Garden State-based promoter GARY SHAW will be inducted into the New Jersey Boxing Hall of Fame Thursday night at an awards dinner to be held at the Venetian in Garfield, NJ. Shaw, who was inducted into the California Boxing Hall of Fame last year, is the president and chief executive officer of Gary Shaw Productions, established in 2002 and based in Totowa, NJ.
“To be inducted into any hall of fame is an honor, but to be inducted in my home state’s hall of fame is very special. My professional affiliation with boxing began in New Jersey in 1971 when Jersey Joe Walcott, who was president of the New Jersey State Athletic Control Commission (NJSAC), appointed me as an Inspector. I will forever be grateful to him for that because if not for him, I would not have had the regulatory background that has been important to me as a promoter,” said Shaw. “I’ve worked with a lot of fighters…prospects, contenders, world champions, as well as television executives and venues around the world. To all of them, I say “Thank You” for the privilege of working with them. And to my family members, who have sacrificed so much for my career, I share this award with all of them. They have been in my Hall of Fame for a lifetime.”
Shaw’s 28-year tenure with NJSAC included a promotion to Chief Inspector followed by his nomination by Governor Florio and confirmation by the State Senate to the Board, formerly the NJSAC, a position he held until 1999, when he became the Chief Operating Officer of Main Events, another premier boxing promotional company.
Mr. Shaw has promoted or co-promoted many of the biggest grossing fights in boxing history, many of those events, while he was COO of Main Events, including Lennox Lewis vs. Mike Tyson, at the time the biggest grossing pay-per-fight with 1.8 million PPV buys, generating approximately $103 million in gross PPV revenue; Felix Trinidad vs Fernando Vargas; Lennox Lewis vs. Vitali Klitschko; Winky Wright vs. Felix Trinidad; Diego Corrales vs. Jose Luis Castillo; Shane Mosley vs. Winky Wright; Marquez vs Vasquez Trilogy. Mr. Shaw has also promoted or co-promoted many of our generation’s greatest world champions, including: Lennox Lewis, Mike Tyson, Shane Mosley, Fernando Vargas, Arturo Gatti, Winky Wright, Manny Pacquiao, Diego Corrales, Chad Dawson, Tim Bradley and Vic Darchinyan.
Mr. Shaw created the initial concept and helped develop the TV series “ShoBox: The New Generation,” a live boxing program still running monthly on SHOWTIME. Mr. Shaw has also promoted or co-promoted events at many of the world’s most famous venues, including Staples Center, Madison Square Garden, The Playboy Mansion, MGM Grand, Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino, Caesars Palace, Wynn Las Vegas, Foxwoods Resort Casino, the Mohegan Sun Hotel Casino, Agua Caliente Casino Resort and Chumash Casino Resort, as well as international events in St. Martin, China, Poland and England. Mr. Shaw has worked in partnership with HBO, Showtime, ESPN and SKY and all have televised many of the events Mr. Shaw has promoted or co-promoted.
Mr. Shaw has three children, Jason, A.J. and Jared, two grandchildren, Ryan, Zachary, and has been married to his wife Jade for 31 years. Mr. Shaw is a graduate of the University of Miami.
