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Sports TwitterEliteXC not the same without Shaw's brashness
Monday, July 28, 2008
STOCKTON, Calif. — Elite Xtreme Combat's return to CBS airwaves this past Saturday, July 26, at the Stockton Arena in California delivered in many ways.
A rash of last-minute ticket sales resulted in a sold-out crowd of nearly 8,000 fans, according to EliteXC officials. And unlike the organization's CBS debut in May, the producers kept a quick and steady pace to the show. The fights were largely well-matched, and a contingent of California-based fighters gave the big event an intimate atmosphere.
It was an all-around great event.
However, for all the positives coming out of the show — and there were many — there was one glaring omission: Gary Shaw.
EliteXC's live events president and former frontman — a boxing promoter who applied his trade to mixed martial arts — has taken a reduced role with the company over the past few months.
Since EliteXC's formation in late 2006, Shaw had been the guy steering the ship — in the public's eye, anyway. However, Doug DeLuca, executive chairman of ProElite Inc. (EliteXC's parent company), recently confirmed a smaller role for Shaw.
"We collectively made the decision that Gary was going to back off a little bit, kind of take a little bit of a relaxed role as far as being involved front and center, which is a good thing for ... three things: for his health, for his boxing business and for his family," DeLuca said.
Shaw was brash. He exaggerated and made claims so bold his own fighters would blush. He sometimes favored spectacle over sport, and he was willing to sacrifice 15 years of the sport's evolution to do things his own way. (Never mind the excruciatingly long, disjointed press conference.)
But for all his faults, Shaw stirred the pot. He created story lines. He got you excited for future events. His fighters wouldn't have to say they were as good as any UFC fighter — because Shaw would do it for them. He'd make you appreciate that day's event while having you anxiously awaiting the next three.
Still, it'd be hard to argue that this past Saturday's show wasn't a little more professional, a little more organized. EliteXC Head of Fight Operations Jeremy Lappen has done a fine job as Shaw's frontman replacement.
However, for as good as the Stockton show was, there's no real buzz for the next one. And somewhere, Gary Shaw has to be thinking that's the ultimate sin.
Dann Stupp is editor-in-chief of MMAjunkie.com, a content partner site of Yahoo! Sports. For the latest MMA news and rumors, check out www.mmajunkie.com.
