Ryan Gamache is out to carve his own niche in the world of professional boxing.
By Tony Blasi
Staff Editor

LEWISTON – Boxer Ryan Gamache insisted on striking out on his own when he decided to turn pro this weekend. Nobody was going to discourage him from taking the next step in his career.

Although his uncle and trainer, former two-time world champion Joey Gamache, tried to talk him out of making the move at such an early age, Ryan, 18, felt the time was right to shed his amateur status and go on to make a name for himself in professional boxing.

“I have enough experience where I can make the move,” said Ryan a lightweight who has been boxing since he was six.

Ryan Gamache gets his opportunity Saturday night when the Gamache Boxing Club will feature 10 professional bouts at the Multi-Purpose Center. Ryan, whose amateur record was 25-5, including medals in the New England and Region One Junior Olympics, will face Joey Lazarda from Lowell, Mass., in a four-round bout.

The confident fighter feels no additional pressure fighting in front of a hometown crowd or to try and live up to his uncle’s name.

“I am not trying to be him (Joey Gamache); it’s me,” said Ryan. “It’s my pro fight. I am standing up for what I have. I want to fight for me. I love the pressure.”

Before he decided to go pro, Ryan Gamache took two years off from the sport to reflect before he asked for his uncle’s guidance.

“I didn’t feel comfortable without him training me,” said Ryan. “I needed him. He wants to get in the gym and make it happen.

“I’ve matured in the sport from taking time off.”

Ryan is quick to point out that he is a southpaw with fast hands, and he thinks those assets will make him quite a contender.

“He’s flashy; he’s slick,” said trainer Glenn Cugno. “He can hit and not be hit.”

“He’s been a scrapper all his life,” said Ryan’s grandfather, Joe Gamache. “I don’t even think he knows his full potential. He has speed and he has power.”

“He’s a showman,” Joey Gamache said of his nephew. “He’s willing to entertain people. He knows the theatrics of the game.

“He (also) has the luxury of me running shows and giving him experience. Me and my father were against him turning pro. Remember, I was 21 when I turned pro.”

For the past week, Ryan Gamache has been training with his uncle at Gleason’s Gym in Brooklyn, N.Y.

“My uncle has a place,” said Ryan. “He goes there from time to time.”

Ryan also credits trainer Steve Demongenes, who was taken by the young boxer’s potential after a Golden Gloves match, for training the Lewiston boxer for three weeks in Lowell.

“He took me in and showed me real good stuff,” Ryan said. “I hope I can get the support from the fans that my uncle did. I want to become a world champion.”

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