Issue 032

December 2007

If anyone had said a couple of years ago that top boxing promoter Gary Shaw would soon be taking a genuine interest in MMA, you would have laughed it off as some kind of mindless optimism that the sport could draw such a seasoned and well-connected promoter of boxing.

Not only has Shaw made a long-term commitment to the sport, he is in the process of putting together a partnership of international fight organisations that seems destined to have a massive impact on the world of MMA.

Shaw boasts a wealth of experience in the fight game and has been behind the scenes of America’s boxing since way back in 1977 when he was appointed as an inspector to the New Jersey State Athletic Control Commission (NJSAC) by none other than boxing legend, ‘Jersey’ Joe Walcott. Since then Shaw has gone on to establish a reputation as one of the most successful and respected promoters in the business.

Part of his formula for success appears to be his determination to put on the big fights that fans really want to see; a perfect example of this being his promotion of the 1999 boxing encounter between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson - a fight that many thought could never happen due to the apparently endless conflict between rival television companies, HBO and Showtime.

With the fight going ahead and instantly becoming one of the largest grossing bouts in the sport, Shaw appears to have learnt not to respect the political entanglements which have served to stifle the possibility of many keenly anticipated boxing contests coming to fruition in the past.

At the same time, the talk of big business and money-making super-fights seems incidental next to Shaw’s determination to cut his fighters the best possible deal as they gamble their teeth for the enjoyment of the viewing public.

“I give you my word; the fighter will be the star. They will be bigger than Gary Shaw; they will be bigger than the brand. It should be about the fighter. It should be [about] the person that gets into that cage and puts his life on the line every fight. So, that’s what I want to do. I want to make it about the fighter.”

All too aware of the sacrifices made by fighters stepping up for competition, Shaw explained with genuine sorrow to the gathered fighters at the Cage Rage 23 weigh-ins how he had seen fighters die in the boxing ring under his promotion, and that he intends to never see the repetition of such an event.

His concern for fighter welfare is not lost on the swelling list of top level fighters who are migrating towards EliteXC; often signing up for multi-fight deals stretching over years and providing some well deserved financial security for the combatants.

“We’re paying fighters what they deserve to be paid… EliteXC is a major player in the MMA market,” he states. 

Signing a far-reaching agreement in June with Strikeforce, EliteXC has already made quite a splash, putting on a headliner featuring such massively well recognised names as Frank Shamrock and the ‘New York Badass’ Phil Baroni. Since then, it has been a busy time for Shaw as he and his team have gone on to secure yet more partner organisations in Korea’s SpiritMC, Britain’s Cage Rage, Hawaii’s famous ICON promotion along with one of the longest running MMA organisations in existence, King of the Cage.

Inevitably, the high-profile expansion of the EliteXC brand as part of their long-term global strategy has drawn comparisons with the established market leader, the UFC. Shaw, however, is more than comfortable discussing the work of this formidable rival organisation. “I have a great respect for UFC. I have a great respect for their product, their fighters, and what they’ve done.”

The competitive nature of his relationship with the figurehead of the UFC gives rise to the inevitable comparisons between the two, a comparison that he appears only too comfortable to engage head on, should the need arise; “Anytime that Dana White would like to match his resume against mine in the field of sports, fighting, regulatory, you can give him my email or my cell number. But I don’t think there’s any need for that. I think if everybody works together it benefits the fans and it benefits the sport of MMA.”