Gary Shaw: "I have more lives than Don King!"

By G. Leon

12/12/2006

Gary Shaw: "I have more lives than Don King!"

GL: What's the latest and greatest with GSP?"Everything has been going great and all of my fighters will be coming out swinging. Don't ever count Gary Shaw out, I have as many lives as Don King. Rumors of my demise in boxing are greatly exaggerated and rumors that I have fled boxing for the MMA are even more exaggerated. I love boxing and it will always be a love of mine. I have many, many years in it and I think the MMA space is growing. It's just another opportunity, not only for Gary Shaw, but for my fighters, when they decide to leave boxing the MMA space will be another place where they can earn more than a living and resurrect some careers. All of your fans and boxers out there interested in coming over to fight in the MMA should reach out to me or call Greg Leon at Boxingtalk and he'll pass it on."

GL: If you can, please fill us in on some details on how you, Showtime and the MMA will be working together in 2007?

GS: "I have a three year agreement with Showtime to put on MMA events. We'll probably put on six events in 07, eight in 08 and ten to twelve in 09 so there's going to be some big opportunities out there for some of the fighters. If they have a wrestling background, if not we can teach them wrestling, but with their boxing skills their stand up game would be ahead of everyone else."

GL: We already know Showtime Championship Boxing airs the first Saturday of every month, when will these events be televised?

GS: "Probably the second Saturday, but there's no set schedule like there is with the boxing but that doesn't mean it won't come to that in 2008. But we already know that the numbers and demographics are beyond spectacular for the MMA audience."

GL: Will it be difficult to the MMA business along with your boxing business?

GS: "Not really becuase I have two different offices. My boxing office does boxing and my MMA office in Calfornia does MMA. It's a public company and it's staffed with with 15 people. I am President of the event division of that company, which is different from Gary Shaw Productions which is held privately."

GL: Have you and Diego spoken since Boxingtalk broke the news that Golden Boy's lawyer sent you a letter conceding Corrales promotional rights to GSP?

Gary Shaw: "I've tried to reach out for Diego but he hasn't returned my calls. I would like to get him in the ring in either March or April."

GL: What's going to be next for Vivian Harris?

GS: "He's going to be back in early 2007. There's a couple of fights out there for him that I would love to make. We'd love to get him back on Boxing After Dark to get him another great win before we set him up for a really big fight."

GL: What's going to be next for Chad Dawson?

GS: "I've been talking to Don King about making a fight with Dawson and WBC champion Tomasz Adamek."

M

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