Amsler’s eyes told ref to stop fight in fifth

It’s in the eyes.

It’s the one place where boxers don’t lie. Just look at them. Ask them how they are. Ask them if they want to continue.

Their mouths will give you one answer. Their eyes could give you another.

On Saturday night at the Bangor Auditorium, two-time former world champion Joey Gamache of Lewiston sent opponent Bobby Amsler to the canvas twice before referee Norman Veilleux stopped the fight 48 seconds into the fireferee Norman Veilleux stopped the fight 48 seconds into the fifth round.

Amsler went down with a body punch, a left hook to the ribs which briefly knocked the wind out of him.

Veilleux asked Amsler if he wanted to continue and was answered with a nod of the head. Seconds later, Veilleux waved his hands over his heads, stopping the fight before any further damage could be inflicted.

It can be a fine line for a referee. To stop the fight or to let it go. Some fighters can take the punishment and still come back. Others might take a few more before hitting the canvas again. Others might very well suffer some permanent damage or, in the worse case scenario, die.

“When they’re on queer street, that’s it,” Veilleux said. “That’s when they get hurt. You can ruin a good fighter. (Amsler) wanted to continue, but he was somewhere else when I was talking to him.”

“When somebody is not in it, you can tell,” added Mark Landry of Benton, who worked some of the Gamache-Amsler undercard fights. “Their hearts are going to say, `I’m OK, I’m OK,’ but they look right through you.”

In the case of Amsler-Gamache, Veilleux also took into consideration how Amsler was fighting and how much punishment he had already taken prior to getting knocked down for the second time in the fight.

“He was eating some rough shots,” said Veilleux. “I don’t know how he could take all that. Those left uppercuts were ripping his head right back. He ate the punches and he was trying to protect himself, but I wanted to get him out of there because he was looking at me (with spaced-out eyes).”

It’s the one truth in all of boxing. There is nowhere to run and hide when the referee is delivering his standing eight count.

You look through him and he can see right through you.

It is, after all, in the eyes. For Bobby Amsler, that was his biggest downfall on Saturday night.