“For the first time everybody will be able to see a full 100% entire card”

In this our second and final part of our two-part interview, GSP President Gary Shaw speaks with Boxingtalk.com in debt about his debut MMA show that’s set to take place at the Desoto Civic Center in Southaven Mississippi on February 10th. “For the first time everybody will be able to see a full 100% entire card between the Internet and ShowTime” Shaw informed Boxingtalk. “Five of them will be live on ShowTime and five will be streamed live on the Internet for free”. Read on as Shaw gives us the complete rundown, including his plans to make the first world champion in both sports (MMA & Boxing) simultaneously and talks to us about signing Mixed Martial artist Edson Berto, brother of undefeated Welterweight prospect Andre Berto to his MMA company.

RC: Gary let us talk about the MMA show for a little bit. How many bouts will be televised on ShowTime?
GS: On February 10th at the Desoto Civic Center in Southaven Mississippi we will have ten fights. Five of them will be live on ShowTime and five will be streamed live on the Internet for free. For the first time everybody will be able to see a full 100% entire card between the Internet and ShowTime.

RC: In what capacity are you actually working with these fighters? Do you plan on singing any MMA fighters? I mean does Gary Shaw know how to match these MMA guys?
GS: No Gary Shaw doesn’t know **explicit** about matching an MMA guy. But I have professionals that I am working with. I am working with JD Penn and J has Rumble world in Hawaii’s brother of BJ Penn and Richard Chou his matchmaker, and Jeremy Lappen and other people so we have a staff of about five people that are working on all of the matches and signing the fighters. I am running the business of it, and I am running the event but I don’t claim to know the fighters or know how to match them. But I know once I meet the fighters and they know who Gary Shaw is, I will have the same success as I have in boxing.

I have so far signed one fighter to not only the MMA Company but to Gary Shaw Productions. His name is KJ Noons, and I am hoping to make KJ the first champion in both sports simultaneously. So I am thinking outside of the box, so when KJ Noons comes in for his first world title in boxing or vice versa, they will b able to say “The Mix Martial Arts world champion” or “The World Champion of the WBC” or IBF or whatever. So I am trying to think outside of the box to make it really exciting. I have a girl fighter signed to the MMA. She is a ten and maybe she is the perfect TEN because not only is she really good looking but also she can really fight. That is Gina Carano. Gina can really fight, the same thing that I bought to boxing I am trying to bring to the MMA. We got (Frank) Shamrock and (Renzo) Gracie two huge names. We got this guy Antonio “The Monster” Silva, he is 315lbs.

RC: Is that they guy that is almost 7 foot tall?
GS: Yeah, so I am bringing him, I signed him. Another guy is David Loiseau out of Canada. I mean these are real fighters and wait let me tell you this. Do you know who I signed?

RC: (Saying to myself he has no idea how much I don’t know anything about MMA) Who?
GS: Berto’s brother.

RC: Andre Berto’s brother?
GS: Yes I have Andre Berto’s brother. He is from a mixed Martial arts family. You will be able to see him fight live on the Internet.

RC: So we will get to see his brother fight on the first MMA show you are putting on?
GS: Yes… on February 10th. And here is my comment, (Kidding around) if I couldn’t have Andre I got Edson and we are going to kick Andre’s **Explicit**. And just so you know I love Andre, he calls me Pops and he IM’s me a few times a week still to this day, and those are the things that make me… that I don’t talk about publicly but makes me the happiest because here is a kid that I don’t represent. But the fact that he IM’s me three times a fight, and IM’s me and asked me how he looked and what my thoughts are. I mean what more can I say? That to me is what repayment is all about.

RC: How did you hooking up with his brother come all about?
GS: Whappened is I was watching tape of a fight, it had nothing to do with Berto and on the headsets was Andre and I was looking. It was like seeing your schoolteacher in the Super Market, you are not sure it is really her. I am looking at I am saying that looks like Andre Berto and the next thing they are saying is that it is Andre Berto, and I am going what is he doing on the headsets of an MMA fight, and this is a tape that I am watching. Then the next thing I see is his brother in the ring and I immediately called Andre and I said I want to sign your brother and he made the call to his Father for me. So he is fighting on my first show. So look if I couldn’t have Andre I got the brother.

RC: What can you tell us about Edson Berto that made you sign him?
GS: Ooh yeah, he is all action, has a great body. 155lb fighter, very strong and in a year from now I am going to kick Andre’s butt with him

RC: You mean as in….
GS: (Cutting in starting to laugh) Nah I am just kidding, I keep telling Andre that though. I will make (Edson) Berto as big a star as Andre is becoming, and for his father, to me what more can you want you have two sons with two professional contracts in two separate sports. I mean that is a credit to the Father a mix martial artist.

RC: From what I understand, Papa Berto is a bad dude when it comes to the MMA
GS: Ooh yeah that’s definite; I just want to say to Andre Berto that in Edson Berto I have the real “Haitian Sensation” (starts to laugh)

RC: Where will the viewer be able to view the telecast that will broadcast the first five fights that won’t be televised on ShowTime?
GS: They can watch the fights at www.elitexc.com.

VIEWER

Send questions and comments to: BksCam@gmail.com