontario, Canada in the final the
next day.
On November 15, 2000 in a Russia-USA Dual Meet at the Good Time Emporium in Somerville, Massachusetts,
Missy defeated Irina Sinetskaya of Russia by 10-7 in a 139-lb contest.
On November 17, 2000 in a Russia-USA Dual meet at Rockingham Park, in Salem, New Hampshire,
Missy defeated Olga Vlasova of Russia by 2-1 in a 139-lb contest.
 On November 16, 2001 in Cranston, Rhode Island,
Missy (in black and gold at left) won her pro boxing debut
with a first-round TKO of Vanessa Pine of Puerto Rico.
who fell to 1-1 (1 KO).
On April 4, 2002 at Foxwoods Casino in Ledyard (a.k.a. Mashantucket), Connecticut,
a capacity crowd was on hand as Missy (128 lbs) won by a KO of Ragan Pudwill (129 lbs) of Mandan, North Dakota at 1:26 in the second round.
Pudwill was knocked down three times as she was overwhelmed by bombs thrown by the busy
Fiorentino. Pudwill was reportedly
2-7-0 (0 KO) overall, but 1-3 in fights verified by me.
On May 24, 2002 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet in Cranston, Rhode
Island, she advanced to 3-0-0 (3 KO) with a second-round KO of Vikki Clardy of Cincinnati, Ohio who fell to
3-4-0. Fiorentino put Clardy away with a big left hook after several rousing toe-to-toe exchanges.
On July 26, 2002 at Rhodes-on-the-Pawtuxet, Cranston, Rhode Island,
Missy knocked out Melissa Quashi of Trinidad in the first round
to advance her pro record to
4-0-0 (4 KO). A report of this fight said that Quashi never laid a glove on
Fiorentino.
On October 4, 2002 at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island,
Missy (127 lbs) of Cranston, Rhode Island advanced to 5-0-0 (4 KO)
with a unanimous (40-36) four-round decision over Trisha Hill (125 lbs) of
Kennesaw, Georgia who fell to 2-1-0 (1 KO) as a pro boxer.
Fiorentino was too aggressive for Hill, constantly moving forward
to take away Hill's height and reach advantage. Fiorentino was able to
work Hill's head and body with Hill against the ropes and her constant
pressure appeared to be more than Hill knew how to handle. Hill did land one
hard right to Fiorentino's head in the third but "Missy" was able to shake
the punch off and stick with her fight plan.
In December 2002 she was sidelined after pulling ligaments in
her foot during training.
She returned to competition on May 2, 2003 at Foxwoods Casino, Mashantucket, Connecticut.
She moved up to 142 lbs and won a four-round unanimous (40-36,40-36,40-36) decision over Brenda Bell Drexel (147 lbs)
of San Marcos, Texas. Fiorentino was now 6-0 (4 KO) while Bell Drexel fell to 5-19-2 (0 KO). I'm told that this bout was originally contracted
for 135 lbs and that Fiorentino weighed in at 134 but then agreed to move up to keep the bout on the card after Bell Drexel
initially came in at 150 lbs.
On August 1, 2003 at Hampton Beach Casino, Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, Missy (127 lbs) advanced to
7-0-0 (5 KO) with a fifth-round TKO over Liz Drew (128½ lbs) of Troy, Missouri, who was eventually overwhelmed by
Fiorentino's aggressive body attack. Drew fell to 5-3-0 (1 KO).
On October 31, 2003 at Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy (125 lbs) advanced to a
perfect 8-0-0 (6 KO) record with a KO at 1:15 in the second round over unranked Talia Smith (129 lbs) of Cleveland, Ohio who
fell to 3-1 (3 KO). Despite her unbeaten record,
Smith appeared to be just as overmatched as all of Forentino's earlier opponents.
Missy was relentless from the opening bell landing over and under with many of her swings.
After absorbing a left hook to the head followed by another crunching body shot, Smith fell for a
10 count administered by referee Charlie Dwyer. Attendance was 2,194.
Leona Brown vs. Missy Fiorentino
© Copyrighted photo taken by Peter Mark Heintzelman
On May 14, 2004 at Rhode Island Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy won a six-round unanimous
(60-53,60-53,59-54) decision over Leona Brown of Pawling, New York. Missy controlled the entire
fight but Brown (43 years old) didn't give up and according to WBAN correspondent Peter Mark Heintzelman, taunted Fiorentino
while the decision was being announced, saying "She couldn't knock the old
lady down! ... She tried, but she couldn't knock me down!" [See the fight report]
On September 18, 2004 in Kyoto, Japan, Melissa (124 lbs) lost a ten-round
unanimous decision for the IFBA Featherweight title to
Emiko Raika (126 lbs) of Japan. According to Ryan Wissow of the WIBA,
'it was an inside trench war from start to finish. Missy was ahead after
seven rounds, but both her eyes swelled shut and she lost the last three
rounds badly, almost getting stopped in the ninth round and in some trouble
again in the tenth. Missy complained after the fight about getting
head-butted, but both landed bombs galore all night. This was a great fight,
the fight of the night and probably the women's fight of the year." Raika
improved her record to 11-1-1 (5 KO) with this win.
On June 17, 2005 at Dunkin Donuts Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy
(126 lbs) won a four-round unanimous (40-36,40-36,40-36) decision over an
aggressive Lisa Lewis (130 lbs) of Fresno, California. Fiorentino and Lewis
were busy from the outset, but Lewis could not match Fiorentino's power.
The 39-year-old Lewis dropped to
7-11-0 (3 KOs)
On July 9, 2005 at Casino Ballroom in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, Missy
(125¼ lbs) pounded out a one-sided six-round unanimous (60-54 x3) decision
over late signee Belinda Laracuente (124 lbs)
of Miami, Florida. Laracuente, known for her slick boxing skills,
seemed overwhelmed by Fiorentino's non-stop attack and spent almost the
entire fight in a cover-up defense, often against the ropes. Fiorentino
threw a steady barrage of leather at her from all angles but could not put
her away. The bout was carried live on ESPN2's Friday Night Fights. Laracuente slipped to 21-10-2 (9
KOs).
Missy vs Esther Schouten for IWBF belt
© Copyrighted photo by Emily Harney/New England Ringside
On November 23, 2005 at the
Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy (124 lbs) won an
animated 10-round unanimous (97-94,99-91,96-93) decision over
Esther Schouten (5'5", 124 lbs) of Hoorn,
Holland for the vacant IWBF Featherweight title. According to correspondent
Ken Castro, "Despite being bloodied by a head butt in the 9th round,
Fiorentino managed to secure a win. Fiorentino proved to be the
aggressor throughout the fight, but it was Schouten who got the first
opening in the fight - knocking down the Rhode Island native midway through
the third round. Schouten was hoping the opportunity would further her
chances the rest of the way. “I know I have power so I know I can knock
people down,” said Schouten. “Of course I knew that that round was mine and
I wanted to keep it that way. But she kept coming in and I wasn’t able to
move a lot.” Fiorentino utilized her jab effectively through the first
three rounds to get on the scoreboard. In the fifth, the pair closed out the
final 15 ticks of the round with a flurry of blows. “I thought it was more
of a slip,” said Fiorentino of the third- round trip to the canvas, “but I
knew that they were going to score it as a knockdown so from then on I knew
I had to take every round, because now I’m behind two points.” Fiorentino
went to the body in the middle rounds and seemed to chip away at Schouten’s
reserves in the process. Fiorentino took control of rounds six through
eight before encountering the head butt that gave her an added sense of
urgency. “It’s not the first time I’ve fought with a cut. I saw the blood
pouring out and I thought they were going to stop it and I just wanted to
finish the fight,” she said. “I knew I was wearing her down with the body
shots because her punches were getting weaker and she was trying to move
around more,” said the newly-minted champion. “She’s a great fighter - a
tough fight.” Fiorentino improved to 13-1-0 (6 KOs) with
the win.
Schouten, who fell to 18-3-1 (9
KO’s) knew from the outset that her opponent would be a tough draw. “I
didn’t have a game plan. I knew that she was aggressive and would work hard.
She worked harder than I did. That’s the reason I lost,” said Schouten.
“When I could move more, it seemed to be my fight.”
“This means everything,“
said an elated Fiorentino. “This is what I’ve been working for since I
started boxing.. I’ve been a pro for four years and it feels great to
finally have it happen. Having the crowd behind me made me want to fight
even harder.”
Fiorentino lands to the jaw of Jaime Campitt in May 2006
© Copyrighted photo taken by Jerry Coli
On May 18, 2006 at the Convention Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy (131
lbs) took on her local rival Jaime Clampitt (134¾
lbs) of Narragansett, Rhode Island who was the reigning IWBF Lightweight
champion, in a highly-anticipated showdown. The bout lived up to advance
expectations as 10 rounds of non-stop excitement, culminating in a
unanimous (97-94,96-94,96-94)
decision for the hard-charging Fiorentino. According to WBAN ringside
correspondent Ken Castro, "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. 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. 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." Other reports said that Clampitt staged a rally at the end of
the fight but it was too late to to undo Fiorentino's edge on the scorecards.
Missy took home the IWBF Lightweight belt as she moved her record to
14-1-0 (6 KOs) while dropping Clampitt to
17-4-1 (6 KOs). (For more fight photos by
Jerry Coli, see
Photo Gallery #361
on the WBAN Member Site).
Trainer Peter Manfredo Sr. 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.
“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 Fiorentino. "A few times I saw
her hands drop and I thought that she was open for the straight right and Peter
kept telling me to follow up with the hook.”
On December 1, 2006 at the Rhode Island Convention
Center in Providence, Rhode Island, Missy (128 lbs) won a six-round unanimous
(58-57,58-56,59-55) decision in a rematch with Belinda
Laracuente (128¾ lbs) of Miami, Florida.
According to WBAN correspondent Dan Horgan, "In round one, Laracuente
used her long reach to frustrate Fiorentino, as she effectively jabbed her
opponent and landed several combinations. Fiorentino was oddly inactive, as she
struggled to hunt down her lively foe. In rounds two and three however, ‘The
Fury’ pinned Laracuente against the ropes and her busy work -- especially her
clubbing right hands -- wore down the Puerto Rico native. But a third round
accidental head butt caused a large gash over Fiorentino’s right eye, and the
fight was nearly stopped. Laracuente must have gained confidence from
Fiorentino’s bleeding, as in round four, she landed several powerful left hooks
and again frustrated the hometown favorite with her stick and move job. Perhaps
sensing the fight to be going in Laracuente’s favor, Fiorentino’s work rate went
up significantly in rounds five and six, as she threw numerous wild combinations
that went unmatched by her opponent. The aggressiveness would seal the deal for
Fiorentino, who was happy with the win, but disappointed about her large cut."
Missy improved her record to 15-1-0 (6 KOs) while Laracuente fell to
22-16-3 (9 KOs).
“It was a good,
tough fight,” said Fiorentino, "and this time, she boxed a bit more.
I was supposed to fight for a 130 pound title in February, but this cut is
bad. That fight may have be postponed for a few months.”
On July 7, 2007 at Joe Bruno Stadium in Troy, New York, Melissa (126¾ lbs) won
an eight round unanimous (79-73 on all cards) decision over
Cindy Serrano (129 lbs) of Queens, New York to become
the NABF’s first Super Featherweight world champion. According to an insider,
the fight was an exciting bout with both displaying excellent boxing skills.
Fiorentino lost the first round on the three judges' scorecards, but came back
by winning the final seven. "I felt the crowd was cheering for her so I
thought I was the underdog," Fiorentino said. "That spurred me on. I kept
the pressure on her and she wore down a little bit near the end." Serrano
suffered a substantial gash under her eye that required over 20 stitches.
The 25-year-old Serrano fell
to 15-1-1 (7 KOs) with her first pro loss.
On January 26, 2008 at the SportsPlex in Mansfield, Massachusetts,
Melissa won a technical decision over Ela "Bam Bam" Nunez of Jamestown, New York
when their scheduled ten-rounder was stopped in the sixth because Fiorentino had
been badly cut by an accidental head-butt. Fiorentino was ruled the winner by
the 60-54,59-55,57-57 majority score then on the judges' cards. According to a
report by
Peter Mark Heintzelman of FightNews.com, the action "came to a screeching
halt in the sixth round, when the ring doctor witnessed an accidental collision
of heads between the two competitors. The head-butt inflicted a bloody cut upon
the head of Fiorentino. The gallant gals had traded a significant volume of
power punches through the five plus rounds, particularly technically superior
jabs that would have put most pugilists down in one. Fiorentino’s typical game
style of coming right at her opposition and not being denied was significantly
checked by the impressive “Bam Bam’s” lighting speed jabs to the face. Missy,
always the aggressor, seemed resigned to absorb the shots from Nunez and just
kept on coming forward in just a fantastic display." Melissa won the
vacant IWBF junior lightweight title and moved her record to 17-1 (6 KO's) while
dropping the scrappy Nunez to 5-3 (1 KO) but with, as Heintzelman put it,
"her reputation elevated to a higher ranking in the eyes of those who witnessed
this phenomenal fight which cries for a rematch!"
On June 7, 2008 at the
Mohegan Sun Casino in Uncasville, Connecticut, Melissa
“Huracan” Hernandez (131 lbs) of Bronx, New York, defeated Melissa
(132 lbs) by a third round TKO in a scheduled eight rounder. The fight was
non-stop with Hernandez leading when Fiorentino received a cut and the
fight was stopped. Melissa's record fell to 17-2 (6 KO's) while Hernandez
improved to
8-1-2 (3 KOs).
On December 5, 2008, Missy Fiorentino underwent
successful surgery to repair torn cartilage in the meniscus of her right knee,
an injury suffered while training for a scheduled November bout with Myriam
Chomaz.
According to Shirley Ouellette, Fiorentino's mother and manager, "The
doctor said everything went well. Missy is home resting and will begin therapy
on Tuesday. She is anxious for a fast recovery and hopes to resume training
sometime early in the new year."
To check out fight reports, complete up-to-date boxing records, with huge digital photos you can go to
the WBAN Records Member Site
Page last updated:
Thursday September 20, 2018 |
|
