It must be a New Year’s resolution because, when I spoke to the usually bombastic Big Gary Shaw Tuesday, he wasn’t his bull in a China shop self.
No insults were hurled, no invective was thrown. Butter wouldn’t melt in Uncle Gary’s mouth even when I asked him if he was upset that Nate Campbell may land a March bout against superstar Floyd Mayweather even though Soupy comes off a loss to junior welterweight champion Tim Bradley.
I asked Shaw, whose collection of track suits rivals that of Tony Soprano, why he is not pounding the table for Bradley to test Mayweather.
“Because you don’t do that when it comes to guys at the level that Manny Pacquiao and Mayweather are at,” Shaw said. “You don’t need to pound the table.
“You hope, you wait for the phone call from a Pacquaio or from a Mayweather. With Cameron Dunkin as Bradley’s manager, I thought we had a shot to get Pacquiao but the call never came.
“I’m just exploring different options for Tim right now.”
Meanwhile, Shaw’s been busy setting the table for other of his charges.
On Feb. 5, Mexican Antonio DeMarco has a home ring advantage in Monterey (Showtime) against free swinging and unbeaten Venezuelan KO artist Edwin Valero.
An April 24 Alfredo Angulo-Joel Julio bout is “not closed” but Shaw hopes to finalize that one.
In mid-June, light heavyweight champion Bad Chad Dawson is guaranteed a big live crowd when he invades Montreal to fight Jean Pascal as Shaw co-promotes with Yvon Michel in boxing mad Quebec.
On March 6, Shaw’s super middleweight Andre Dirrell tests German slugger King Arthur Abraham in an unlikely venue, Palm Srpings. Dirrell is from Michigan.
Shaw explained the site choice.
“Abraham is Armenian, Vic Darchinyan will be on the show and we should draw a lot of Armenians from the LA area. We only have 2,200 seats to fill anyway.”
