A rough month for the mixed martial arts world just witnessed another sad passing. Jake Shields' father Jack passed away on Monday.
"lost my father manager and one of my best friends today!! R.I.P jack you will be greatly missed and loved by many" ? Jake Shields
Jack, 67, was a huge part of Jake's rise over the years. At age 23, the fighter was on the verge of breaking through, but a lack of solid management was holding him back. His father had a little experience working in the music promotion business so he offered to help out.
"Jake asked me to manage him after that and I said, 'I'm sure there's someone down there who knows the business a lot better than I do. I'm all the way up here in the mountains. There's got to be someone closer to you who knows this business,'" Shields told AOL.com back in April. "Six to eight months later he sent me a contract that somebody wanted him to sign and then I took over. It was terrible. I had to [delete] the whole thing and write a new one."
The younger Shields has always been one of the more polite, grounded fighters in the game. It's clear he got that from his father. Jack said being around his son also made him a better person.
"Jake is somebody who fights cool. Before the fight he stays relaxed and he'll be back there joking. I've been back there with other people ? I'm not going to name them, but friends of ours who fight ? and some of them work themselves up to get mad and angry before they go fight. Jake doesn't do that. He's totally relaxed and totally confident. That relaxed confidence tends to wash over me, and I usually go into the fights relaxed and confident as well," said Jack.
In a pivotal welterweight title, Jake is scheduled fight Jake Ellenberger on Sept. 17 in New Orleans at Ultimate Fight Night 25.
No comments:
Post a Comment