A former two-time world champion with a strong South African connection will be guiding the fortunes of Denmark’s Micki Nielsen when he fights Johnny Muller next weekend.
Joey Gamache was one of the world’s top lightweights in the 1990s, winning championships at both junior-lightweight and lightweight. For years there was speculation that he would fight Brian Mitchell, but this never came off.
Instead, in 1991, he beat tough SA contender Jerry Ngobeni for the WBA’s junior-lightweight belt.
Working under both teddy Atlas and Freddie Roach at different times, the American had a fantastic career a
nd fought many of the best boxers of the time, among them Tony Lopez, Jeff Mayweather – Floyd’s uncle – Julio Cesar Chavez and Arturo Gatti. He signed off with an outstanding 55-4 record.
He later moved into training, starting as an assistant to Manny Steward at his famous Kronk Gym in Detroit. Later, when Team Sauerland opened a boxing gym in Copenhagen three years ago, Gamache was installed as the head trainer. This is how he came to be working with Nielsen, a fighter he believes has the ability to become a world champion.
He also trains super-middleweight contender Patrick Nielsen.
