LEWISTON – Joey Gamache occasionally takes himself out of Maine, but you can’t take the passion for Maine boxing out of Gamache.

Spending time in New York City and Florida while his wife, Barbara, pursued her acting career, Gamache worked with world champions and learned as much about prizefighting in retirement as he did during the days when he wore a belt.

People and places in Central Maine never faded far from his thoughts, however. Every gym reminded him of his family’s cozy clubhouse hidden in the basement of the Lewiston Armory. Each arena triggered memories of packed houses upstairs at the armory or a few blocks away at the Multi-Purpose Center.

Gamache never could stay away long. Somehow, the health of boxing in L-A always will be directly proportional to his own peace of mind.

“I want to get the amateurs going here again,” Gamache said, “and give the local kids something to aspire to.”

His newest endeavor with that goal in mind is Saturday night.

After a hiatus of nearly a year, boxing returns here with a slightly different wrinkle: a professional-amateur program at the MPC.

First bell rings at 8 p.m. Tickets are $20 at the door and also are available at Victor News and Lisbon Street News in Lewiston.

“Maine is one of the few states where you’re allowed to promote a pro-am,” Gamache said. “We expect to have four or five pro fights and five or six amateur fights. Hopefully it’ll give fans the best of both worlds. I remember fighting on the undercard with Marvin Hagler when I was a young kid. Those are special memories.”

Homegrown fighters Don Labbe of Lewiston and Jason Lehoullier (9-0) and John Webster of the Portland area are slated for professional fights. Webster’s scheduled opponent is a cousin to world champion “Sugar” Shane Mosley. Lehoullier will face a fighter from the Philadelphia area.

Labbe squares off with Kevin Cruz, who splits his time between Biddeford and New York, in the main event.

True to his tradition over the years, Gamache has brought another aspiring amateur to town in hopes of giving him an environment to train and hone his skills.

Gamache expects Richie Storer to give area fans ample reason to keep coming back.

“I like bringing guys up from New York and Florida. Give them exposure here and pretty soon they become hometown guys,” he said. “New York is kind of like the capital of the world. You have guys fighting there who come from all over the world, and I’d like to bring some of them up here to create kind of an international flavor.”

Eventually, Gamache hopes to promote monthly cards, hoping that the return of a consistent promotion will help a number of dormant local fighters remain active.

Labbe is the most prominent Twin Cities name on this month’s card. Other fighters under Gamache’s tutelage include his son, Steven, and nephew, Ryan.

Ryan Gamache, now 17, expects to turn pro this year.

“He’s doing that with one-quarter of the experience I had when I turned pro at 21,” Gamache said. “He’s got all the talent in the world. He won two of the same regional Golden Gloves championships I won. It’s just a matter of getting him some experience.”

Professional boxing hasn’t been seen in Lewiston since the late stages of Gamache’s career in the mid-1990s. Gamache acknowledges that it is a somewhat expensive proposition to revive the sport but believes there is enough interest to make it happen.

“There was a promotion here (last February) that didn’t do very well and had nothing to do with us,” Gamache said of the promotional team that includes his father, Joe Sr., and sister, Terry.

Those fights, a Massachusetts-based promotion headlined by former heavyweight contender Oleg Maskaev, attracted a crowd of fewer than half the spectators that attend most Gamache amateur shows.

“Before that, my father and I put together about nine successful shows in a little over a year,” Gamache said. “I’m serious about bringing this thing back.”

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