By Rick Reeno
Promoter Gary Shaw has responded to the claims of Kevin Cunningham, manager/trainer of WBC junior welterweight champion Devon Alexander. Earlier, Shaw questioned the heart of WBA champion Amir Khan – citing Khan’s decision to take a fight with Juan Manuel Marquez instead of defending his title against mandatory challenger Marcos Maidana.
Afterwards, Cunningham contacted BoxingScene and said Shaw’s fighter, WBO champion Timothy Bradley, did the same exact thing when Alexander was the WBC mandatory and Bradley, instead of defending the WBC title, took a fight with Nate Campbell.
Shaw wanted to set the record straight. He says the situation was completely different because Campbell was also Bradley’s mandatory under the WBO. Shaw was given an ultimatum by the WBC, who told Bradley he would be stripped if he made his WBO mandatory prior to completing his WBC obligation. Shaw had to make a business decision and went with the WBO mandatory.
“Kevin Cunningham might be a good trainer but he would be a terrible promoter. He has no idea what he’s talking about. It’s a completely different situation. I had to make a business decision and Nate Campbell was far superior to Devon Alexander,” Shaw told BoxingScene
“Devon Alexander had no exposure. People wouldn’t know him if you brought him to Hollywood and Vine or if you brought him to Broadway and 42nd street. Juan Urango has had more television exposure than Devon Alexander. The only person with less television exposure than Alexander is Amir Khan. Maybe those two should fight each other. They can call the fight – ‘Get To Know Us.’”
