Gareb Shamus knows boys and their toys.

Shamus, 37, is the co-founder and CEO of the International Fight League. But he made his mark as the man behind the Wizard Entertainment Group. The New York-based group has grown from one magazine about comic books in 1991 to a company that publishes five magazines and organizes conventions around comics, games, toys and Japanese anime.

His magazines _ Wizard, Toyfare, Inquest Gamer, Anime Insider and Toy Wishes _ have a monthly circulation of more than three million readers in 40 countries and five languages.

Last year, his Wizard World shows drew more than 125,000 in the U.S.

Shamus' world is all geared towards males 18 to 34. So when longtime friend Kurt Otto, a real estate investor and martial arts enthusiast, started talking up mixed martial arts, Shamus sat up and took note.

``Then after I started watching it and going to events, I really caught the bug,'' Shamus said in an interview. ``I went to these events and I said `this is my audience.' I get three million of these guys every single month either buying my magazines or reading the magazines or going to my website or going to my events.''

Shamus and Otto decided to form their own mixed martial arts entity. But they wanted to be different from the UFC, the industry leader, and to make the sport more mainstream at the same time.

So they went for a team format, opted for a ring rather than a cage like the UFC, outlawed elbow strikes to the head to reduce bloody cuts, and made their bouts three rounds of four minutes each instead of the UFC's three five-minute rounds.

``We had to get it out of the cage, and to get it out of that mentality that you have two guys beating each other up in the cage,'' Shamus explained.

They also enlisted some of the sport's past stars _ Bas Rutten, Pat Miletich, Frank Shamrock, Renzo Gracie and Carlos Newton of Newmarket, Ont. _ to coach. Some of those coaches will also compete in so-called ``super fights.'' All have an incentive to do well since they have equity in the organization.

The IFL vision has looked promising to date.

Its initial shows, in April and June, were shown on tape by Fox Sports Net, which has signed up to carry more cards this fall. Rogers Sportsnet also carried IFL.

Initial sponsors included Suzuki, Microsoft's Xbox and Coca-Cola. The IFL has even struck a deal with Dale and Thomas Popcorn, making it the league's ``official snack food.'' The popcorn company's only other sports agreement is with the New York Mets.

Shamus says sponsors like the direction the IFL has taken with the growing sport of mixed martial arts.

``They want to reach more of a mass-market audience. They don't want to be associated with a bloody mess.''

While the demographic is 18 to 34, Shamus says the sport also draws in older males. And he says changes made by the IFL have made it more appealing to women.

It has not been all smooth. The UFC has sued the IFL in Nevada, contending it enticed UFC people to leave. The IFL counter-sued in New York, saying the UFC was interfering with it business.

The lawsuits are still before the courts. UFC president Dana White declined comment on the litigation.

The IFL continues to move on. While it started as a private company, it is going public, via what's called a reverse merger, and Shamus says its finances will be totally transparent.

The IFL will also look after its fighters, he promises.

``These guys are some of the most well-trained athletes in the world. And they're not treated that way,'' he said. ``What we want to do is just treat these guys with the respect that they deserve.

``I joke with people because I come from the comic book world. To me these are real-life super heroes. ... These guys are extraordinary people. They're not just these thugs out there. A lot of these guys, they're very smart, they college-educated. This is not a sport about just beating the crap out of each other, it's really a sport ... it's a strategy sport.''

IFL fighters are put on salaries, with additional bout agreements and win bonuses.

The IFL started with two shows and four teams. Now it has eight teams and is in the midst of a tournament that will serve as the precursor to the first full league season starting in early 2007.

The eight-team knockout tournament started Sept. 9 in Portland, with another show featuring Newton's Toronto-based Dragons on Saturday in Moline, Ill. The four winning teams will advance to the semifinals in November with the final set for December.

Shamus is enjoying the ride.

``It's taking all my time, for sure,'' he said. ``I still own my other company but I'm doing this full time.

``The reality is I've been very fortunate to be successful in life, that I get to do what I enjoy. The reality is I'm running a fight promotion business and a professional sports league. That's unbelievable.''