It is how we face adversity that defines our character.

It was to be the night.  Black Eyed Peas were belting out “I Got A Feeling” and we knew it was gonna be the night. Jaime had been training hard for weeks and confidence oozed out of every perfectly sculpted muscle in her toned body. Strutting through the doors of the Hard Rock Casino, “The Hurricane” parted the sea of Holly Holm fans and made her way toward the ring. As the crowd erupted in excitement, the voices of her Rhode Island entourage carried loud and clear out of section B.  “JAIME” “JAIME” “JAIME”. Hundreds of native Holm fans surrounded the ring as our girl gracefully stepped between the ropes and claimed the ring as her own. Moments later Holly bounced down the aisle and hopped into the ring. Pacing from corner to corner like a rabid kangaroo , “The Preacher’s Daughter”  had seen the light and it was clear that only prayers or a miracle could save her. The opponents met in the center of the ring. Cloaked in self-confidence, Jaime maintained control while Holly’s nervousness kept her skipping like a  senile jack rabbit. Moments later, the 1st of a 10 Round fight began. Both athletes moving around the ring, testing, watching and anticipating the other’s next move. As the clock ticked towards the end of the 2 minute round, the boxers continued to circle the ring. The 10 second signal sounded. That’s when it happened. Holm threw a punch. Jaime slipped it as she ducked low. And in the next instant, with a whip of her hip, Holly thrust her lower body forward, colliding with Jaime’s head. Suddenly she heard a pop. Falling to her knees, Jaime felt the pain radiate down her arm and neck, causing her to feel numbness and no more.

At 1:53 of the 1st Round, the fight was over. The crowd was in shock, no one spoke or dared move.  Jaime lay there on the canvas, tears running down her face, devastated by the outcome, frightened of the future.  The referee ruled it a TKO and Holly was declared the winner. As Jaime lay on the canvas scared, confused and unable to move, Holly celebrated her “victory” with her traditional backflip.  As the doctors surrounded Jaime, bandaging her arm/shoulder/neck and eventually helping her to her feet, Holly continued posing for the cameras with her unearned World Title belt.  Jaime rested in her dressing room before being transported to the hospital (accompanied by her husband Ryan, trainer Kurt and body guard/private physician Melissa) for several hours of examinations, x-rays and injections of pain medication.  Neither Holly nor her representatives came to check on her condition.

Life is so unpredictable. This was the one outcome that was never seriously contemplated. Jaime coming home with her 5th World Title was the likely result. Jaime losing after a 10 round fight was a possibility, albeit a slight one at best. But losing a World Title bout because of a freak injury in the 1st Round—an injury NOT caused by a punch but by a hip-check to the head, an MMA-style move that is rarely if ever seen in boxing—that was heart-breaking, disappointing and enormously tragic. It was certainly one of the worst ways to lose – or win – a title fight.

So what does the future hold? This was to be Jaime’s final fight. After years and years of training, taking off only 12 months to have her beautiful baby girl, Jaime was ready to focus on the next stage of her life. Now what? No one knows. Jaime is improving although the pain and numbness still persist. But what about the fear that ravaged her as she heard her neck snap and went numb? Jaime is no light-weight. She has fought with 2 broken hands. But this was different. The idea of a broken neck, of paralysis, of never being able to run around with her little girl let alone fight again…these are the thoughts that haunt you following this type of injury. Sure, it could happen to anyone and sure, rollerblading or skiing are probably more likely to leave you with broken bones. But Jaime fought for 2 decades without ever experiencing such a frightening injury until what was to be the final fight of her career. So we are left to ponder the million dollar question…will Jaime step back into the ring one last time?

Right now, we don’t know. I don’t think even Jaime knows. But there is one thing that I DO know… An amazing woman with integrity and tenacity, Jaime’s career has forever impacted women in boxing. Moreover, her grace and professionalism during this misfortune have illuminated her character and raised the standards of sportsmanlike conduct. Whether she continues her journey inside the ring or outside the ropes, Jaime will forever influence the future of women’s boxing.  Jaime “The Hurricane” Clampitt Hayes is the face of women’s boxing.