Waiting for Gamache is wearing thin

Two thoughts came to mind when former WBA lightweight champion Joey Gamache of Lewiston announced Wednesday he is abandoning his effort to regain the 135-pound world championship in order to pursue the 140-pound junior welterweight title.

1. Is there a fight fan left in Maine who genuinely cares about this move, given Team Gamache’s inability to get their fighter a second shot at the lightweight title since he lost the belt to Tony Lopez in October of 1992? After 18 months of thumb-twiddling interrupted by six forgettable fights, fans’ patience wore thinner as Gamache got heavier.

And 2. We’re now apt to find out in a hurry just how good Our Joey really is. Unlike the lightweights, the ju loaded.

If I sound cynical on the subject of Gamache, let me state up front that any criticism of the fighter or his promoter, Johnny Bos, should always be balanced by recognizing what they’ve accomplished.

Gamache has been talented enough to single-handedly keep the sport of boxing alive in Maine for a decade, dating back to his days as an amateur.

And Bos, for all his WWF school of management style and dress, succeeded in getting this small-town kid two world titles.

That having been said, it’s time to admit that the parade of unknowns and has-beens Gamache has all too frequently been matched with while waiting for title bouts that never materialized has taken a toll on the fighter’s credibility here in Maine, site of 26 of his 36 pro bouts.

Maine fight fans may not be the most savvy in the country, but they know the real deal when they see it. And even after 35 Gamache wins, fans haven’t seen enough quality opposition to be sure Gamache is as good as he’s billed to be.

This explains why Gamache hasn’t come close to filling a Maine venue since the Lopez fight. His last fight, at the Central Maine Civic Center in his native Lewiston, drew around 2,000, or half-capacity.

One atrocious matchup, the infamous Rocky “Ice” Berg fiasco held in Bangor last April, was particularly damaging to Gamache’s image. Gamache pummeled the immobile Berg for 1 1/2 rounds before the slaughter was stopped.

While 2,800 fans showed up – not a bad payday – Gamache paid a steeper price by sending everyone home feeling they’d been conned. He drew 1,300 for his next fight in Bangor.

The question now is will it be more of the same from Team Gamache at the heavier weight class, or does the move signal an honest effort to make Gamache, at age 28, a great fighter?

The opinion here is it’s going to be a lot tougher for Gamache to remain in the title picture as a junior welterweight, no matter who he fights.

Gamache and his handlers maintain he is stronger at 140 pounds, but the basis they use to back up this notion is suspect.

All six of Gamache’s fights since Lopez have been against either welterweights or slimmed-down middleweights, and he’s a perfect 6-0. But look at who these heavier fighters are and how Gamache fared:

Michael Grow (23-5-1), took Gamache the distance before losing on a decision.

Berg, a questionable 60-9-1, shouldn’t have been in the same ring.

Bobby Amsler (21-3), fifth-round TKO.

Jeff Bumpus (31-7-1), 10th-round TKO.

Kyu Han Park (33-19), first-round cut victim.

Jeff Mayweather (23-5), took Gamache the distance before losing on a decision.

Grow, Bumpus, and Mayweather gave Gamache all he could handle. And none appear in any of the three major boxing organizations’ rankings.

Of course, Gamache has some credibility based on his previous titles. He’s ranked second among WBA junior welterweight contenders behind former titleholder Julio Cesar Chavez. The WBA champion is Juan Coggi of Argentina. In the WBC, Gamache is ranked fifth. The WBC champion is Frankie Randall.

Don’t hold your breath waiting for a Gamache vs. Chavez, Coggi, or Randall title bout, though. All three are controlled by promoter Don King, who Bos steadfastly won’t deal with.

Given the way Team Gamache has treated Maine fans, it will take a WBA or WBC title fight to get them back in significant numbers.