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Mike Coppinger, ESPN
Gary Shaw, a prominent boxing promoter who held his final fight in 2015, has died, WBC president Mauricio Sulaiman said Thursday. He was 79.
Shaw promoted or co-promoted 175 events during a 13-year run with his eponymous company, 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.
“I will always remember Gary with his unique smile, fun character and passion for boxing,” Sulaiman wrote.
Before he started Gary Shaw Productions, Shaw was involved in some of the sport’s biggest bouts as the COO of New Jersey-based Main Events. That includes the 2002 superfight between Lennox Lewis and Mike Tyson for the heavyweight championship.
Among the Hall of Fame boxers promoted by Gary Shaw Productions: Tim Bradley, Diego Corrales, Shane Mosley and Winky Wright. Shaw was the promoter for Corrales’ classic 2005 fight with Jose Luis Castillo, widely considered among the greatest boxing matches ever.
Shaw was also an MMA promoter for a brief period as the president of EliteXC, a company that held 20 events from February 2007 to October 2008.
“RIP Gary Shaw,” former UFC featherweight champion Cris Cyborg posted on X. “He was the first MMA promoter to give me my opportunity to fight in the USA with EliteXC.”
🙏🏽 RIP Gary Shaw.
He was the first MMA promoter to give me my opportunity to fight in the USA with Elite XC pic.twitter.com/wCvQNU1C5E
— CrisCyborg.Com (@criscyborg) April 11, 2024
EliteXC was co-founded by Showtime, the network that was closely tied to Shaw throughout his career. Shaw is credited for creating the initial concept for ShoBox, the Showtime series that aimed to graduate prospects to champions.
Shaw began his career in boxing as an appointed inspector to the New Jersey Athletic Commission. Shaw spent 28 years working for the New Jersey commission, the place where he also promoted many of his fights.