Joseph Gamache (born May 20, 1966) is an American boxing trainer and former professional boxer. He is the second boxer from Maine to capture a world boxing title, as he won the WBA super featherweight title in 1991 and the WBA lightweight title in 1992. He retired with a record of 55-4, with his losses being to Tony Lopez, Orzubek Nazarov, Julio César Chávez and Arturo Gatti.

Joey Gamache
Born
Joseph Gamache

(1966-05-20) May 20, 1966 (age 58)
Statistics
Weight(s)
Height5 ft 6 in (168 cm)
Reach64 in (163 cm)
StanceOrthodox
Boxing record
Total fights59
Wins55
Wins by KO38
Losses4

Early years

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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 his 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.[1]

Professional boxing career

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Gamache was trained by Tony Lampron and Teddy Atlas. He turned professional in 1987 and won his first 28 bouts.[2]

Two-weight world champion

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In 1991, Gamache defeated Jerry Ngobeni (19-1) to capture the vacant WBA super featherweight title. He vacated the title to move up to lightweight.[3] The following year, Gamache defeated Chil-Sung Chun (18-1) to win the vacant WBA lightweight title.[4] He lost the lightweight title in his first defense to Tony Lopez (40-3-1) via TKO in the eleventh round. Gamache fought bravely against the stronger, more experienced Lopez.[5] In 1994, Gamache fought Orzubek Nazarov (19-0) for the WBA lightweight title, but lost via second-round TKO.[6] He fought Julio César Chávez (96-2-1) in 1996. The referee stopped the fight at the end of the 8th round, giving Chávez a harder-than-expected victory.[7]

Retirement

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In his last fight on February 26, 2000, Gamache was brutally knocked out in two rounds by Arturo Gatti (30-4) 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] A NYSAC official allowed Gatti off the scale before it could be determined that he had made the 141-pound weight limit. HBO said Gatti weighed 160 pounds on fight night compared to Gamache's 145 pounds. Gamache said he suffered brain damage as a result of the brutal knockout and was hospitalised for days.[9] 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. Gamache was not awarded any damages, as Schweitzer was not convinced that the negligence was a substantial factor in causing Gamache's injury. Gamache considered the verdict a win as it acknowledged the NYSAC's negligence.[10][11]

Professional boxing record

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59 fights 55 wins 4 losses
By knockout 38 4
By decision 17 0
No. Result Record Opponent Type Round, time Date Location Notes
59 Loss 55–4 Arturo Gatti KO 2 (10) Feb 26, 2000 Madison Square Garden, New York City, New York, U.S.
58 Win 55–3 Craig Houk TKO 6 (8) 1999-11-05 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
57 Win 54–3 Jerry Smith TKO 8 (10) 1999-08-07 BI-LO Center, Greenville, South Carolina, U.S.
56 Win 53–3 John Bailey UD 10 (10) 1999-04-30 Turning Stone Resort Casino, Verona, New York, U.S.
55 Win 52–3 Mark Brannon TKO 4 (10) 1998-11-20 Catfish Bend Casino, Burlington, Iowa, U.S.
54 Win 51–3 Chuck Sturm TKO 6 (10) 1998-08-30 Mountaineer Casino, New Cumberland, West Virginia, U.S.
53 Win 50–3 Tim Scott TKO 3 (10) 1998-07-30 Roxy Theater, Atlanta, Georgia, U.S.
52 Win 49–3 Felix Dubray KO 4 (12) 1998-05-09 Casino Omaha, Onawa, Iowa, U.S.
51 Win 48–3 Felix Dubray KO 3 (10) 1998-02-20 Station Casino, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
50 Win 47–3 Julio Ibarra TKO 3 (10) 1997-10-24 Memorial Auditorium, Burlington, Vermont, U.S.
49 Win 46–3 Rocky Berg KO 3 (?) 1997-06-14 Casino Omaha, Onawa, Iowa, U.S.
48 Loss 45–3 Julio César Chávez RTD 8 (10) 1996-10-12 Arrowhead Pond, Anaheim, California, U.S.
47 Win 45–2 Tim Bonds TKO 5 (10) 1996-07-31 Prairie Meadows, Altoona, Iowa, U.S.
46 Win 44–2 Rocky Martinez UD 12 (12) 1996-03-31 Sullivan Gymnasium, Portland, Maine, U.S. Won vacant WBU light-welterweight title
45 Win 43–2 Tim Payton TKO 4 (10) 1996-02-09 Ho-Chunk Casino, Delton, Wisconsin, U.S.
44 Win 42–2 Kenneth Kidd UD 8 (8) 1995-11-20 Marriott Allis Plaza Hotel, Kansas City, Missouri, U.S.
43 Win 41–2 Tony Enna TKO 8 (10) 1995-11-08 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Baltimore, Maryland, U.S.
42 Win 40–2 Danny Mason TKO 4 (10) 1995-09-15 Everett Arena, Concord, New Hampshire, U.S. Won vacant New England light-welterweight title
41 Win 39–2 Jose Ruiz TKO 1 (?) 1995-08-19 Hyatt Regency Hotel, Knoxville, Tennessee, U.S.
40 Win 38–2 Tony Enna TKO 7 (10) 1995-08-01 New Daisy Theatre, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
39 Win 37–2 Tim Bonds KO 5 (?) 1995-07-11 New Daisy Theatre, Memphis, Tennessee, U.S.
38 Loss 36–2 Orzubek Nazarov KO 2 (12) 1994-12-10 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S. For WBA lightweight title
37 Win 36–1 Wayne Boudreaux UD 10 (10) 1994-06-02 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
36 Win 35–1 Jeff Mayweather UD 12 (12) 1994-01-28 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S. Won vacant NABF light-welterweight title
35 Win 34–1 Han Kim TKO 1 (10) 1993-12-08 Armory, Augusta, Maine, U.S.
34 Win 33–1 Jeff Bumpus TKO 10 (10) 1993-09-10 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
33 Win 32–1 Bobby Amsler TKO 5 (10) 1993-06-26 Auditorium, Bangor, Maine, U.S.
32 Win 31–1 Rocky Berg TKO 2 (10) 1993-04-23 Auditorium, Bangor, Maine, U.S.
31 Win 30–1 Mike Grow UD 10 (10) 1993-02-12 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
30 Loss 29–1 Tony Lopez TKO 11 (12) 1992-10-24 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S. Lost WBA lightweight title
29 Win 29–0 Chil Sung Jun TKO 9 (12) 1992-06-13 Cumberland County Civic Center, Portland, Maine, U.S. Won vacant WBA lightweight title
28 Win 28–0 Tommy Hanks UD 10 (10) 1992-03-27 Exposition Building, Portland, Maine, U.S.
27 Win 27–0 Rick Souce TKO 3 (10) 1992-01-24 Gennevilliers, France
26 Win 26–0 Tim Tipton KO 2 (10) 1991-11-22 Complex Sport le COMEP, Épernay, France
25 Win 25–0 Jerry Ngobeni TKO 10 (12) 1991-06-28 Raceway, Lewiston, Maine, U.S. Won vacant WBA super-featherweight title
24 Win 24–0 Verdell Smith TKO 6 (10) 1991-05-10 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
23 Win 23–0 Arthur Clarke KO 3 (?) 1991-04-12 Jacksonville, Florida, U.S.
22 Win 22–0 Jackie Beard TKO 8 (10) 1991-02-05 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
21 Win 21–0 Jeff Franklin UD 12 (12) 1990-11-09 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S. Retained IBF Inter-Continental super-featherweight title
20 Win 20–0 Brian Brown UD 10 (10) 1990-05-18 Civic Center, Augusta, Maine, U.S.
19 Win 19–0 Nelson Rodriguez UD 12 (12) 1990-04-06 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S. Retained IBF Inter-Continental super-featherweight title
18 Win 18–0 Irving Mitchell TKO 4 (12) 1990-01-05 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S. Won vacant IBF Inter-Continental super-featherweight title
17 Win 17–0 Richie Foster UD 10 (10) 1989-09-28 Central Maine Civic Center, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
16 Win 16–0 John Kalbhenn UD 10 (10) 1989-07-03 The Ballpark, Old Orchard Beach, Maine, U.S.
15 Win 15–0 Roberto Rubaldino RTD 7 (10) 1989-04-20 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
14 Win 14–0 Felix Dubray TKO 7 (10) 1989-02-16 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
13 Win 13–0 Rafael Gandarilla UD 8 (8) 1988-12-01 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
12 Win 12–0 Jose Soto KO 1 (8) 1988-10-22 Salem Boys Club, Salem, New Hampshire, U.S.
11 Win 11–0 Mark Brannon TKO 1 (8) 1988-09-02 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
10 Win 10–0 Shawn Spinda KO 1 (?) 1988-06-30 Pavilion Convention Center, Virginia Beach, Virginia, U.S.
9 Win 9–0 Benny Marquez UD 8 (8) 1988-06-09 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
8 Win 8–0 Stephan Zaffirof UD 6 (6) 1988-04-23 Palais des Sports, Berck, France
7 Win 7–0 Samuel Meck UD 6 (6) 1988-03-12 Stade de Levallois, Levallois-Perret, France
6 Win 6–0 Marc Amand TKO 5 (?) 1988-01-30 Calais, France
5 Win 5–0 Ali Amouche KO 3 (?) 1988-01-23 Palais des Sports, Gamaches, France
4 Win 4–0 Chris Godeaux TKO 1 (4) 1987-12-04 Citrus Center Showcase, Winter Haven, Florida, U.S.
3 Win 3–0 Johnny Redd UD 6 (6) 1987-06-27 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.
2 Win 2–0 John Pitts KO 3 (6) 1987-05-23 High School, Bucksport, Maine, U.S.
1 Win 1–0 Al Jackson RTD 3 (6) 1987-05-01 Armory, Lewiston, Maine, U.S.

Training career

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Gamache's son, Steven Gamache, made his professional debut in 2010.[12] Today, Gamache works as a licensed boxing trainer, coaching some of the top fighters in the sport. He trained Boyd Melson, who won the gold medal at the 2004 World Military Boxing Championships in the 69 kg weight class and fought professionally at light middleweight until his retirement in 2016.[13] Gamache was hired by Team Sauerland, and trained the Danish super middleweight contender Patrick Nielsen.[14] Gamache is the current trainer of Swedish boxer Otto Wallin, who faced the former unified heavyweight world champion Tyson Fury on September 14, 2019.[15] He is also a member of the training team of Teofimo Lopez[16]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ Berger, Phil (October 24, 1992). "Gamache, a Local Hero, Hopes to Add to Maine's Boxing Folklore". The New York Times.
  2. ^ "Maine Secretary of State Kids: Joey Gamache". Maine.gov. February 26, 2000. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  3. ^ "Keeping Up With... Joey Gamache". Doghouseboxing.com. August 6, 2008. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  4. ^ "Ex-fighter Joey Gamache has lawsuit against New York State Athletic Commission rejected - ESPN". ESPN. April 8, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  5. ^ "Sometimes a loss defines a champion".
  6. ^ "Tony Lopez - Boxrec Boxing Encyclopaedia". Boxrec.com. July 11, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  7. ^ "Chavez is No Knockout but He Earns One". Los Angeles Times. October 13, 1996.
  8. ^ "Boxer injured in 2000 fight sues Gatti - Boxing- NBC Sports". MSNBC. March 2, 2006. Archived from the original on July 17, 2012. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  9. ^ "Despite faulty weigh-in, Gamache's claim axed". April 9, 2010.
  10. ^ "Joey Gamache Lawsuit!". News.lalate.com. July 11, 2009. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  11. ^ Abramson, Mitch (July 11, 2009). "'Extreme Couponing' gone too far? Expert offers tips on how to save big without obsessing". Daily News. New York. Archived from the original on May 3, 2012.
  12. ^ "Steven Gamache wins pro boxing debut". Sun Journal. August 9, 2010. Retrieved July 26, 2012.
  13. ^ "Boyd Melson".
  14. ^ Gamache: Nielsen is like a wild dog. Boxingscene.com. 15 June 2015. Retrieved July 10, 2015.
  15. ^ "Tyson Fury overcomes bloody cut over eye to beat Otto Wallin". September 15, 2019.
  16. ^ "teofimo lopez like lomachenko". USA today. December 2019. Retrieved August 13, 2020.
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Sporting positions
Regional boxing titles
New title IBF Inter-Continental
super-featherweight champion

January 5, 1990 – June 28, 1991
Won world title
Vacant
Title next held by
Wilson Rodriguez
Vacant
Title last held by
David Santos
NABF light-welterweight champion
January 28, 1994 – 1994
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Darryl Tyson
Vacant
Title last held by
Sean Malone
New England
light-welterweight champion

September 15, 1995 – 1995
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Jeff Fraza
Minor World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Jake Rodríguez
WBU light-welterweight champion
March 31, 1996 – 1996
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Shea Neary
Major World boxing titles
Vacant
Title last held by
Brian Mitchell
WBA super-featherweight champion
June 28, 1991 – October 20, 1991
Vacated
Vacant
Title next held by
Genaro Hernández
Vacant
Title last held by
Pernell Whitaker
WBA lightweight champion
June 13, 1992 – October 24, 1992
Succeeded by