Joey Gamache

Joey Gamache
Statistics
Nickname(s) Maine's Best
Rated at Lightweight
Super featherweight
Height 5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Reach 64 in (163 cm)
Nationality American
Born (1966-05-20) May 20, 1966
Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
Stance Orthodox
Boxing record
Total fights 59
Wins 55
Wins by KO 38
Losses 4

Joey Gamache (born May 20, 1966) an American former professional boxer who held the WBA super featherweight and lightweight titles.[1]

Early years

At the age of 10, playing third base in Little League Baseball, Gamache tended to loop his throws to first base. His father suggested that if he worked out in a boxing gym he might strengthen arms and straighten out his long throws across the infield. Gamache would come to love the rites of the gym and soon set aside baseball to become a boxer.[2]

Professional career

Gamache was trained by Tony Lampron and Teddy Atlas.[3] He turned professional in 1987 and won his first 28 bouts.[4]

Two-weight world champion

In 1991, Gamache defeated Jerry Ngobeni to capture the vacant WBA super featherweight title.[5] The following year, Gamagche defeated Chil-Sung Chun to win the vacant WBA lightweight title.[6] He lost the lightweight title in his first defense to Tony Lopez via TKO in the eleventh round. In 1994, Gamache fought Orzubek Nazarov for the WBA lightweight title, but lost via second-round TKO.[7]

Retirement

In his last fight on February 26, 2000, Gamache was brutally knocked out in two rounds by Arturo Gatti at Madison Square Garden. Gamache went on to file lawsuits against both Gatti and the New York State Athletic Commission, alleging that Gatti weighed significantly more than the contracted weight at the time of the fight.[8] The case was tried and decided by Judge Melvin Schweitzer, who found the state negligent in its lax handling of the pre-fight weigh-in. The judge, who was not convinced that the negligence was a substantial factor in causing an injury, did not award any damages. Gamache considered the verdict a win.[9][10]

Legacy

Gamache is the only boxer from Maine to capture a world boxing title. His son, Steven Gamache, made his professional debut in 2010.[11] Today, Gamache works as a licensed boxing trainer, coaching some of the top fighters in the sport. He has trained Boyd Melson, who won the gold medal at the 2004 World Military Boxing Championships in the 69 kg weight class and currently fights professionally at light middleweight.[12] Gamache currently trains super middleweight contender Patrick Nielsen.[13]

Titles in boxing

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  1. ↑ Professional boxing record for Joey Gamache from BoxRec. Retrieved October 26, 2015.
  2. ↑ Berger, Phil (October 24, 1992). "Gamache, a Local Hero, Hopes to Add to Maine's Boxing Folklore". The New York Times.
  3. ↑ "Joey Gamache".
  4. ↑ "Maine Secretary of State Kids: Joey Gamache". Maine.gov. February 26, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  5. ↑ "Keeping Up With... Joey Gamache". Doghouseboxing.com. August 6, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  6. ↑ "Ex-fighter Joey Gamache has lawsuit against New York State Athletic Commission rejected - ESPN". Sports.espn.go.com. April 8, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  7. ↑ "Tony Lopez - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  8. ↑ "Boxer injured in 2000 fight sues Gatti - Boxing- NBC Sports". MSNBC. March 2, 2006. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  9. ↑ "Joey Gamache Lawsuit!". News.lalate.com. July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  10. ↑ Abramson, Mitch (July 11, 2009). "'Extreme Couponing' gone too far? Expert offers tips on how to save big without obsessing". Daily News (New York).
  11. ↑ "Steven Gamache wins pro boxing debut". Sun Journal. August 9, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  12. ↑ "Boyd Melson".
  13. ↑ Gamache: Nielsen is like a wild dog. Boxingscene.com. 15 June, 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
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