Gary Shaw the prominent boxing promoter has died, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said Thursday. He was 79. “I will always remember Gary with his unique smile, fun character and passion for boxing,” Sulaiman wrote.
Shaw promoted or co-promoted 175 events during a 13-year run with his eponymous company and beginning in September 2002. The end came in June 2015, a middleweight title fight between Hall of Famer Miguel Cotto and Daniel Geale in Brooklyn.
Shaw was involved in some of the sport’s biggest bouts as the Chief Operating Officer of New Jersey-based Main Events. Which also includes the 2002 superfight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson for the heavyweight championship.
Shaw was also an MMA promoter for a brief period as the president of EliteXC. The debut CBS card in May 2008 featured famed street brawler turned MMA enthusiast Kimbo Slice in the main event. Slice KO’d James Thompson which helped rocket him to even bigger stardom. The promotion later filed for bankruptcy. In 2009, many of EliteXC’s assets, including its fight library, current fighter pool, and broadcast deals were sold to Strikeforce, headed by Scott Coker.
Among the Hall of Fame boxers promoted by Gary Shaw Productions: Tim Bradley, Diego Corrales, Shane Mosley and Winky Wright. He was also the promoter for Corrales’ classic 2005 fight with Jose Luis Castillo. That fight is considered among the greatest boxing matches ever.
Robert LaMar is a writer for Dice City Sports. You can follow him on X via @RobertLaMar26
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