SUCCESS IS GETTING UP ONE MORE TIME THAN YOU FALL

By Michael Swann

This time last year Gary Shaw was the toast of the boxing world, at the top of most journalists’ list as the top promoter of 2005. And why not? Shaw had the promotional rights to Manny Pacquiao, Winky Wright, Jeff Lacy, and Diego Corrales, all on the top 10 pound for pound list or at least very close to it in the case of Lacy. Shaw also had a stable of promising young prospects in his stable, led by Chad Dawson, and there seemed no reason to doubt his continued success.

Then, beginning early last year, the wheels began falling off the cart. Pacquiao was first, dumping Shaw for reasons no more understandable than signing with two companies concurrently. Shaw’s long time friend and Pacquiao manager Shelly Finkel, of whom Shaw once expressed appreciation because “he believed in me,” stood by quietly with his hands in his pockets as his friend was axed. Winky was next to jump ship in his quixotic search for a promotional career, which is currently propped up by Golden Boy Promotions (GBP) while Winky Promotions gets on its feet and he finds clients other than himself.

Jeff Lacy was the biggest disappointment. He was Shaw’s first fighter, following Gary when he left his job as COO of Main Events to form his own promotional company, Gary Shaw Productions (GSP). More than that, Shaw thought of him as a son and he was a frequent visitor to the Shaw home. Lacy was even roommate with Shaw’s son, Jared, for a year. Lacy then met Jennifer Sepielli and fell in love in late 2005, and the couple became engaged. Shaw became concerned that Lacy was losing his focus for the Joe Calzaghe fight when the woman was present during training and press interviews. Lacy later commented that Shaw should stick to promoting and leave the training to the fighters.

Reportedly, Lacy was also miffed when Shaw commented that Wright was the best fighter out there between 154 and 175 pounds during the promotion of Wright-Sam Soliman in December 2005, although it was Winky’s fight and Lacy had no involvement in the promotion. Could it be that pillow talk was the catalyst in the breakup of a father-son relationship? That remains open to debate, but Jim Wilkes, the lawyer and adviser to Lacy and Wright, and a close Shaw friend of whom Shaw once said, “There’s a special place for people like Jim Wilkes, who was there when I needed him,” called Shaw to tell him that he was out as Lacy’s promoter.

Shaw put on his game face, but this was a painful moment in his life. Mike Marley quoted Shaw this week as saying, “Wilkes is the biggest personal disappointment in my life, man to man.”

At this point, Shaw was down three elite fighters and two close friends. His policy of making handshake deals was under question. Some of the media, bloggers, and discussion groups began writing him off.

Then in November Diego Corrales signed with Golden Boy. Shaw announced that he still had a contract with Corrales, and sued GBP. Initially, Golden Boy said that they had a valid contract and fully expected to keep Corrales, whose picture went up on their website. Few expected Shaw to prevail.

When Shaw announced that he was going to enter the fast growing Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) end of the fight business, there were those who thought that he was throwing in the towel, a cut and run from the game of boxing.

It hardly seemed hardly possible that a man could go from The Promoter of the Year to an afterthought so quickly, so I decided to go to the source and pursue it. Selfishly, I had hoped that Shaw would not forsake boxing for MMA. I’ve always been a boxing fan, didn’t know the first thing about MMA, and had no desire to learn. To me it was The Competition.

I spoke to Shaw at length this week and I can report with conviction that he is far from the beaten cur that his detractors might imagine. In fact, he reminds me of the champion college coach who having lost all his seniors to graduation is rejuvenated, thinking of the prospects of rebuilding his team with the remaining parts.

Shaw said that, “Boxing is a love that I’ll always have. I’ll never leave it. At the same time I cherish and relish this martial arts thing.”

He said that he has been following the sport since 1997 when he was on the New Jersey State Commission, but the sport wasn’t approved by the state. Even now MMA is only sanctioned in just over 20 states, though others are expected to follow soon.

“It kept growing and the PPV’s were doing more,” Shaw recalled. “I kept watching and saw boxing going downhill because of the disloyalty of the fighters and the promoters bickering. By the promoters, the managers, and even some of the trainers being cut throat, they’re killing themselves off.”

I asked Shaw if he thought that the emergence of MMA would hurt boxing.

“Yes, absolutely,” he replied candidly. “It’s going to take the budgets of Showtime and HBO. I don’t know exactly when but eventually Mixed Martial Arts will become bigger on television while boxing moves to the sidelines. It’s sad to say but the demographics are shrinking in boxing.”

Showtime Networks has partnered with Pro Elite Inc. to create Elite Xtreme Combat (EXC). The first show is scheduled on February 10 at the Desoto Civic Center in Southaven, Mississippi at 10 p.m. ET/PT. MMA legends Frank Shamrock and Renzo Gracie are the headliners, with future star Gina Carano, as well as J.D. Penn, Brian Viera, David Loiseau, and many others on the undercard. Bill Goldberg and Mario Lopez make up the broadcasting team. Initially, six cards are scheduled this year, eight in ‘08, and 10 in ‘09, with two PPV shows to be announced later. Shaw serves as president of the live event division of EXC, which currently has about 20 employees.

As Shaw explained it, the February card will consist of five three round fights. (Title fights are five rounds.) Each round is five minutes with a one minute rest between rounds. Four or five off TV fights on the undercard will be downstreamed for free on the internet, an interesting innovation. EXC rules will be basically the same as the Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC), except that the EXC will be fought in a round cage and UFC fights are in an eight sided cage. Pride fights are held in a ring.

“We’re talking about using a stand up clock. We haven’t made a determination yet but what that means is that when they’re on the ground and the referee deems that there’s no action, he would put them on the clock and we haven’t determined if it’s 15, 20, or 30 seconds, but if there continues to be a total lull in the action, there’s no advantage to either fighter, then he would stand both fighters up and they would set up out of the gate and start over.”

There are many organizations. There is K-1, Pride, Kickboxing, Rage of the Cage, King of the Cage, and others in addition to the aforementioned UFC and EXC. Shaw says he hopes to develop it over time to avoid fan confusion. HBO has been courting the UFC and will likely be a factor in the game as well.

“We believe we’re ready and have Showtime quality,” Shaw continued. “We want to grow a real champion. That’s why I’m willing to work with the UFC or any other organization out there. The UFC, and I don’t mean this in a disparaging way, fight their own talent. They have real fights, but when they become champion, they’re really only champion of the UFC because they don’t fight anyone from outside. I’m hoping that some day we can take the UFC champion and our champion and do a total co-promotion, so the winner stands up and says I am the world champion.”

I asked Shaw about the compensation for the athletes which have been said not to be commensurate with the big money coming in from the sellout crowds and PPV.

“The athletes that are fighting for us on February 10 are being paid very well,” he replied. “I think we’re doing the right thing by our athletes, but I can only speak for us and what we’re doing.”

GSP BOXING

As previously reported this week on 15 Rounds, Golden Boy Promotions has decided to step aside in the battle for Diego Corrales, since Shaw produced a valid contract. GBP CEO Richard Schaeffer told us that, “We don’t interfere with other people’s contracts.”

As far as Corrales’ future goes, Shaw said, “ He has to decide if he wants to fight at 140 or 147, then we will set up a fight.”

So what else can we expect from Gary Shaw in boxing in 2007?

“You can expect a lot,” he replied quickly. “ You can expect Vivian Harris probably fighting for a title. We’re trying to get Juan Lazcano right now with him and Golden Boy. We want to get him back in the ring and get the right fights for him.

“We have Chad Dawson fighting for a [WBC light-heavyweight] world title on February 3 in Miami. I believe he’s going to make heavyweight eventually.

“I’ve got Tony Hanshaw fighting January 5 against Jean Paul Mendy [in the finale of the super-middleweight tournament, with the winner being declared the IBO titlist]. Hanshaw is one of my original babies so hopefully he comes through with flying colors. Also that night we have [Nick] Casal and [Jose Antonio] Izquierdo, two undefeated fighters in a risky fight.

“In March Vic Darchinyan will be defending his [IBF-IBO flyweight] titles against Victor Burgos [ranked #7 by Ring Magazine]. Arce? Arce is running. The way Arum’s tying up Arce is by saying that he doesn’t want to do business with me because I’m suing him. But he said he would have Pacquiao fight Barrera even though Golden Boy was suing him. So he’s got to make up his mind. Is he hiding from Darchinyan or is he hiding behind a lawsuit? [ WBA titlist Lorenzo] Parra? Can’t get him in the ring. [Parra did not fight in 2006.]

“Rafael Marquez is moving to 122. [Israel] Vasquez is a fight we’re looking at.

“I’m real high on [junior middleweight] James Kirkland. I just signed Timothy Bradley from California at 140. I’m very high on him. I just signed the Bey Brothers [former lightweight amateur standouts Mickey and Cortez]. We’re also going to have some crossover boxers with the MMA. I just signed K.J. Noons to both a boxing and MMA contract. There are also a couple of heavyweights I’m looking at.”

Gary Shaw is a big believer of “good karma.” He might be on to something because my innards tell me that between martial arts and boxing he is going to do very well for himself in 2007 even if he doesn’t add any more stars in the coming year, which he probably will. While most of us are waiting for that pot of gold over the rainbow, Shaw has methodically and strategically retooled his operation into a formidable promotional machine once again.