MMA, Boxing Promoter Gary Shaw Dead at 79

Boxing-turned-MMA promoter Gary Shaw, co-founder of EliteXC, has died at the age of 79.

WBC President Mauricio Sulaiman announced the news on Thursday, and an outpouring of support and memorials has come forth from former fighters and colleagues. Shaw ran the boxing organization Gary Shaw Productions for over a decade, setting up boxing events starting in 2002 involving several big names including Miguel Cotto, Timothy Bradley and Shane Mosely.

Sulaiman mourned his friend on his post on social media, stating, “I will always remember Gary with his unique smile, fun character and passion for boxing. Rest in peace my dear Gary.”

While involved in boxing, Shaw crossed over into MMA in 2006 to create Elite XC with Showtime. The short-lived league ran 20 events from 2007 to 2008, most notably co-promoting with Strikeforce to put events on the Showtime network. A pair of Elite XC events reached the pay-per-view airwaves, while Elite XC: Primetime in May 2008 marked the first MMA event to air on network television in the U.S. That card featured names including “Kimbo Slice” Kevin Ferguson, Robbie Lawler and Gina Carano, to name a few.

Elite XC provided opportunities for female fighters including the aforementioned Carano and Cristiane Justino to compete on a large stage before women’s mixed martial arts was mainstream. While it folded later in 2008 when its parent company, Pro Elite, filed for bankruptcy, Shaw continued his work as a boxing promoter for the good part of a decade. Before promoting, Shaw worked for the New Jersey State Athletic Control Board for nearly 30 years.